A Daily Overview of Human Rights Violations in Iran for January 30, 2019

The following is an overview of human rights violations in Iran on January 30th, 2019 based on the information compiled and verified by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

(1) More than five protests were organized across the country on January 30, 2019. The workers of Ahvaz inter-city rail, taxi drivers in Bukan, the customers of SAIPA and IranKhodro companies, the environmental activists in Behbahan, and the employees of Railway Services and Technical Construction Engineering Company (RSTC), have held separate protests to request their demands.

(2) A 27-year old was tried in absentia and sentenced to three years in prison and 74 lashes for “stealing a chicken” in Laly city in Khuzestan province.

(3) A retired teacher, Alireza Kafaei, was arrested in Gachsaran on January 29, 2019. The leader of Islamic Association of Teachers of Gachsaran is suffering from diabetes and severe heart disease. He was released on bail earlier today.

(4) Three Kulbars (Kurdish back carrier) died or were injured in Salmas and Baneh. Saman Salehi and Mohammad Karimi were killed after the Iranian border patrol opened fire to a group of Kulbars. Another Kulbar, Sammy Rashidi, was injured in another accident.

(5) A prisoner was executed in Noor prison on the charge of murder. Two prisoners, Hashem Badrkhani and Houshang Hosseini who were accused of murder, were spared from hanging on gallows by consent of next of kin in Bandar Abbas.

(6) Jafar Azimzadeh was transferred to Evin prison to serve his six years prison sentence. Azimzadeh and Parvin Mohammadi, the members of the Free Union of workers in Iran, were arrested on January 29.

(7) Three poachers have been arrested in Ghomishloo National Park in the Najafabad county in Isfahan province.

(8) The court was in session for eight environmentalists in Tehran without their lawyers on the espionage-related charges. Moreover, five of the detained environmental activists were charged with “corruption on earth”.

(9) A Baloch citizen, Yousef Shahouzehi, was arrested for an unknown reason in Nik Shahr county in Sistan and Baluchestan. His whereabouts is still unknown.

(10) Keyvan Bazhan, a writer and member of the Iranian Writers Association, was released on bail. He was arrested along with two other writers, Baktash Abtin and Reza Khandan Mehrabadi on January 22 on the charge of “encouraging immorality or prostitution”.

(11) Five senior managers of North Khorasan University of Medical Science were flogged on financial-related charges in this university. The head of North Khorasan Justice department confirmed that and added that the court cases fillings have been increasing by 14 percent in the last ten months.

(12) Hassan Hassanzadeh and Hassan Peyghami were released from Urmia prison after completing their prison sentences. They were sentenced to two-year prison term in exile on the charge of “cooperation with the opposition groups” and “acting against national security”.

(13) The school’s roof collapsed due to rains in Pashbard village in Sardasht county in the West Azerbaijan province. Students temporarily use a “conex [shipping container] school “.

(14) The head of Hamadan Mental Health Department & Prevent announced the launch of a campaign to end violence against women such as preventing domestic violence.

(15) The workers of Sisakht municipality in the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province have two months of unpaid wages. In addition, more than half a million construction workers are not covered by insurance in Iran.

(16) An authority of Farhangian University, Mansour Nikpanah, confirmed the teacher shortage of 14 thousand in Sistan and Baluchestan province.

(17) Six police officers appeal of death penalty conviction was accepted by the Supreme Court. They have been indicted on a murder charge in the killing of three young men.

Three Reports of Misconduct toward Political Prisoners in Urmia

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – Last week, HRANA received three confirmed reports of misconduct to three political prisoners in Urmia’s central prison. Azad Mohammadi and Hassan Peyghami were transferred from Ward 12 to the psychotherapy ward after reportedly engaging in a verbal dispute with a prison authority by the name of “Medadi”. Political prisoner Abdolrahman Fattahi was reportedly beaten by a prison guard by the name of Rasoul Ghanizadeh and two other prisoners. As a result of the attack, Mr Fattahi reportedly began a hunger strike in addition to filing a complaint against his attackers.

Azad Mohammadi was arrested in May 2016 and sentenced to three and a half years in prison. Hassan Peyghami is reportedly facing a new charge of “Insulting the Supreme Leader”. A source close to Mr Peyghami told HRANA: “Hassan Peyghami got involved in a verbal dispute with a former IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) agent who is imprisoned for embezzlement and other financial offenses. [Mr Peyghami] may face new charges as a result of this.” On September 19, 2016, Mr Peyghami was sentenced to 30 months in prison by Branch 1 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court, presided by Judge Chabok, for the charge of “Acting against national security”. Mr Peyghami was reportedly arrested two years ago for the same charge and served a two-year prison exile sentence Urmia and Tabriz.

The misconduct of the authorities in Urmia’s central prison toward prisoners is not unprecedented. Prisoner Saeed Seyed Abbasi was also attacked and beaten by the head of the prison and transferred to solitary confinement and denied medical care. In April 2018, HRANA reported on an attack against Saeed Nouri, a former IRGC lieutenant, by two prison authorities.