Amir Abbas Azarmvand Arrested by Security Forces in Tehran

Yesterday morning, Wednesday, September 1, Amir Abbas Azarmvand was arrested by security forces at his home in Tehran and taken to an unknown location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Azarmvand is a journalist and labor activist who has previously been detained for his activities. He was briefly detained by security forces in December 2019 and December last year.

As of this writing, the reasons for the arrest, the charges against him, and the whereabouts of the citizen are unknown.

Labor Activist Gharib Havizavi Arrested by Security Forces in Ahvaz

On Tuesday, June 22, Gharib Havizavi, a labor activist and recently-fired employee of the Khuzestan Steel Company, was arrested by security forces in Ahvaz and taken to an unknown location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the Khuzestan Steel Company security officer had blocked Mr. Havizavi from entering the building in April while he was still employed.

On June 12, in a hearing that was held at the Ahvaz Labor Office to process his appeal for returning to work, Havizavi was fired from the company by order of the employer’s legal representative.

Havizavi has a history of being summoned and detained by security forces. The report does not specify Havizavi’s location or the charges against him.

Labor Activist Maziar Seyednejad Transferred to IRGC Detention Center in Evin Prison

On Monday, June 7, labor activist Maziar Seyednejad was arrested by security forces at his private home in Tehran.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Seyednejad is currently being held in solitary confinement in the Ministry of Intelligence Detention Center in Ward 209 of Evin Prison.

Recently, the labor activist’s 3 year sentence was confirmed by the Court of Appeals in the Khuzestan Province.

Seyednejad has not, as of yet, been allowed access to a lawyer.

Esmail Gerami Sentenced to Imprisonment, Flogging, and Fines

Labor activist Esmail Gerami was sentenced to imprisonment, flogging, and a fine by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (SWTSBC), Gerami has been sentenced to 5 years in prison, 74 lashes, and a fine almost equal to $100 on charges of “gathering and colluding with intent to commit a crime against national security”.

On May 10, the interrogation session of Esmail Gerami’s case was held in the second branch of the Evin interrogation office on charges such as “disturbing public order” and “participating in an illegal gathering”.

Iran is one of the few countries that still uses humiliating punishments, despite the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights’ explicit prohibition of the use of inhumane and degrading punishments such as flogging.

The labor activist was arrested on April 10 by security forces and then transferred to the Greater Tehran Prison, where he currently resides.

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.

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A Daily Overview of Human Rights Violations in Iran for December 13, 2018

The following is an overview of human rights violations in Iran on December 13th, 2018 based on the information compiled and verified by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

(1) More Than Ten Protests Were Organized in Iran

(2) Two Evin Prisoners Went on Hunger Strike

(3) A Labor Activist Released on Bail

(4) Ansar Al-Mahdi Followers Sentence to Overall 82 Years Imprisonment, 4318 lashes and 13 Years of Exile

(5) Unpaid Workers’ wages

(6) Eight Gonabadi Dervishes Moved to General Ward After Spending 105 Days in Solitary Confinement 

(7) More from Iran

           

(1) More Than Ten Protests Were Organized in Iran

Today at least nine protests were held in Iran and the protesters demanded the fulfilment of their requests. Members of the Azadegan housing corporation project, the land owners by Kohestan park in Yazd, the workers of sanitizing oil tankers company in Bandar-e Emam Khomeyni, Hendijan’s launch owners, shareholders of the bankrupt institution of Caspian, Isfahan farmers, and the clients of Ramak Khodro and Negin Khodro companies held an assembly protest on December 13, 2018. Moreover,On the 33th consecutive day of protest, the workers from the Iran National Steel Industrial Group (INSIG) in Ahvaz, accompanied by their families, have held a protest in Ahvaz streets. They were wearing white shrouds which is a symbol of readiness for martyrdom. In addition, teachers and students in Hamedan protested the approach of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) to teachers. They requested IRIB to depict financial hardship of teachers and they were also in support of the release of teachers’ right activists who have been imprisoned.

(2) Two Evin Prisoners Went on Hunger Strike

Mahmoud Naji, charged with security offences, began a hunger strike on December 12, 2018 to protest his accusations and not receiving any response on his temporary release request.Ruhollah Mardani, a teacher prisoner, went on strike since December 9, 2018 toprotest the situation of prison and the poor access to health care in prison.

(3) A Labor Activist Released on Bail

Zaniyar Dabbaghian, a labor activist released on bail from Sanandaj prison on December 12. He was arrested on October 8, 2018 in his house for an unknown reason. He had been detained for 67 days and release on 300 million Tomans [25000] bail.

(4) Ansar Al-Mahdi Followers Sentence to Overall 82 Years Imprisonment, 4318 lashes and 13 Years of Exile

The followers of Ansar Al-Mahdi, a religious group of Ahmad al-Hassan were arrested in Torbat-e Heydarieh in August 2018. The conviction of 60 detained people of this group including a child, announced on December 9. Overall, they faced 82 years and six months imprisonment, 4318 lashes and 13 years of exile and fines.

