Prisoner of Conscience Soheil Arabi Released From Rajai Shahr Prison

On Tuesday, November 16, prisoner of conscience Soheil Arabi was released from Rajai Shahr Prison after completing his sentence and sent to Borazjan to await the court decision about his two-year exile sentence.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Soheil Arabi was sent to Borazjan City accompanied by a police guard. It is yet to be decided whether he should stay in exile in Borazjan, and if so, how long. Because Arabi’s prison term was longer than the sentence required, either the difference will be subtracted from the current exile period, or the charge will be dropped altogether.

Arabi has been imprisoned since November 7, 2013, and never been granted leave. On January 21, 2020, he was relocated from Evin Prison to the Greater Tehran Prison.

While serving out the seven and a half year sentence, Soheil Arabi was convicted on charges from two new cases. In the first case, the Revolutionary Court of Tehran sentenced him to five years imprisonment on the charge of “blasphemy, propaganda against the regime and an offensive statement against the Supreme Leader”. For the second case, he was sentenced to two years imprisonment, two years of exile in Borazjan City, and paying a fine of 4 million tomans on a charge of “spreading lies in the purpose to disturb public opinion and propaganda against the regime”, and one year and eight months on the charge of “the destruction of public property”.

On September 18, 2020, Arabi was punitively relocated from the Greater Tehran Prison to Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj. On October 20, 2020, after being held for 33 days in a solitary confinement cell, in a phone call to his family, he informed them about his relocation to the detention center at the disposal of IRGC, known as Ward 2 A of Evin Prison. On November 8, 2020, he was sent back to a solitary confinement cell in Rajai Shahr Prison. After 9 days, he was sent to the public ward of this prison.

Judiciary Announced Shahin Naseri’s Cause of Death as “Drug Poisoning”

In a recent news conference,  Judiciary spokesperson Zabihollah Khodaeyan claimed the Shahin Naseri’s death in prison was caused by ” drug poisoning”, without providing any details.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting IRNA, Shahin Naseri was an eyewitness to the torture of Navid Afkari. On September 21, 2021, he went to Prison healthcare of the Greater Tehran Prison for treatment, where he died mysteriously after 45 minutes.

“In the previous meeting, we said that forensic results have not yet been announced, ” Khodaeyan said in regard to Naseri’s death, “but recently forensic has detected drug poisoning as the cause of death.”

According to fellow inmates and friends close to Shahin Naseri, who had talked to him before his death, he did not express any depressive symptoms or any intention to commit suicide. Rather, he was concerned about his life and health due to the threats he had received in solitary confinement.

After testifying about the torture of Navid Afkari, he was exiled to the Greater Tehran Prison where he was held in solitary confinement for a while.

Two days after Shahin Naseri’s death, Public Relations of Tehran Prisons General Administration said in a statement,  “The inmate was urgently transferred to Prison healthcare, where he was under the resuscitation operation for 45 minutes, but despite the efforts of the medical staff, he died.”

In a voice message recorded before the death of Navid Afkari, Shahin Naseri reveals a part of tortures his fellow inmate has gone through.

“One day when they were taking me to the police station in Shiraz, in the corridor, I heard screams, begging and obscenities,” Naseri says in the recording.  “When I passed along the torture place, I saw that two undercover cops were beating on his face with batons.”

An informed source close to his family told HRANA that in coincide with the anniversary of Navid Afkari’s execution, they relocated him to an unknown location. Based on threats he had received from security forces, we thought he was transferred to a location of a security unit. But a few days ago, we found out that he was held somewhere in the Greater Tehran Prison. Since he did not have any acute background diseases, his death is quite suspicious.

“I heard clearly that they told him that you should write down and confess whatever we tell you,” Naseri added in the recorded message. “When I went to Security Court for testifying, I told the Branch Investigator about his torture. He said with slanderous words that ‘you are meddling in a security case. I will force the agents to file a complaint against you for these accusations. If you play with fire you are going to get burnt.'”

