Christian Convert Couple in Bushehr Face Prison Sentence

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – The Revolutionary Court of Bushehr has ruled to sentence Christian converts Shapour Jozi and his wife, Parastou Zariftash, to one year in prison.

Jozi and Zariftash are among a group of Christian converts residing in Bushehr (capital of the southern province of Bandar Abbas) who were arrested in 2015, and among the 12 of whom were accused of “propaganda against the regime” for founding Christian churches in local homes. So began a 2-year deliberation in the Revolutionary Court of Bushehr that would finally convict Jozi, Zariftash, and their ten comrades to one year of imprisonment each.

Jozi and Zariftash told Mohabbat News: “Judge Abbas Asgari, the head of Branch 1 of the [Bushehr] Revolutionary Court, accused us of propaganda against the regime by way of Christian Zionism, because we gathered in family circles, inviting people to Christianity and drawing them to the land of Christianity*.”

The charge of “drawing people to the *land of Christianity” is unprecedented in Iran, making their case particularly noteworthy.

Jozi added, “The verdicts say that a number of books, booklets, publications, CDs, banners, Bibles, sermons, group prayers, and invocation books bearing the sign of the cross, computers, Christian paintings, USBs, tablets, cell phones, and statues have been discovered and confiscated by the government.”

Despite promises from Iranian president Hassan Rouhani, a self-proclaimed moderate, to increase government tolerance in view of rights to religious freedom, Christians have recently faced considerably mounting pressure from authorities.

“The Iranian people enjoy few, if any, freedoms, least of all the freedom of religion,” Mike Pence, Vice President of the United States, recently said.

“Christians, Jews, Sunnis, Baha’is, and other minority religious groups are denied the most basic rights enjoyed by the Shia majority, and they are routinely fined, flogged, arrested, assaulted, and even killed.”

In reference to the same issue at a gathering of Iranian-Americans in Los Angeles, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also affirmed that the Iranian authorities violate the rights of religious minorities.

*With “the land of Christianity,” Iranian authorities are likely referring to Jerusalem.

Summary Report: Recent Arrests, Imprisonment and Executions

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – A summary report on the most recent news of arrests, imprisonment, and executions in Iran from the the last week of July 2018 to August 7, 2018.
Iraj Mohammadi and Mohammad Amin Agoushi Released from Tabriz Prison

Iraj Mohammadi (left) and Mohammad Amin Agoushi (right)

Political prisoners Iraj Mohammadi and Mohammad Amin Agoushi were released from Tabriz Prison on Sunday, August 5, 2018, following the end of their judicial sentence. In September 2007, Mr Mohammadi and Mr Amin Agoushi were sentenced to a 10-year prison exile term each on the charge of “Acting against national security”.
Last week, HRANA reported on a hunger strike launched by Iraj Mohammadi in objection to the Iranian authorities preventing his release from prison despite reaching the end of his conviction.
Iranian authorities arrested Mohammad Amin Agoushi on September 23, 2007, on the charges of “Espionage” and “Cooperation with Iraqi Kurdistan”. In May 2008, branch 2 of the military court in Urmia charged him with “Moharebeh” (enmity against God) and transferred him to Urmia’s central prison. Four months later, Judge Hafiz Ghaffari sentenced him to death by a firing squad.
In 2010 the retrial request was approved and the case was sent to branch 31 of Iran’s Supreme Court where the sentence was reduced to ten years in prison exile. Iraj Mohammadi and Mohammad Amin Agoushi were transferred to Tabriz Prison from Zahedan in March.
In February 2017 Iraj Mohammadi explained some points in an open letter about rejecting his request for amnesty. Mr Mohammadi emphasized that the mentioned reasons were false, stating that he suffered from nervous and mental illnesses as a result of being held in solitary confinement for eight months and tortured at the onset of his arrest.
Sunni Prisoner Yasser Sharafipour Suffers from Medical Neglect
On Friday, August 3, 2018, the chest, abdomen and back of Yaser Sharafipoor, a Sunni prisoner in Karaj’s Rajai Shahr Prison, was burned with hot water.
An informed source told HRANA: “The burn was so severe that he had difficulty breathing. Prison authorities transferred him to the clinic but they only used burn ointment and returned him to the ward. When the prisoner protested, they sent him to the hospital with handcuffs and shackles. Despite the recommendation of the doctors to hospitalize him, he was returned to the prison.
Arraignment of Kamal Abdollahi in Urmia Court
Kamal Abdollahi, a citizen from Piranshahr who is held in Urmia’s central prison, was charged with “Acting against national security” by branch 6 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court on Wednesday, August 1, 2018. No information was given to Mr Abdollahi regarding the reason for the charge.
Iranian authorities arrested Mr Abdollahi on May 5, 2018, and held him for three months in a detention center operated by the Ministry of Intelligence in Urmia.
Five members of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company Arrested

