Masoumeh Yavari Receives 13-Year Prison Sentence on Political Charges

The Golpayegan Revolutionary Court has issued a thirteen-year sentence to Masoumeh Yavari on political charges.

Presided over by Judge Mohammad Basaeri and Ghasem Sharifian, the court sentenced Yavari to seven years for “destruction of public property,” five years for alleged “membership in Monafeghin” and one year for “propaganda against the regime.”

Notably, the verdict acquitted Yavari of charges related to “enmity against God (Moharebeh)” and “association with adversary countries.”

Yavari’s arrest occurred on September 4, during which security forces conducted a thorough search of her residence and seized some of her belongings.

It is essential to highlight that Yavari has a history of prior arrests and convictions related to her activism.

Mohammad-Mehdi Vossoughian Arrested in Golpayegan

On September 20, 2023, Mohammad-Mehdi Vossoughian was arrested by security forces in Golpayegan County and subsequently taken to an undisclosed detention facility.

This development comes amid ongoing legal uncertainty surrounding his mother, Masoumeh Yavari, a former political prisoner currently incarcerated in Dolatabad Prison.

According to information provided by a source close to his family to HRANA, Vossoughian, a 21-year-old student pursuing anesthesiology at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, was apprehended at his residence in Golpayegan County, Isfahan Province, by a team of 15 intelligence agents.

The motive behind Vossoughian’s arrest and the specific allegations against him remain undisclosed at this time.

Former Political Prisoner Masoumeh Yavari Detained

In Golpayegan, Isfahan province, on September 4, 2023, security forces apprehended Masoumeh Yavari, a former political prisoner, and subsequently transported her to an undisclosed location.

According to a source with close ties to her family, agents from the Ministry of Intelligence arrested Yavari at her residence. During the operation, these agents conducted a search and confiscated various items belonging to her and her family.

As of now, the reasons behind Yavari’s arrest and her current whereabouts remain unknown.

Report on Current Nationwide Protests: Hundreds Arrested; Dozens Killed and Injured

During the last two weeks, triggered by food price hikes, nationwide protests erupted in more than 31 cities across 10 provinces. HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, has recorded 53 demonstrations so far. 

According to HRANA, on Friday, May 6, 2022, following the government’s decision to cut subsidies on essential food items such as dairy products, flour, cooking oil, chicken, and eggs leading to soaring prices, the call for rallying against soaring prices went viral on social media. In the following days, several protests broke out in Khuzestan Province and soon swept through numerous cities across the country.

Prior to these protests, a series of protests and gatherings of teachers, labor workers and the retirees who had lost their pensions due to the government’s risky financial decisions had been sweeping across the country leading to dozens being arrested.

The new rounds of protests sparked initially in Susangerd City and other neighboring cities in Khuzestan Province. In the following days, at least 30 Arab-speaking citizens were arrested by security forces.

Soon after, the protests spread to other cities and provinces. The videos received from citizen journalists indicate that the protestors chanted slogans against inflation as well as the Iranian regime leaders, including President Ebrahim Raeisi and Supreme Leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

The map below shows the locations where the protests were.

As the map shows, the protests took place in the following cities: Izeh, Susangerd, Hamidieh, Ahvaz, Mahshahr, Masjed Soleiman, Shadegan, Jarahi Town Mahshahr, Dorud, Andimeshk, Dezful, Shahrekord, Junaqan, Fashafouyeh, Yasuj, Ardabil, Farsan, Khorramabad, Dehdasht, Borujerd, Suq, Yazd, Golpayegan, Cholicheh, Rasht, Neyshabur, Surshjan, Hafshejan, Babaheydar, Karevan Town and Pordanjan.

In total, 53 protests have been recorded. Moreover, 45 times, the attempts to start a protest were foiled due to the heavy presence of police and security forces in the streets. 

The map below shows the locations of 53 protests and the time periods.

During these protests, at least on 22 occasions in 14 cities, the police and security forces used tear gas, warning shots, pellet guns and in some cases heavy weapons against the protestors. In nine cities, tear gas and in 14 cities warning shots were used to scatter the crowds. In eight cities, security forces fired straight toward the crowds. Reportedly, security forces have used pellet guns, Kalashnikov assault rifles and paintball guns to disperse the protestors.

The map below shows the places where crackdowns and unrestrained shootings have been reported.

Since the beginning of the protests on Friday, May 6, the government disrupted the internet in several areas in Ahvaz in an attempt to prevent the protests. In the days that followed, Internet disruption was also reported in at least 10 cities.

In addition to intentional Internet disruption, the press was banned from covering the protests.

According to the reports obtained from local sources, at least 449 individuals were arrested during the protests.

So far, six people have been confirmed dead. These people have been identified as Pishali Ghalebi Hajivand (Dezful), Saadat Hadipour (Hafshejan), Jamshid Mokhtari Junaqani (Junaqan), Omid Soltani (Andimeshk), Hamid Ghasempour (Farsan City), and Behrooz Eslami (Babaheydar). HRANA can only confirm the reports on the death of the first two individuals mentioned above.

From all videos of protests which are circulating on social media, HRANA has verified the authenticity of 30 video reports which compilation you can watch below:

 

Protests Continue in Golpayegan and Several other Cities

On Tuesday, May 17, 2022, protests against soaring food prices continued in several cities, including Golpayegan in Isfahan Province. Many cities witnessed heavy police and security forces’ presence and internet disruptions.

Video footages obtained by HRANA News Agency show that in Golpayegan, people were rallying in the streets and chanting slogans against the regime. Reportedly, in Junaqan City, in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, the government has almost completely shut down the internet.

Following a new wave of price hikes recently in Iran, protests erupted in several cities across the country. In most cases, protests turned violent by the police and security forces who used tear gas, warning shots, and pellet guns to scatter the crowds.

 

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