Navid Afkari was an Iranian wrestler who, despite serious ambiguities in his case and worldwide outcry to halt the execution, was executed on September 13, 2019, in Adelabad Prison in Shiraz.

Political Prisoners Beaten After Being Held in Ward for Inmates Convicted of Violent Crimes

On Friday, October 8, in Greater Tehran Prison, a number of political prisoners were beaten by fellow inmates convicted of violent crimes.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, contrary to the laws of the prison, these political prisoners are being housed in the same ward as the prisoners of violent crimes.

In the incident, Shapur Ehsani-rad, Pouya Ghobadi, Ismail Gerami, Akbar Bagheri and Akbar Faraji were injured and a few were hospitalized.

The political prisoners held in this ward had already complained and asked the prison officials to relocate them to other wards.

Workers’ rights activist, Shapur Ehsani-rad is serving his six-year sentence. Despite poor health condition and backache, he has been denied furlough for medical treatment.

Political prisoner, Pouya Ghobadi is serving his five-year sentence. In August of this year, the trial addressing the second part of his for the charge of ” enmity against God” was held.

Recently, in the court of appeal, workers’ rights activists Ismail Gerami was sentenced to five years imprisonment and flogging of 74 laches and paying a 20-million fine.

In 2018, Akbar Bagheri was sentenced to a nine-year imprisonment. The court of appeals upheld the verdict without making any changes.

On February 10, 2019, Akbar Faraji was arrested by security forces for online political activities and sentenced to six years imprisonment by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court. This verdict was upheld by Branch of 36 of Appellate Court. On September 6, 2020, he was arrested to serve his term in Greater Tehran Prison.

 

Prisoner on Day 47 of a Hunger Strike in Greater Tehran Prison

As of today, Thursday, July 29, Alireza Ziba Halat Monfared has been on a hunger strike for 47 days in the Greater Tehran Prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Ziba Halat Monfared was imprisoned after being accused of financial crimes.

In February 2020, a spokesman for the judiciary expressed that the 25-year prison sentence of Alireza Ziba Halat had been confirmed and finalized.

He went on hunger strike following his request for meeting with judicial officials, but so far none of the officials has responded to the request. Ziba Halat Monfared has lost about 23 kg during this period.

 

Meysam Gholami is Still in Detention in the Greater Tehran Prison 5 Months After his Arrest

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Meysam Gholami was arrested by security forces in March and transferred to the Greater Tehran Prison after a week in Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj.

Regarding the same case, Mehran Azari and Fariba Asadi were arrested by the agents of the Ministry of Intelligence in February and transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison, and later to the Greater Tehran, and Qarchak Varamin prisons, until they finally were released on bails of 400 and 500 million tomans.

Ms. Asadi is said to have been beaten at the time of the arrest.

The case of these citizens has been transferred to Branch 2 of the Shahriar Revolutionary Court on charges such as “propaganda against the regime through printing and distribution of banners and leaflets, gathering and colluding against national security, membership in opposition groups.”

Meysam Gholami, a native of Tehran, is currently being held in Ward 9 of Section 2 in Greater Tehran Prison.

 

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Khaled Pirzadeh Transferred from Greater Tehran Prison to an Unknown Location

Political prisoner Khaled Pirzadeh was transferred from the quarantine section of the Greater Tehran Prison to an unknown location on Wednesday, July 14th.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on June 14, Mr. Pirzadeh was sent on sick leave with a promise of connected parole. He was returned to Evin Prison on July 7.

Khaled Pirzadeh’s lawyer, Ali Sharifzadeh, made the announcement in a note on his social media and expressed his concern about Mr. Pirzadeh’s transfer due to his illness and said the prison’s organization is responsible for Mr. Pirzadeh’s health.

Pirzadeh had gone on a hunger strike for a 3rd time on June 10, protesting the lack of medical treatment, denial of his request for parole, and his 25-month imprisonment.