On the morning of August 5, 2018, drivers of the United Bus Company of Tehran went to the company’s offices to track their housing situation in connection with issues such as the lack of delivery of housing to members despite paying all the agreed amounts in the contract. When they arrived, they were not allowed to enter, which sparked a protest that was cracked down by police forces. During the crackdown, five members of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company were arrested. The individuals are Hassan Saeedi, Davood Razavi, Atta Babakhani, Ali Ghorbanian and an unidentified person.
A close source tells HRANA: “Their detention was a result of a request by Mr Sanandaji, the President of the company. Members of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company gathered in front of branch 4 of Tehran’s security offices to support their detained colleagues until their release.”
The five workers were reportedly released hours after they were detained.
Intelligence Agents Arrest Young Man from Zarabad
According to HRANA’s sources and the Baloch Activists Campaign, a 35-year-old man by the name of Abdul Latif Miran Zehi was arrested by Intelligence agents on August 2, 2018, and transferred to Chabahar Prison.
An informed source said: “Abdul Latif Miran Zehi was getting his hair cut at a salon in Zarabad when he was arrested, handcuffed and taken by Intelligence agents who did not present an arrest warrant.”
No information about the reason for his arrest is available at this time and Mr Miran Zehi’s family is unaware of his condition following his arrest.
On May 25, 2018, a 23-year-old man by the name of Abdul Ghani Miran Zehi was arrested by Intelligence agents.
Gonabadi Dervish Maryam Farsiyabi Sentenced to Six Months in Prison

According to close sources and the Sufi news website Majzooban-e Noor, Maryam Farsiyabi, a Gonabadi Dervish, who is detained in Charchak Prison in Varamin, was sentenced to six months in prison and a two-year travel ban by branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.
Ms Farsiyabi was arrested on February 20, 2018, during the “Golestan 7th Avenue Event” which she attended with her husband, Mohammad Karimayee, and hundreds of other Gonabadi Dervishes.
Ms Farsiyabi was beaten by Iranian authorities to the point that she suffered from a fracture to her hand and her jaw was dislocated.
Mr Karimayee was recently sentenced to seven years in prison by the Tehran Revolutionary Court.
Maryam Farsiyabi, along with other women Dervish prisoners, launched a hunger strike on June 15, 2018, in protest of a violent attack by the guards. They ended their hunger strike on June 30, 2018.
Mohammad Mozaffari lashed 74 times in Evin Prison

The 74 lashings sentence for Mohammad Mozaffari was reportedly carried out in Evin Prison on Sunday, August 5, 2018. Mr Mozaffari is a political activist who was sentenced to two years in prison, 74 lashes and a 20,000,000 Rial [approximately $200 USD] fine on the charge of “Propaganda against the regime”. The sentence was issued by Abolqasem Salavati, a judge in branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.
On June 18, 2018, Mohammad Mozaffari was sent to Evin Prison to serve his two-year sentence.
Mr Mozaffari’s lawyers objected to his judicial sentence and the case was referred to the appeals court. Mr Mozaffari’s sentence was upheld by branch 36 of the Tehran Appeals Court.
Four prisoners were executed in Minab and Bandar Abbas
Iranian official sources have reported on the execution of three prisoners in Minab Prison on rape charges. The executions were reportedly carried out on the morning of Wednesday, August 8, 2018. According to an Iranian state-run news agency, the unidentified prisoners were accused of kidnapping and raping a woman in 2016 in the city of Minab.
Minab is one of the eastern cities of the Hormozgan province in southern Iran.
Prisoner at Bandar Abbas Central Prison Executed
On the morning of Tuesday, August 7, 2018, a prisoner convicted of “Murder” was reportedly executed in Bandar Abbas’s central prison. The prisoner, who has been identified as 46-year-old Amir Ali Kolivand, was arrested in June 2014.
Mr Kolivand was transferred from Haji Abad Prison to Bandar Abbas’s central prison on Monday, August 6. Haji Abad is the northernmost city of the Hormozgan province and is located near the Kerman province.
Regarding Mr Kolivand’s case, an informed told HRANA: “Amir Ali Kolivand was also charged with trafficking 5 kilograms of crystal meth, but he was executed on the charge of killing a bus driver.”
Mr Kolivand’s execution has not been announced by Iranian official sources.
According to Amnesty International’s annual report, Iran, in proportion to population per capita and executions, ranks first in the world in executions.
An annual report published by the Center of Statistics at Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI) states that more than 60% of executions in Iran are not reported by the state or the Judiciary. These executions are considered “secret executions”.
According to registered data from 2,945 reports by the Statistics, Publications and Achievements Division of HRAI, in the past year (from March 21, 2017, to March 18, 2018), at least 322 citizens were executed and 236 others were sentenced to death in Iran. Among these, there was the execution of four juvenile offenders and 23 public hangings.
Baha’i Citizen in Yazd Arrested
Mehran Bandi Amirabadi, a Bahai citizen, was arrested without a warrant by security forces on Tuesday, August 7, 2018, in the city of Yazd (conservative religious capital of the Yazd province).
A close source confirmed the news and told HRANA: “At noon, security forces arrested Mehran Bandi Amirabadi at his workplace.”
Mr Amirabadi was tried with six other Bahai citizens in branch 3 of the Yazd Appeals Court. Mr Amirabadi was sentenced to one and a half years in prison and one year in exile in Divandareh (a remote city in the Kurdistan province).
Iranian Baha’i citizens are systematically deprived of religious freedoms, while according to Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, everyone is entitled to the right to freedom of religion and belief, and the right to adopt and manifest the religion of their choice either individually, in public or in private.
Based on unofficial sources, more than 300,000 Baha’is live in Iran. However, Iran’s Constitution only recognizes Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism and denies recognizing the Baha’i faith as an official religion. Consequently, the rights of Baha’is are systematically violated in Iran.
Political Activist Mokhtar Zarei Temporarily Released from Prison

