Dozens Arrested as Truckers’ Strikes Spread Across Iran

HRANA News Agency –At least 20 truckers and supporters have been arrested in connection with a wave of truckers’ strikes that began on May 22 in cities across Iran, including Sanandaj, Eslamabad-e Gharb, Kermanshah, Rasht, Bandar Imam Khomeini, Bandar Lengeh, and Shiraz.

The strikes, launched in protest of longstanding grievances over working conditions and economic pressures, have drawn a strong security response. Among those detained are Sediq Mohammadi and Shahab Darabi, arrested in Sanandaj and Eslamabad-e Gharb respectively. The whereabouts of Mohammadi remain unknown.

The National Union of Truckers and Drivers has released several statements confirming the arrest of at least 11 drivers in Kermanshah and several others in Sanandaj. The union also reported violent police tactics, including the use of pepper spray against striking drivers at the Sanandaj terminal.

In Rasht, the IRGC’s Gilan provincial office announced the arrest of a citizen for allegedly supporting the strike. The individual was accused of “disrupting the order and security of road transport” and “aiding opposition groups” through negative portrayals of the situation.

The IRGC in Khuzestan Province reported the arrest of two individuals in Bandar Imam Khomeini on similar charges. State media later aired what appeared to be their forced confessions.

Authorities in Bandar Lengeh also arrested a citizen for allegedly producing and distributing videos encouraging strike participation. Police claimed the videos were shared with foreign media outlets.

In Shiraz, the local prosecutor confirmed the detention of several drivers, accusing them of “deliberate and organized disruption” of the transportation system. No specific number of detainees was disclosed.

HRANA previously published a detailed report on the first week of the truckers’ strike, outlining its causes, scale, and the government’s response, including arrests and repression.

Evin Prison: Medical Care and Medical Leave Denied to Layan Darvish

HRANA News Agency – Layan Darvish, a political prisoner held in Evin Prison, is being denied essential medical care and transfer to a hospital despite suffering from a severe kidney and bladder infection.

According to information obtained by HRANA, Darvish is in urgent need of medical treatment, yet prison authorities have blocked her transfer to external medical facilities.

A source close to her family told HRANA, “Ms. Darvish’s request for conditional release has been approved and is legally due for implementation, but prison officials continue to withhold her release. Her application for short-term medical leave was initially approved but has yet to be carried out. These repeated broken promises are taking a serious toll on her mental health.”

Darvish was transferred to the women’s ward of Evin Prison on February 21, 2024, to begin serving her sentence.

A mother in her early 40s from Gilan Province, Layan Darvish was sentenced to a total of five years in prison on charges of “assembly and collusion against national security,” “insulting the Supreme Leader,” and “propaganda against the regime.”

Six Months of Detention Without Trial: Ongoing Uncertainty for Peyman Farah-Avar in Lakan Prison

HRANA News Agency – Peyman (Amin) Farah-Avar, a political detainee and poet from Gilan, has been detained for over six months and remains in Lakan Prison in Rasht without a trial or formal charges.

HRANA has learned that more than 180 days have passed since Farah-Avar’s arrest, and he is facing charges including “propaganda against the regime,” “armed rebellion (baghi),” and “enmity against God (moharebeh).” However, his case remains in legal limbo, and no court hearing has been scheduled yet. His detention order has been extended until May 2025.

Farah-Avar was arrested in September 2024 by security forces and, after completing interrogation at the Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility, was transferred to Lakan Prison in Rasht.

Peyman (Amin) Farah-Avar is a father to a 10-year-old son and a resident of Rasht. He has been arrested in the past due to his activism.

Prolonged Detention of Gilan Poet Peyman Farah-Avar Without Trial in Lakan Prison

Peyman (Amin) Farah-Avar, a poet from Gilan Province, remains in detention at Lakan Prison in Rasht more than five months after his arrest, with no resolution to his case.

A source close to his family confirmed to HRANA: “Mr. Farah-Avar faces charges including ‘propaganda against the regime,’ baghi (armed rebellion), and moharebeh (enmity against God). He has been detained for over five months in a state of limbo at Lakan Prison in Rasht, with no court hearings held to address his charges.”