Hossein Hashemi and Mohammad Turkmani End Their Hunger Strike in Greater Tehran Prison

On June 12, political prisoners Hossein Hashemi and Mohammad Turkmani ended their hunger strike following their return to section 2 of the Greater Tehran Prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Hossein Hashemi and Mohammad Turkmani went on strike on June 1 and 2 after being transferred to the detention center for prisoners accused of violent crimes.

This transfer was a violation of the UN principle of separation of prisoners based on crime.

 

 

 

Political Prisoner Reza Sarvelaiti Serving out Sentence in Greater Tehran Prison

Political prisoner Reza Sarvelaiti is currently enduring his sentence in the Greater Tehran Prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Sarvelaiti is one of the detainees of the November 2019 nationwide protests.

In September 2020, Branch 24 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, presided over by Judge Amouzad, sentenced Mr. Sarvelaiti to 10 years imprisonment on charges of burning public property, insulting the supreme leader, and disrupting the public order. Branch 36 of the Court of Appeals, presided over by Judge Ahmad Zargar, later reduced the sentence to eight years.

Reza Sarvelaiti was sent to Tehran prison to endure his 8-year sentence, in November 2020.

Political Prisoner Sasan Niknafs buried after Death in Greater Tehran Prison

The body of Sasan Niknafs, a political prisoner who died in Greater Tehran Prison on Monday, was buried.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the Tehran Prisons Organization claims that the place of death was Firoozabadi Hospital in Tehran. However, an informed source stated that in reality, Niknafs’ body was taken to a hospital outside the prison after his death.

Sasan Niknafs was suffering from myriad mental and physical health problems, such as diabetes, fatty liver, gastritis, high blood pressure, and severe depression. By most definitions, Niknafs was unfit to serve time in prison, but his mother’s efforts to obtain a certificate of intolerance were unsuccessful until after his death. Moreover, despite the clear urgency of his condition, Prison officials significantly delayed sending Niknafs to a properly-equipped hospital outside the prison. He died on June 7.

 

Death of Sasan Niknafs Confirmed by General Directorate of Prisons in Tehran Province

On Monday, June 7, the General Directorate of Prisons of Tehran Province finally confirmed the death of political prisoner Sasan Niknafs in Greater Tehran Prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the Tehran Prisons Organization claims that the place of death was Firoozabadi Hospital in Tehran. However, an informed source stated that in reality, Niknafs’ body was taken to a hospital outside the prison after his death.

The political prisoner was suffering from myriad mental and physical health problems, such as diabetes, fatty liver, gastritis, high blood pressure, and severe depression. The Prisons Organization confirmed in its June 7 report that Niknafs had once attempted suicide.

By most definitions, Niknafs was unfit to serve time in prison, but his mother’s efforts to obtain a certificate of intolerance were unsuccessful until after his death. Moreover, despite the clear urgency of his condition, Prison officials significantly delayed sending Niknafs to a properly-equipped hospital outside the prison.

In the last two days, several political prisoners in the Greater Tehran Prison have been interrogated regarding Niknafs’ drug use. A statement issued by the Tehran General Directorate of Prisons says that drug use was the cause of Niknafs’ deteriorating condition, without mentioning the forensic report.

According to an informed source, prison officials are attempting to make the case that self-medicating was the cause of Niknafs’ death as they did for Behnam Mahjubi, a prisoner who died earlier this year under similarly mysterious conditions after being denied proper medical treatment.

In February, prison authorities declared that Sufi dervish activist Behnam Mahjubi died after what they say was poisoning due to self-medicating and medication consumption, despite evidence from forensic reports to the contrary. According to the forensic medical order, Niknafs needed to be under medical monitoring. Instead, the extent of his treatment was a prescription of 2 Largactil tablets (chlorpromazine hydrochloride) and 1 Clonazepam, daily, by the prison health center.

Reckless behavior among Greater Tehran Prison officials, especially regarding political prisoners, has long been a burden on the mental and physical health and safety of inmates. The news of Sasan Niknafs’ death due to the negligence of prison officials has once again raised concerns about other political prisoners being held in Greater Tehran Penitentiary.