According to close sources and the Kurdistan Center for Democracy and Human Rights, political prisoner Mokhtar Zarei was temporarily released on bail from Sanandaj Prison on Tuesday, August 7, 2018, after 17 days of detention.
Mr Zarei was reportedly arrested on Saturday, July 23, 2018, and summoned to court.
A few days before his arrest, Mr Zarei claimed the reason for his arrest is his criticisms against Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, and the human rights violations in Iran.
Environmental Activist Yousef Farhadi Babadi Summoned to Court

Environmental activist Yousef Farhadi Babadi was reportedly summoned to branch 118 of the Isfahan Criminal Court regarding Dr Abedi’s (parliament representative of Isfahan) lawsuit. Mr Babadi was released on bail from Isfahan prison on March 12, 2018.
On March 5, 2018, Mr Babadi received a subpoena and a call from the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province’s prosecutor’s office regarding his publication in a social media channel called “Sound of Water”, which mainly criticized the water situation in Iran. This subpoena was issued to him based on the charge of “Disseminating lies and disturbing public opinion in cyberspace”.
A Civil Rights Activist in Marivan and Two Others in Oshnavieh Arrested by Intelligence Agents, Transferred to Unknown Location
According to close sources and the Kurdistan Center for Democracy and Human Rights, in the last week of July 2018, Marivan intelligence agents arrested Arman Ghafouri, civil rights and environmental activist, and transferred him to an undisclosed location. Mr Ghafouri’s family has not been able to obtain any precise information about the reason for his arrest or the location where he is being held.
Previously, Armin Ghafouri and eight other civil rights activists were arrested on March 12, 2018, and interrogated by Iranian authorities regarding their participation in a gathering condemning the “Turkish military operation of Afrin”. army’s attack on the Afrin city”. They were subsequently released on bail.
During the past few days, Kamel Ahmadi and Tayyeb Bamorovat were arrested by Intelligence agents for the charge of “Cooperation with a Kurdish opposition party” and transferred to an unknown location. A total of seven citizens from Oshnavieh have been arrested for the same charge and the identity of only five of them has been identified thus far.

Dervish Woman Handed Prison Sentence on National Security Charges

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) When 324 members of the Dervish Muslim minority [1] were arrested February 3, 2018, Sepideh Moradi was among them. According to Human Rights Watch, a sense of injustice over intensified government surveillance of their spiritual leader prompted Moradi and her comrades to organize a protest, which flagged them as threats in the eyes of authorities.

Sure enough, Dervish news agency Majzooban Noor reported that when a detained Moradi–in protest of a lack of due process and legal representation for Dervishes–refused to attend her trial on July 28th, she was sentenced in absentia by Judge Salavati and is now beginning a five-year sentence at Gharchak Varamin Prison [2] for “Collusion to Act against National Security.”

Salavati leaned on section 23 of the Islamic Penal Code to stiffen Moradi’s sentence with two-year bans on travel, membership in political groups and parties, and media or cyber activity. She had already been barred from pursuing her master’s degree in Computer Science on a prior charge.

“The accused is the daughter of Hamidreza Moradi, an extremist figure and one of the directors of the Majzooban Noor website,” her verdict read. “She was raised in a dogmatic Dervish family, and joined the Gonabadi Dervish sect under the influence of their deviant beliefs.”

Moradi and her fellow women Dervishes reportedly endured mistreatment and torture over the course of their interrogation and detention. At one point Moradi went on hunger strike to protest a violent raid conducted June 13th by the Special Guard Force of the prison. HRANA previously published the identities of these attackers.

She received medical care from an outside facility on July 25th after weeks of follow-ups; as of the date of this report, no further information was available on her health condition.

Tehran General Prosecutor Jafari Dolatabadi announced on July 24th that 330 sentences had thus far been handed down in Dervish cases. He added: “In the cases of those 25 who refused to attend their court sessions in attempts to thwart trial proceedings, the court […] followed through with procedure. Their verdicts were delivered in person.”

