A Daily Overview of Human Rights Violations in Iran for December 22, 2018

The following is an overview of human rights violations in Iran on December 22nd, 2018 based on the information compiled and verified by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

(1) More than seven protests were organized in Iran. Abadan municipality workers, Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company workers, more than 100 workers of Cement Plant Manufacturer, workers of Tehran and Suburb Bus Driver Company, students in Zahedan, the students of Sistan and Baluchestan University, and the workers of Ahvaz Intercity Railroad Corporation requested their demands in separate protests.

(2) A ranger was severely injured in a fight against poachers in Gilan-e Gharb, a city in Kermanshah province.

(3) A businessman, Hamid Reza Bagheri Dermani, also known as the Sultan of Bitumen, was executed on December 21, 2018. He was accused of ‘Spreading corruption on Earth’, fraud, bribery, and embezzlement.

(4) A labor activist, Khalil Karimi, was sentenced to one-year imprisonment in the Sanandaj Revolutionary Court. He was charged with ‘propaganda against the State’, participating in the International Labor Day, and taking part in the International Campaign of No to Execution in Iran.

(5) Saber Naderi was arrested and transferred to Sanandaj prison on December 19 to begin serving his Sentence. He faced four years in prison on charge of ‘acting against national security’.

(6) More than 130 thousand 5-11-year-old children are deprived from going to school in the school year of 2018-2019. Moreover, 30% of them belong to Sistan and Baluchestan which has the highest rate among provinces.

(7) In the last six months, 130 convicts received alternative sentences in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province . These sentences included public service, purchasing books, counseling, and fines.

(8) More than 35 workers of Tabriz Bearing Manufacturer have four months unpaid wages. Tabriz is the city of East Azerbaijan Province.

(9) In the last few days, 20 workers of the Iran National Steel Industrial Group were released on Bail. The released workers are Seyed Habib Tabatabaei, Javad Gholami, Mohsen Baloti, Mehdi Tahmasebi, Kourosh Esmaeili, Ali Emami, Abdolreza Dasti, Sohrab Naami, Hossein Asakereh, Fariborz Sheikh Robat, Seyed Ali Javadpour. At least 43 workers were arrested on December 19.

(10) Vahid Jahangiri who has been accused of murder in 2011, was executed in Isfahan on December 17. Another prisoner who was accused of murdering a five-year-old girl, Melika, was executed on December 21, 2018 in Falavarjan. And finally, a prisoner charged with murder who was held in Tehran prison was saved from death with forgiveness and consent of the next of kin at the gallows.

(11) Mohammad Khakpour, an Azerbaijani Turkic minority rights activist, was arraigned to the Ardabil Revolutionary Court.

(12) Three construction workers were injured due to an unsafe workplace in Hajiabad city in the Hormozgan province.


A Daily Overview of Human Rights Violations in Iran for December 19, 2018

The following is an overview of human rights violations in Iran on December 19th, 2018 based on the information compiled and verified by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

(1) Nasrin Sotoudeh, the jailed human rights lawyer, who was sentence to five years imprisonment earlier this year, will face prosecution on her new charges on December 23. Also, Nader Fatourehchi confirmed that he faced persecution over his criticism of prison conditions after his detention in Fashafoyeh Prison. His court day will be on December 23, 2018.

(2) More than four protests were held in Iran.  Workers of Zanjan Bus Company, retired teachers and the education personnel of Kermanshah, and participants of entrance exam at Medical Branch of Islamic Azad University held protests on December 19, 2018.

(3) Iranian Parliament Committee on Culture requested investigation and additional information from Judiciary and intelligence department about Vahid Sayadi Nasiri, the imprisoned Iranian activist who died after a 60-day hunger strike.

(4) Siamak Namazi and Baquer Namazi ‘s appeals were denied. Siamak was sentenced to 10 years in prison for collaborating with a foreign government. Baquer who was a governor before the revolution is suffering from heart disease.

(5) A theatrical performance was canceled in Islamic Azad University of Quchan because of a mixed-gender play on the scene.

(6) On December 19, 2018, 11 detained workers of Iranian National Steel Industrial Group in Ahvaz were released on bail. Their names are the following: Seyed Habib Tabatabaei, Javad Gholami, Mohsen Baloti, Mehdi Tahmasbi, Kourosh Esmaeili, Ali Emami, Abdolreza Dasti, Sohrab Naami, Hossein Asakereh, Fariborz Sheikhrobat, and Seyed Ali Javadpour. On December 16, more than 43 workers of Iranian National Steel Industrial Group in Ahvaz had been arrested.

