Hamid-Reza Dorostkar Receives Prison Sentence and Fine

Mahshahr’s Criminal and Revolutionary Courts have sentenced Hamid-Reza Dorostkar to two years and nine months in prison.

According to the verdict issued by the Revolutionary Court on December 25, 2023, Dorostkar was given six months for “insulting the Supreme Court” and one year and three months for “spreading propaganda against the regime.” Notably, he was acquitted of charges related to “inciting people to wage war and cause unrest against national security.”

Additionally, the Criminal Court of Mahshahr sentenced Dorostkar to one year for “blasphemy via publishing insulting media content on the Internet.” He has also been fined 18 million tomans for the charges of “disseminating false information.”

Dorostkar’s arrest occurred during the 2022 nationwide protests, and he remained in detention for four months. Initially sentenced to four years and 74 lashes for multiple charges such as “disturbing public order by participating in and filming unrests to send them to anti-regime media,” “disseminating false information,” and “promoting violence,” he later received amnesty under “the general pardon and commutation,” leading to the closure of his legal case.

Dorostkar, 39 years old, is married and resides in Behbahan, Khuzestan province.

Zahra Saeedianjoo Arrested in Tehran

Zahra Saeedianjoo was apprehended by security forces in Tehran on Sunday, July 9, and subsequently taken to Evin Prison. Her brother, Milad Saeedianjoo, tragically lost his life during the recent nationwide protests in Izeh, Khuzestan Province.

Confirming the arrest, Omid Saeedianjoo, Zahra’s brother, stated, “My sister was apprehended by security forces at her workplace in Tehran and transported to Evin Prison.” According to him, Zahra’s detainment is linked to her expression of sympathy towards the families of protesters who were killed during the demonstrations.
Notably, both Omid and Zahra Saeeidianjoo had been previously arrested and later released after participating in a commemoration ceremony held at Milad’s burial site on his birthday.

On November 16, 2022, Milad Saeeidianjoo, aged 26, was fatally shot by the regime forces during the protest in Izeh.

Hojat Al-Mohammadi Arrested in Izeh

On May 23, 2023, Hojat Al-Mohammadi, a 38-year-old resident of Izeh, Khuzestan Province, was apprehended by security forces and taken to an undisclosed location.

According to an informed source who spoke with HRANA, Al-Mohammadi was arrested around four pm at his workplace. Since the arrest, he made two phone calls to his family, but he did not disclose his whereabouts during those conversations.
The allegations against him are also still unknown.

Citizen Killed in Direct Shooting by Military Forces

On November 28, 2022, in Shadegan, Khuzestan Province, military forces shot a citizen dead on suspicion of fuel smuggling.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, a citizen identified by HRANA as Musa Janami, age 28, was shot dead by military forces in Shadegan County.

An informed source told HRANA that Janami was carrying empty diesel fuel barrels with a truck, and then military forces opened fire at the vehicle, causing his death.

According to this source, security forces have pressured Janami’s family not to publicize this incident.

 

Two Individuals Arrested in Bavi County

On November 9, security forces arrested Saeed Halavi and Ali Ghazi in Molasani, Bavi County, Khuzestan Province. The agents transferred them to an undisclosed location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on November 9, Saeed Halavi and Ali Ghazi, age 28, were arrested by security forces in Bavi County.
 
According to an informed source, Ghazi was arrested at his father’s house. The agents did not show any arrest warrant and confiscated some of his personal belongings.
 
The reason for these arrests and their whereabouts are still unknown.

 

 

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Man Arrested After Being Shot in Shushtar

In Shushtar, Khuzestan Province, security forces injured a man known as Hossein Karamollah Kaab by direct shooting during the arrest attempt.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Hossein Karamollah Kaab, age 36, was shot. He was arrested and hospitalized.

An informed source told HRANA, “security forces raided Kaab’s shop and beat him violently. He tried to escape, but got shot in the foot and was badly injured. The security agents took him to a hospital in Ahvaz.”