[1] There are various divisions among Dervishes in Iran; those featured in this article are Nematollahi Gonabadis who consider themselves followers of Twelver Shia Islam, the official state religion in Iran. According to Human Rights Watch, Noor Ali Tabandeh, spiritual leader of the Nematollahi Gonabadi Dervish faith, published a video on March 8th stating that he is not allowed to leave his residence in Tehran.

[2] For more information on deplorable conditions in Gharchak prison, please refer to pages 18 to 20 of the following document compiled by UK Home Office:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/565834/CIG-Iran-Prison-Conditions-v1-February-2016.pdf

Protests and Marches in at Least Six Iranian Cities

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – Throughout Sunday and Monday in Iran, multiple protests were reported across Iran. Protesters included: a group of Azadi Sports Complex workers (in Tehran), a group of Falat-e Ghare oil workers (in Khark island in the Persian Gulf), several Northeastern Railroad workers, a group of Tehran’s Shad Abad Iron Market merchants, a group of landowners in Savojbalagh (whose properties have been recently designated as a “national resource”), and a group of residents of Asr Abad village in Marivan (western Iran).

Azadi Sports Complex

According to the state-run Fars News Agency, Azadi Sports Complex workers were protesting the dismissal of six of their colleagues in addition to unpaid severance pays.

Azadi complex is under provisional direction following the sacking of its last director in July. Twenty protesting workers first gathered in Azadi Sports Complex to voice their demands and then headed to the Ministry of Sport and Youth. Following the rally in front of the Ministry, Zhaleh Faramarzian, a Ministry VP, met and spoke with a representative of the protesters. When Ms Faramarzian reportedly promised to help resolve their issues, the protestors marched to the Development and Maintenance of the Athletic Facilities Office to hold discussions with its president, Hassan Karimi.
As a result of these discussions, it was agreed that the six dismissed workers would return to work and the other demands would be met as soon as possible.

Falat-Ghareh Oil Workers Go on Strike

Workers at the Falat-Ghareh located in Khark Island in the Persian Gulf launched a strike and rallied in protest to a $50* cut to their salaries. According to the state-run Tasnim News Agency, the employer is refusing to heed to the demands of the workers.

Railroad workers continue their strike

The news website Radio Zamaneh reports on the continued strikes of railroad workers and that the North East railroad workers blocked railroad tracks to stop train services.

There are reports of continued strikes in the cities of Sarakhs, Shahroud, Damghan, and Semnan. The workers in these areas have reportedly not received their salaries, insurance, and severance pays for the past three months.

Railroad workers in Iran who number 7,000 nationally demand that temporary and contractual agreements are scrapped and replaced by permanent positions. They also ask for their unpaid salaries and benefits and seek insurance coverage [by the employer].

Iron Market Strike Continues

Radio Zamaneh reports that for the second day in a row, merchants at Tehran’s Shad Abad Iron Market went on strike. A video clip disturbed on social networks shows closed shops at this market.

Land Owners of Kowsar Remain in Limbo over Legal Status of Their Properties

According to Radio Zamaneh, a group of landowners at Savojbalagh assembled in front of Alborz Province’s Agricultural Jihad Ministry to protest broken promises by officials and the legal limbo surrounding the status of their properties.

The owners of these 1,200 pieces of land had purchased their properties from Habitation Coops. However, the lands were declared “national” property in 2016. The owners have been passed between the Natural Resources Office and the Housing and Urban Planning Organization.

Back in March, the Savojbalagh county director claimed that the issues surrounding the properties were resolved and the landowners would receive good news.

Residents of Asr Abad Village Protest Their Village Being Used as Landfill

According to Radio Zamaneh, Asr Abad residents protesting the burial of the city of Varamin’s garbage in their village have blocked the burial for the past three days. Photos of the large piles of garbage in a parking lot have been distributed. Marivan’s Governor had promised to remove the trash but no concrete action has been taken.

—-

* Calculated based on an exchange rate of $1=10,000 tomans

Status of Activist Molavi Nasser Rigi Still Unknown

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – According to the Baluch Activists Campaign, though Sunni cleric Molavi Nasser Rigi was arrested by Revolutionary Guard agents more than three weeks ago, his whereabouts remain unknown.
Rigi is a civil rights activist and member of a charity called “School Ambassadors.” He was active in several social initiatives, including the collection signatures for a petition in support of the Iranshahr girls.
He was arrested July 15th in response to allegedly fake social media accounts created in his name, which indicate he is a member of “SAHAB” (Baluchistan Protest Coordinator organization) and responsible for torching the Pasteur Pharmacy in Iranshahr (in Sistan and Baluchestan province). He denied the accusations, demanding the arrest of those responsible for disseminating the misinformation.
Iranshahr residents previously held mass protests in response to the statements of Sunni Imam Molavi Tayeb, who announced after leading a Friday prayer that 41 girls from Iranshahr had been abducted and raped. Security forces detained many of the protesters, including Abdullah Bozorgzadeh.