Mr. Farah-Avar was arrested by security forces in August 2024 and initially taken to The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility. After completing the interrogation process, he was transferred to Lakan Prison in Rasht.

Peyman (Amin) Farah-Avar, a poet from Gilan and the father of a 10-year-old son, has previously been arrested due to his activities.

Peyman Farhangian’s Suspended Sentence Changed to 7 Years of Imprisonment in the Appeals Court

Peyman Farhangian, a poet and workers’ rights activist, has had his 7-year suspended prison sentence converted to an enforceable sentence by Branch 18 of the Gilan Province Appeals Court. This decision followed his conviction in a separate case, which added an additional one-year prison term and led to the revocation of his suspension.

Branch 18 of the Gilan Appeals Court, presided over by Judge Mohammad Mehrani and Counselor Hossein Gholizadeh, replaced Peyman Farhangian’s 7-year suspended sentence with an enforceable prison sentence. This decision followed his conviction in another case, where he was sentenced to one year in prison, in accordance with Article 54 of the Islamic Penal Code.

Based on Article 54 of the Islamic Penal Code, “If the convict commits any intentional crime punishable by hudud (punishment by sinful action), qisas (punishment by retaliation), diya (punishment by payment), or ta’zir (punishment not spedified in Islam but enforced by a Sharia Judge) up to degree seven during the suspension period, upon finalization of the new sentence, the court revokes the suspension and orders the execution of the previously suspended sentence, notifying the court that issued the suspension order.”

On May 15, 2021, Farhangian was sentenced by the aforementioned judicial authority to five years in prison for “insulting the sanctities of Islam,” two years for “insulting the founder and Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic,” two separate one-year sentences for “propaganda against the regime and in favor of opposition political groups,” five years for “inciting people to disturb national security by spreading information about the November 2019 protests,” one year for “inciting people to violent acts via social media,” and two years for “forming and leading a group of more than two people with the intention of disrupting national security.” Additionally, he was sentenced to complementary punishments, including the blocking of his Instagram account and a two-year travel ban.

Judge Mehrani had initially suspended the 7-year prison sentence, the most severe and enforceable punishment, for five years. However, the suspension lasted only a few months, and the order for its execution has now been issued.

Peyman Farhangian later faced another legal case. On August 15, he was sentenced by Branch 102 of the Criminal Court 2 of Astaneh Ashrafieh to one year of imprisonment for “propaganda against the regime,” two years of forced residency in Zabol, a two-year travel ban, and the blocking of his Instagram account. This sentence was upheld by Branch 11 of the Gilan Appeals Court.

On January 3, Farhangian was arrested and transferred to Azbaram Prison in Lahijan to serve his sentence. He was granted temporary leave from prison on March 6, 2024.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Now is definitely not the time to stop reading!

Appeals Court: Eight Teachers’ Union Activists Sentenced to Fines

The Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations reported that the prison sentences of Anoush Adeli, Aziz Ghasemzadeh, Teymour Bagheri Koodakani, Tahmasb Sohrabi, Gholamreza Akbarzadeh Baghban, Ali Nahali, Mohammad Javad Saeedi, and Jahanbakhsh Lajevardi, teachers’ union activists from Gilan Province, were converted to fines by Branch 29 of the Gilan Appeals Court. Additionally, Yadollah Baharestani and Mahmoud Sedighipour, two other defendants in the case, were acquitted of the charges against them.

Based on the recent ruling issued by Branch 29 of the Gilan Appeals Court and delivered to the activists, the two-year and one-day prison sentences for each of these teacher union activists have been converted to a fine of 3,300,000 tomans each. Meanwhile, Mahmoud Sedighipour and Yadollah Baharestani were acquitted of all charges.

Previously, Branch 3 of the Rasht Revolutionary Court had sentenced each of these individuals to two years and one day in prison, along with a two-year ban on membership in political and social parties, groups, and organizations for charges of “disrupting public order by participating in and organizing union gatherings and defying police orders.”

These activists, except for Mohammad Javad Saeedi, have previously faced legal actions due to their union activities.