According to this source, the reason for the arrest was that Karamollah Kaab had been summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence office but he refused to appear.

HRANA’s Daily Review of Protests in Iran

On Thursday, June 30, 2022, five protests took place in Iran. Read our review below for details, photos, and videos from these demonstrations:

In Ahvaz, a number of pensioners continued their protest in front of the Governor’s office. They chanted slogans against the government and called the president a liar. According to the protestors, the government is obliged to increase the pensions in compliance with the Supreme Labour Council’s enactment.

A number of farmers and tractor drivers parked their tractors and gathered before the Governor’s office in Gatvand city, Khuzestan Province, to protest against decreasing fuel rations.

In recent days, the personnel of Keshavarzi Bank gathered in front of the headquarter of this bank as well as a chapel inside the building to protest against their poor living conditions.

A number of the medical staff of the Allameh Karami Hospital in Ahvaz held a protest to ask for their unpaid wages and benefits.

The citizens who lost their money in the cryptocurrency exchange Cryptoland gathered in front of the Public and Revolutionary Court in Tehran to ask for the return of their money. Reportedly, their deposits in the form of cryptocurrencies have been frozen.

Maisam Kazemi Sentenced to 22 Months by the Court of Appeal

The Court of Appeal of Khuzestan Province upheld the sentence against Meysam Kazemi, a resident of Behbahan City. Initially, he was sentenced by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Bandar Mahshahr to 22 months in prison. Applying article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, one year and three months imprisonment is enforceable.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the Court of Appeal of Khuzestan Province upheld the 22-month sentence against Maisam Kazemi.

According to the verdict issued by Branch 16 of the Khuzestan Court of Appeal, Kazemi was sentenced to 22 months in prison on the charges of “propaganda against the regime in favor of anti-regime groups and offensive statements against Iran’s Supreme Leader”. Seven and a half months of this prison term have been suspended.

The court session was held on February 14, 2022.

On Saturday, December 4, 2021, Maisam Kazemi was arrested and transferred to Behbahan Prison after appearing at Branch 4 of the Public and Revolutionary Court, where he was accused of “circulating social media posts about the individuals arrested after Behbahan’s protest on July 16, 2020”.

On January 9, 2022, the Behbahan Public and Revolutionary Court indicted Kazemi for “propaganda against the regime in favor of anti-regime groups and offensive statements against Iran’s Supreme Leader”. On February 2, 2022, he was released on a 600 million tomans bail.

Ronak Rezai Arrested and Taken to Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz

Security forces arrested Ronak Rezai, a resident of Abadan and transferred her to Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz. Her arrest is related to the recent protests following Abadan’s Metropol building collapse.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Ronak Rezai was arrested in Abadan and jailed in Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz.

The reason for the arrest and the charges are unknown so far.

In recent days,  a number of citizens were arrested during the protests. HRANA has earlier reported the arrest of the journalist and poet Arash Ghaleh-Golab in Abadan and Mohammad Soveylat, age 22, in Shadegan, in Khuzestan Province.

On Monday afternoon, May 23, 2022, a 10-story building which was known as Metropol collapsed in the city of Abadan in Khuzestan Province. Over 30 individuals were killed, injured or trapped in the rubble. Following the collapse, hundreds of citizens in Abadan and several other cities demonstrated against the government and its failure to impose safety standards on the construction which led to the disaster.

Mehdi Taiebi Arrested and Jailed in Behbahan Prison

On Tuesday, May 31, 2022, Mehdi Taiebi was arrested after an appearance at the Ministry of Justice of Behbahan City and imprisoned.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, after criticizing the Iranian regime on social media, Taiebi was summoned to the Ministry of Justice of Behbahan, where he was arrested, and ordered the bail amount of 1.5 billion tomans, and was sent to Behbahan prison.

Mehdi Taiebi, 22 years old, is a resident of the village Kurdistan Bozorg in the Behbahan County of Khuzestan Province.