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Telegram Activist Transferred to Intelligence Ward in Evin Prison

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – Alireza Tavakoli, a Telegram activist who was held in Tehran’s Evin Prison for more than two years, was transferred yesterday from Ward 8 to a ward in the prison known as “209”, which is operated by the Ministry of Intelligence and does not fall under prison jurisdiction.

A source close to Mr Tavakoli told HRANA: “Alireza Tavakoli was transferred from Ward 8 to Ward 209, and the Ministry of Intelligence is likely to open a new prosecution against him.”

In July, Mr Tavakoli had written an open letter to Seyed Mahmoud Alavi, a cleric and Intelligence Minister appointed by Hassan Rouhani, regarding his five-year prison sentence, calling the verdict “outrageous”.

Alireza Tavakoli was arrested in 2016 on blasphemy charges along with two other Telegram activists, Mohammad Mohajer and Mohammad Mehdi Zaman Saleh. They were sentenced to a 12-year prison term each, but their sentences were reduced by an appeals court to five years each.

Mr Tavakoli suffers from joint and intestinal pain. Recently, judicial authorities opposed a request by the Ministry of Intelligence to conditionally release Alireza Tavakoli, Mohammad Mohajer and Mohammad Mehdi Saleh.

The Case of Ahmadinejad’s Former VP Sent to Revolutionary Court

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – Abbas Pouriani, the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Courts, has announced that the case file for Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei was sent to the Revolutionary Court, according to the state-run news agency, Young Journalists Club. Mr Mashaei is a close ally of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his former Vice President.

Earlier, Adel Heidari, Mr Mashaei’s lawyer, had stated: “After the prosecution was completed and the indictment was issued, I was not given the opportunity to access [my client’s case] or meet with my client, despite several follow-ups.”

“My client was arrested after setting the judicial verdict for Hamid Baghaie on fire in front of the British embassy. He has been detained for almost four months and the response we received to our objection to his arrest was the approval of [my client’s] continued detention. Due to the termination of an investigation by the Prosecutor’s office…[my] client should have been released. His continued detention is no longer justified,” said Mr Heidari.

On March 17, 2018, the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s office announced Mr Mashaei’s arrest by police forces for the purpose of conducting further investigation on his case. On July 1, 2018, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the Tehran Prosecutor, announced that the indictment of Rahim Mashaei had been issued.

Two days before his arrest, Mr Mashaei demonstrated in front of the British embassy in Tehran in objection to the judicial verdict issued to his ally, Hamid Baghaei, Mr Ahmadinejad’s former deputy president. Mr Mashaei accused Iran’s Judiciary of taking orders from Britain and the Queen of England to issue the verdict against Mr Baghaei.

Prominent Human Rights Lawyer Granted Furlough Following Daughter’s Death

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) –  Abdolfattah Soltani, imprisoned human rights lawyer and activist, was granted temporary release from Tehran’s Evin Prison today to attend the funeral of his 27-year-old daughter, Homa Soltani, who died suddenly on August 3, 2018, from a heart attack.
A group of political and civil rights activists visited Mr Soltani’s home to convey their condolences to him and his family.
Abdolfatath Soltani is serving his seventh year of a ten-year prison sentence. During his incarceration, poor prison conditions, malnutrition, and lack of access to clean water led to various health problems for Mr Soltani including a broken tooth, psychological stress, irregular blood pressure, anaemia, and acute nervous colitis (nervous colon syndrome). His previous request for conditional release had been denied, and his appeals for a new hearing were ignored by the Iranian authorities.
Mr Soltani was arrested on September 10, 2011, and was subsequently sentenced to 18 years in prison and barred from practicing law for 20 years for accepting the International Nuremberg Human Rights Award in 2009, conducting interviews with media regarding his clients [who were mostly human rights, civil rights, student and political activists], and being a founding member of Defenders of Human Rights Centre. His sentence was eventually reduced by an appeals court to a 10-year prison term and a 2-year ban from practising law. 
The following video shows the moment Abdolfattah Soltani stepped into his home after years in prison:

Meet the Leading Human Rights Violators in Iran’s Rajai Shahr Prison

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) –  Rajai Shahr Prison, located in the city of Karaj, is among the most deplorable prisons in Iran. According to Iran’s Prisons Organization, Rajai Shahr is intended to hold detainees convicted of violent crimes. Despite this, for years the Iranian authorities have been using Rajai Shahr to exile prisoners with a variety of charges, including political prisoners.  

In recent years, there have been numerous reports about the unlawful actions of authorities at this prison. Such actions include colluding with organized crime, smuggling, organizing targeted assassinations, working closely with the prison mafia and ignoring the unlawful actions of security agents.