Six Women’s Rights Activists Arrested to Serve Prison Sentences

On Saturday, July 13th, Matin Yazdani, Forough Saminia, Jalveh Javaheri, Negin Rezaie, Shiva Shah Sia, and Azadeh Chavoshian, women’s rights activists in Gilan, were arrested to serve their prison sentences and transferred to Lakan Prison in Rasht.

Based on this report, these women’s rights advocates were arrested to serve their sentences and transferred to Lakan Prison in Rasht. Their cases, along with those of five other women’s rights activists in Gilan named Sara Jahani, Yasamin Hashdari, Zahra Dadras, Zohreh Dadras, and Hooman Taheri, were referred to the Enforcement of Judgments department in late June of this year.

These eleven women’s rights activists were separately arrested by security forces in Gilan on August 16 and 17, 2023. Zahra Dadras was released on bail from Lakan Prison on September 17 of last year, and Zohreh Dadras was released on October 1 of the same year.

On February 29, 2024, a court session was held to address the charges against them in a joint case at Branch 3 of the Revolutionary Court of Rasht, presided over by Judge Mehdi Rasekhi. Their initial verdicts were issued by this branch in early March of this year.

Their sentences were confirmed on May 28 of this year by Branch 11 of the Gilan Provincial Court of Appeal, presided over by Judge Mohammad Sadegh Iran Agideh.

According to the issued verdict, Zohreh Dadras was sentenced to nine years, six months, and two days in prison for “forming a group to disrupt national security” and “assembly and collusion against national security.” Zahra Dadras was sentenced to six years, one month, and seventeen days in prison for “membership in a group and assembly and collusion with the intent to disrupt national security.”

Additionally, other defendants in this case were also sentenced to prison. Farough Samiei Nia, Sara Jahani, Yasmin Hashdari, Shiva Shah Siah, Negin Rezaei, Azadeh Chavooshian, and Matin Yazdani were each sentenced to six years, one month, and seventeen days in prison, while Jelveh Javaheri and Hooman Taheri were each sentenced to one year for “propaganda against the regime.”

Workers’ Rights Activist Peyman Farhangian Receives One-Year Sentence and Travel Restrictions

The Gilan Court of Appeal has recently sentenced Peyman Farhangian, a poet and advocate for workers’ rights, to a one-year imprisonment term. Additionally, he has been subjected to a two-year travel ban and other social restrictions.

According to the verdict issued on November 8, Farhangian was convicted of “spreading propaganda against the regime.” The court has further mandated the removal of his Instagram page. Notably, the initial guilty verdict was delivered by the Criminal Court of Astaneh-ye Ashrafiyeh during a court session held in absentia, without the presence of Farhangian or his legal representative.

This marks a recurring legal challenge for Farhangian, who has a history of facing convictions and imprisonment for his activism. On September 23, 2020, he was initially handed a 38-year sentence, later reduced to ten years on appeal, with seven years of the term suspended for five years. Commencing his sentence on May 16, 2022, in Ezbaram Prison in Lahijan, he was granted probation and released in December 2022.

Civil Rights Activist Peyman Sokooti’s Six-Year, Nine-Month Sentence Upheld

The Gilan Court of Appeals upheld the initial sentence against civil rights activist Peyman Sokooti.

The Rasht Revolutionary Court had previously found Sokooti guilty on multiple charges, including “propaganda against the regime,” “assembly and collusion against national security,” and “membership in anti-regime groups,” leading to the lengthy sentence.

As per Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, he is expected to serve three years and six months of the imposed sentence.

Sokooti’s legal ordeal began on May 23, 2022, when security forces arrested him. Following his arrest, he was held in an IRGC detention facility for ten days before being transferred to Lakan Prison in Rasht.

 

Five Citizens Arrested for Circulating “Obscene Pictures” On the Internet

The Deputy Chief of Police of Gilan announced that they have arrested five people for allegedly circulating so-called “obscene pictures” on the Internet. The regime’s police and judicial authorities have been criticized for violating privacy rights of citizens and interfering with individual affairs.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, the detained people have been delivered to judicial authorities pending legal proceedings.

Imposing a certain lifestyle on citizens stands in blatant violation of Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which entitles everyone the right to life, liberty and security of person. Additionally, Article 12 of this declaration affirms, “One shall not be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honor and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks”.