(7) City service workers of Borujerd have nine months of unpaid wages. Borujerd is a city in Lorestan province.

(8) Mohammad Mehdi Zamanzadeh,an internet activist, was temporary released from jail. Zamanzadeh, Mohammad Mohajer and Alireza Tavakoli were arrested in September 2018 and have been sentenced to five years imprisonment being accused of blasphemy related charges.

(9) Mehran Zahrakar is a detained author who is serving his two years sentence on charge with ‘insulting supreme leader’. He has been published several socio-political books.

(10) Shaho Sadeghi, a labor activist who was accused of ‘propaganda against the state’ for participating in International Workers’ Day protest, began serving his sentence on December 19,2018.

A Daily Overview of Human Rights Violations in Iran for December 17, 2018

The following is an overview of human rights violations in Iran on December 17th, 2018 based on the information compiled and verified by Human Rights Activists News Agency(HRANA).

(1) On the 38th day of the National Steel Company workers protest, more than 32 of them have been arrested: Meisam Ali Ghanavati, Issa Marai, Amin Alavani, Morteza Akbarian,Tarogh Khalafi, Masoud Afri, Jafar Sobhani, Mostafa Abayat, Gharib Hoyzavi,Hossein Davoudi, Karim Siahi, Hamed Baseri, Hafez Kanaani, Hamed Joudaki, Kazem Heydari, Yaser Ebrahimian, Majid Janadeleh, Kourosh Emaeili, Ali Oghaba, Mohsen Balouti, Mohammad Pourhassan, Mohsen Behbahani, Seyed Habib Tabatabaei, Jasem Roumzei, Ali Etmami, Seyed Ali Javadpour, Javad Gholami, Abdolreza Dasti, Seyed Ahmad Seyednour, Fariborz Sheikhrobat, Ehsan Yousefi.

(2) Narges Mohammadi, a human rights activist who is currently serving a 16 year prison sentence, was transferred to the Legal Medicine Organization office to verify the necessity of her hospitalization.

(3) The workers of five government-owned corporations, National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), Bavers Steel Company, Electricity Meter Manufacturing Company, the caviar fishery department of the Iran Fisheries Organization of Golestan province, and Sepehr Windshield Manufacturer, are demanding their 16 months unpaid wages. The unpaid wages has been continuous issue in Iran over the last year.

(4) Two workers were injured today in Tehran, due to unsafe workplaces. Moreover, Tehran Metro Company has notprovided safety work clothing and workwear for their employees in past three years. Iran holds the dubious record for the highest number of deaths and injuries in workplaces.

(5) Another social deprivation case from Iran: this year, approximately 100 thousand children are deprived from going to school.

(6) A child abuse case was reported in Mahabad. The child’s abuse was identified to have taken place by his father that is a drug addict and has abnormal psychological condition. The victim was transferred to the city’s State Welfare organization.

(7) Another 17-year-old girl committed suicide by jumping off a bridge in Isfahan. More than 7% of suicides in Iran are committed by teenagers.

(8) Civil rights activist, Amir Chamani was arrested and transferred to Tabriz prison to begin serving his sentence.  According to Hrana, he has been sentenced to a six-month prison term on charges of “Propaganda against the regime” and “Cooperation with opposition groups”. Chamani has previously been pursued on similar charges. On July 5th, 2012, Chamani received a sentenced of six months’ imprisonment for “insulting both Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and the late Ayatollah Khomeini”and “propaganda against the regime”. In another instance, after turning himself in for charges of insulting the President, Chamani was sentenced on January 13,2013, to 40 lashes by the Tabriz Criminal Court. He was dealt with the lashes on June 5, 2013 and was not released from custody until October 2nd of the same year.

(9) After four years, the petition of a Baha’i citizen, Taraneh Ghiami who has been barred from entering university due to her religious beliefs, was denied by the supreme court.

(10) According to the issued verdict in the appeal court of West Azerbaijan province, Eghbal Ahmadpour sentence on a charge of “acting against national security through membership inKurdish opposition parties” has been reduced from five years to six months.According to Hrana, the Urmia Revolutionary Court sentenced Eghbal Ahmadpour tofive years in prison on a charge of “acting against national security through membership in Kurdish opposition parties” on Thursday, October 4, 2018. He was denied access to a trial lawyer. Security forces arrested Ahmadpour on September 11, 2018. He was interrogated and held in solitary confinement for 12 days before being sent to Urmia Prison.