Based on thousands of published reports in the last four years and interviews with dozens of victims, HRANA has been able to identify the main human rights violators at Rajai Shahr Prison. The list includes authorities ranging from the head of the prison to the clerk of the prison shop. 

Many of the problems in Rajai Shahr are rooted in the activities of criminal gangs inside the prison who are backed by the prison’s highest ranking authorities. Many of the Rajai Shahr Prison authorities adhere to the unlawful agendas of security agents for financial gain. Extrajudicial actions against political prisoners that are caused by this relationship include the denial of medical care, which can lead to death or the contraction of serious illnesses. 

The list has been compiled based on thousands of reports in the last four years and interviews with dozens of victims.  

Mostafa Mohebbi 

Mostafa Mohebbi is the head of all prisons in the Tehran province.

Mostafa Mohebi is the head of all prisons in the Tehran province. Irregular inspections and the humiliation of political prisoners and their families are some of the unlawful acts under his direct order.  

On July 30, 2017, more than 50 political prisoners were forcefully transferred from Hall 12, Section 4 of Rajai Shahr to Hall 10 (which is used to hold Sunni prisoners). During the transfer, prisoners were beaten up and their personal belongings were confiscated. The violent transfer occurred under the authority of Mr Mohebbi and Mohammad Mardani, then head of Rajai Shahr. While, according to the testimonials of some of the prisoners who were transferred, black market items such as television sets, refrigerators and food are regularly sold to prisoners with nonpolitical charges.   

The living conditions for prisoners in Hall 10, Section 4 borders a crisis. Following a visit to this section of the prison by an official from the Prosecutor’s Office, it was ordered for the prisoners to be supplied with basic amenities immediately, but the order was ignored by prison authorities. When the prisoners protested against the neglect, they were informed that Mr Mohebbi had opposed the order from the Prosecutor’s office. 

Mr Mardani and Gholamreza Ziyayi (Mr Mardani’s successor) say that limits forced on political prisoners and the confiscation of belongings were as a result of orders issued by Mr Mohebbi.

Mohammad Mardani 

Mohammad Mardani (left) is the former head of Rajai Shahr Prison.

Mohammad Mardani is the former head of Rajai Shahr Prison who was promoted to a position in the Prisons Organization but still continues to have influence inside the prison. Many counts of human rights violations were reported during Mr Mardani’s time at Rajai Shahr. It was, for instance, reported that he had deliberately situated prisoners next to each other in order to instigate violence, which led to cases of suicide. 

“Mardani is an intransigent dictator who uses various excuses to gain money from prisoners via the prison staff,” a prisoner tells HRANA. “For instance, if a prisoner does not wish to be transferred to a different hall, he can prevent the transfer by bribing prison staff with money to speak to Mardani on his behalf.” 

According to reports, Mr Mardani was also known for preventing letters written by prisoners to reach the security department of the Prisons Organization. 

Rostami 

Rostami is the Deputy Prosecutor for political and security-related prisoners at Rajai Shar.

Rostami is the Deputy Prosecutor for political and security-related prisoners at Rajai Shahr. Mr Rostami only responds to the families of prisoners two days a week in addition to accepting monetary bribes from the families for small favors, such as sending a letter. Mr Rostami is known for rarely permitting visits to the hospital for ailing prisoners. In the first session of the trial of those charged with the armed attack in Tehran, Mr Rostami appeared as the Prosecutor’s representative and as a result, prisoners were able to identify him. 

Hossein Ajak

Hossein Ajak is reportedly in charge of executions at Rajai Shahr.

Hossein Ajak is known to be in charge of the executions at Rajai Shahr and is notorious for beating up prisoners. He reportedly covers his face when executing prisoners, but those who were saved from execution were able to confirm his identity in interviews with HRANA. Mr Ajak is one of the two prison authorities who was recently tasked with transferring three political prisoners from Rajai Shahr to Imam Khomeini hospital and beating them up with a baton without any prior warning. The political prisoners reportedly issued a complaint against Mr Ajak to the hospital’s security department, but the prison authorities were able to justify their behaviour to the authorities at the hospital. In the trial for the political prisoner, Mohammad Salas, Mr Ajak was sitting with Mr Salas and was able to be identified as a result.

Vali Ali Mohammadi 

Vali Ali Mohammadi is the internal manager and head of Section four of Rajai Shahr.

Also known as Ali Mohammadi, he is the internal manager and head of Section four of Rajai Shahr. Some prisoners claim that Mr Ali Mohammadi smuggles drugs into the prison by cooperating with criminal groups. 

Prisoners claim that Mr Ali Mohammadi takes part in the beating of political prisoners and the destruction of their personal possessions. Mr Ali Mohammadi is also known for placing political prisoners with regular prisoners and tearing up books. Mr Ali Mohammadi reportedly works under the direct orders of He also says these are all done by direct orders of Mostafa Mohebbi. 

Major Maghsood Zolfali 

Maghsood Zolfali is the head of the special guard forces at Rajai Shahr.

Major Maghsood Zolfali is the head of the special guard forces at Rajai Shahr. This security apparatus has repeatedly attacked different halls in Rajai Shahr under the direction of Major Zolfali. During inspections, Major Zolfali is known for beating up prisoners and destroying their personal possessions.

Darzi  

Darzi is in charge of prison inspections. Drugs are known to be widespread in Rajai Shahr Prison – especially heroine, methamphetamine and opium. Prisoners claim that it is the staff at Rajai Shahr who smuggle the drugs into the prison. Prisoners have told HRANA that Mr Darzi works with Mr Ali Mohamamdi and Mr Faraji (below) to smuggle drugs in via the prison shop and they divide the profits.  

HRANA has obtained testimonies of former members of the prison gangs who have agreed to testify. 

Faraji 

Faraji is in charge of the prison shop. Prisoners have told HRANA that Mr Faraji sells shop items at trumped up prices and sells some items only to select prisoners who aide him in his unlawful activities. It has been reported that the shop at Rajai Shahr lacks fruits and vegetables while drugs are smuggled in and sold easily. Furthermore, Mr Faraji is known for helping smuggle in mobile phones for some prisoners. 

Bagheri 

Bagheri is in charge of carrying out executions at Rajai Shahr and is known as “The Executioner” by prisoners. 

“There is an official in the prison named Bagheri who personally moves prisoners to solitary confinement in preparation for execution,” a prisoner tells HRANA. “On execution days, he personally takes the prisoners from solitary confinement to the gallows, places the noose around their necks and kicks away the chair.” 

Nematollah Saadat Rasool 

Nematollah Saadat Rasool is the head of the prison’s security department. In January 2018, HRANA had reported that prison authorities intended to place additional pressure on prisoners by refusing to provide them with heaters.  

Prisoners claim that two other prison staff members, Keyvani and an unidentified individual, also smuggle drugs into the prison. This has been reported to Mr Saadat Rasool and Mr Bahraini, who is in charge of security at the Prisons Organization, but they have refused to conduct a follow-up investigation. Prisoners believe that Mr Saadat Rasool and Mr Bahraini are complicit in the smuggling of drugs into the prison. 

Hassan Gord (Kordi)

Hassan Gord is the head of section 1 of Rajai Shahr. Mr Gord works with gangs inside the prison and has helped instigate clashes that have led to murder. In 2016, HRANA had documented the case of the prisoner, Babak Ghiasi, who was murdered in a prison fight. The latest case is prisoner and gang member, Vahid Moradi, who was murdered in Section 1 under the supervision of Mr Gord.  

Mr Gord is known to be close to the head of a rival gang to that of Mr Moradi’s. On the morning of Mr Moradi’s murder, Mr Gord placed Sayid Salehi, one of the main suspects in the case of Moradi’s murder, in section 1. Prisoners in this section have testified that Mr Moradi was knifed and his transfer to the clinic was deliberately delayed, which led to severe blood loss and his death.  

Gholmareza Ziyayi

Gholamreza Ziyayi (right) is the former chief of Rajai Shahr Prison.

Gholamreza Ziyayi worked at Rajai Shahr from September to October 2017 as the prison’s chief. Only a week after his appointment Mr Ziyayi took an unprecedented action of ordering the transfer of Baha’i prisoners to a section of the prison known as the “Annex”. This section was reportedly built to further punish select prisoners. 

During his time at Rajai Shahr, Mr Ziyayi had reportedly boasted to prisoners that he was formerly in charge of the infamous Kahrizak Prison. Multiple political prisoners died and many were tortured in Kahrizak under his supervision.  

Since December 2018, Gholamreza Ziyayi has been on the US sanctions list due to human rights violations. 

Exclusive: Audio Files Reveal New Details in Sexual Assault Allegations Against Iranian Parliament Member

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – HRANA has obtained verified audio excerpts of conversations between Iranian Parliament member Salman Khodadadi and some of the women whom he allegedly sexually abused. The conversations are in the Turkic/Azeri language (the video includes a Persian translation), HRANA has provided an English translation below:

 

First Segment   

Salman Khodadadi: I’ll tell you what’s going to happen at the end of all this. Whoever wishes to ruin me will fail. Even if someone starts to inquire, you’re a widow! They’d probably say it was a *sigheh (temporary marriage). There are a thousand ways [around it].  It cannot be proven [that it was an illicit relationship or rape].

Ultimately, I am asking you to please delete everything that you have on your cell phone, and change your number so nobody can contact you. In exchange, I will help you. You just have to make this matter disappear. Call them, and make sure to update me.

I’m stressed out; I have a reputation [to maintain].  They are going to ruin me. Do you want them to destroy me?

Call them and tell them that you were emotional and are now feeling guilty and that the accusations against me are weighing on your conscience. Tell them what you said wasn’t true, and that I am a good person who helps everyone.

[If you do], then I will come so we can talk and resolve this matter; but please [call them] first.

*Sigheh is a form of temporary marriage, especially recognized by the Shiite division of Islam, where a man could marry a woman on a temporary basis. Some argue that the sigheh can be performed by the couple without the presence of an officiant.

Second Segment

Salman Khodadadi: [Yelling] Hope you’ll end up in a grave with your parents!

What do you think you can do anyway. What have I really done? You whore! What did I do, you whore! You came to my place, you widow, and I f…ed you! You frustrate me every day. What did I do to you, shameless woman!

Let’s assume that I f…ed you, what should I have done? Is there anything to do after this?

You are a widowed woman! Do you realize that you’re hurting your own reputation as well? Get lost; know your place in order for me to help you.  

You dishonorablele woman! You have nothing. You are hungry for a few dollars. I told you I’ll pay you, I will even pay your rent. What did I ever do to you?

We can assume that you came to me and desired me, that you wanted it and let me f… you.

Get lost, you blind bitch! I know everything. Sit down tight [and keep quiet] so that I can help you. And let me tell you, if you open your mouth, I’ll gouge your eyes out!

If you let me, I will help you, I will help you financially so that you won’t have to suffer anymore.

Third Segment

Salman Khodadadi: [In a pleading voice] Call them and tell them that you lied. Don’t ruin me! You will destroy me! That is not a godly thing to do. You won’t get anything out of it either. Tell them you made these [allegations] up; that I have no knowledge of it, that I never touched you. The truth is that you are a widow! What truth are you planning to tell? I beg you, call and tell them you were angry when you said those things.

You have ruined my reputation. Based on what you told them, they will kick me out. Call them and tell them you are sick and on medication. You have scandalized me! Call them right now, otherwise, they are going to issue a case against me and ruin me. Tell them what you said wasn’t true, that you are sick and had become emotional and said those things out of spite.

Don’t tell them that you talked to me. Don’t tell anyone where you were. They will take me in and destroy me.

I prepared what I had promised you but you ruined me. Don’t ever mention my name again.

I asked someone to take action.

What did I ever do to have ruined you? I kept my promise.

Why was it necessary to tell them that you came to my office on Valiasr Street (in Tehran)? These things are not to be told!

I have one request from you: change all your numbers. You don’t know anyone by the name of Haj Salman. Nothing else is to be said.

——

In June, HRANA published a testimonial from a young woman who alleges that Salman Khodadadi sexually assaulted her. 

Salman Khodadadi’s Background:

Salman Khodadadi was born in 1962 and was recruited by the Islamic Republic’s security apparatus in his youth. During the 1980s purge of political dissidents he was working in the East Azerbaijan Intelligence office. He made an unsuccessful run for Parliament in the early 1990s but was appointed as Director of Ardabil’s Intelligence Bureau and later as the IRGC commander in Malekan.

In the sixth Parliament (2000-2004), Mr. Khodadadi was a member of the Parliament’s Health Committee, despite having no background in that field. Toward the end of his third term in Parliament, he was summoned to court on charges of moral corruption and engaging in illicit relationships, after two women pressed charges against him. He was released on bail. Since he had been elected for a fourth term to the Parliament and was sworn in as a Parliament Deputy, his case was closed.

When two women MPs raised objections regarding Mr. Khodadadi’s credentials, his case was sent to the Parliament for further investigation. Although some of the people of Malekan had gathered in front of the Parliament demanding Khodadai’s ousting, the Parliament voted to approve his credentials and allowed him to serve his term. Mr. Khodadadi refused to comment on his case citing ongoing investigation and his reluctance to provide material for enemies and foreign media.

In the parliamentary election that followed, Mr. Khodadadi was barred from running. However, due to his membership in the 1990s in the National Security Committee, he had a close relationship with Hassan Rouhani, the current President of Iran, and other current members of Mr. Rouhani’s cabinet. Mr. Khodadadi supported Mr. Rouhani in the 2013 Presidential election and was being considered for the position of Governor of Bushehr (Iranian southern province). Mr. Rouhani later changed his mind and Mr. Khodadadi was appointed an advisor to Javad Zarif.

In the most recent parliamentary elections, Mr. Khodadadi was once again barred from running for Parliament by the Supervisory Council (operated by the Executive Branch), but the Guardian Council lobbied on his behalf and he was elected one more time.  Mr. Khodadadi had the support of the “Omid List”, a list of candidates aligned with Mr. Rouhani. Once in Parliament, Mr. Khodadadi became the Chair of the Parliament’s Social Committee.

When he first began to serve in the Parliament, Salman Khodadadi was a management studies student. During his many terms in the Parliament, he received a Master’s degree in Political Science and a PhD in International Relations.