(5) Unpaid Workers’ wages

The workers of North Drilling Company protested for their unpaid wages last week. On December 13th, they reported that the wages of 3000 workers of this company were still unpaid.Moreover, the spokesperson of fire department confirmed that a construction worker was severely injured in the construction site in Zafaraniyeh.

(6) Eight Gonabadi Dervishes Moved to General Ward After Spending 105 Days in Solitary Confinement

On August 29, 2018, afteran attacked from the prison guards, these eight Gonabadi Dervishes are Reza Entesari, Kasra Nouri, Morteza Kangarloo, Amir Nouri, Sina Entesari, Mohammad Sharifi Moghaddam, Hesam Moeini, and Mehdi Eskandari were beaten, separated from other Dervishes, and sent to solitary confinements for their three-months trike at Fashafoyeh prison without informing their family.

(7) More from Iran

Three park rangers were injured by poachers in Tarom Sofla district in the Qazvin province.

A citizen was saved from execution in Nowshahr by the help of judicial authorities and victims families’ consent.

A Daily Overview of Human Rights Violations in Iran for December 12, 2018

The following is an overview of human rights violations in Iran on December 12th, 2018 based on the information compiled and verified by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

(1) A Political Prisoner, Vahid Sayadi Nasiri, Died in Prison After 60 Days of Hunger Strike

(2) Esmail Bakhshi and Meisam Al-Mahdi, Detained Labor Activists, Released on Bail

(3) Security Forces Arrested Four Citizens in Urmia, Piranshahr, and Divandarreh

(4) Ali Kamrani Released After Completing his Prison Sentence

(5) Three inmates were beaten and their hands and feet have been tied by a prison officer 

(6) More Than Nine Protests Were Organized All Over the Country

(7) More from Iran

            

(1) A Political Prisoner, Vahid Sayadi Nasiri, Died in Prison After 60 Days of Hunger Strike

Vahid Sayadi Nasiri died in Qom prison after 60 days of hunger strike.He was imprisoned in Langarud prison in Qom, after 60 days hunger strike without access to proper medical care. He was facing with accusations of “blasphemy”and “spreading propaganda against the state”. He went on hunger strike in protest to his legal situation. His family was contacted today and received the news of his death in Shahid Beheshti hospital in Qom.

(2) Esmail Bakhshi and Meisam Al-Mahdi, Detained Labor Activists, Released on Bail

Meisam Al-Mahdi , Iran National Steel Industrial Group activist, who was arrested on December 11th, was released today. Moreover, Esmail Bakhshi, a worker of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Business was released on bail today. The whereabouts of the other labor activists who were arrested in recent protests are still unknown. Also, Ali Kroshat and Hamedi Nargesi, detained teacher’s right activist, were released on bail.He was arrested on November 12, 2018 in teacher’s protest in Khuzestan. The status of Mohammad Ramezanzadeh, and Omid Shahmohammadi, teachers who were arrested, is unknown.

(3) Security Forces Arrested Four Citizens in Urmia, Piranshahr, and Divandarreh

Four citizens were arrested by security forces and intelligence department’s officers in Urmia, Piranshahr and Divandarreh. The Center of Democracy and Human Rights in Kurdistan reported that in this week, Soleiman Mohammadnezhad, Bapir Barzeh, Jamal Mahmoudzadeh, and Homayun Bahmani were arrested in Piranshahr, Urmia, and Divandarreh and were transferred to an unknown place. Moreover, Jamshid Derakhshan, who converted to Christianity and was arrested by security forces on December 2nd, contacted his family today and informed that he has been transferred to Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj.

(4) Ali Kamrani Released After Completing his Prison Sentence

Ali Kamrani a student of Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University who was arrested on December 31, 2017 and was accused of “insulting the supreme leader” and“spreading propaganda against the state” was released on December 12, 2018 after completing his prison sentence of three months.

(5) Three inmates were beaten and their hands and feet have been tied by a prison officer 

On December 11, 2018, three inmates in Zahedan prison were beaten by the prison officers and have been left in quarantine with tied hands and feet. Aref Kharkouhi, 26 years old inmate who was accused of Moharebeh through armed robbery, Mehrollah Rigi, 24 years old prisoner with a murder charge, and Reza Bameri are inmates who were transferred to quarantine. They were held in wardfive of the Zahedan prison.

(6) More Than Nine Protests Were Organized All Over the Country

Flight attendants of the Airline of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran Air) held a protest by the parliament, Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Business workers, the Iranian University Entrance Exam (Konkour) participants, the workers and employees of Arvandkenar county in Abadan district, 40 people who owned Arvandi cars, the workers of Ahvaz Steel company, the shareholders of the bankrupt Caspian Institution, and Tehran’s municipality’s contractors requested fulfillment of their demands in multiple protests.

(7) More from Iran

Behnam Ebrahimzadeh, a labor activist, was arrested on December 12, 2018 and transferred to an unknown place. He was convicted in absentia and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.

Unpaid wages earned within six months owed to workers in two corporations in Talesh and Borujerd

Labor Activists’ Appeals Look Bleak

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – Labor activist Ebrahim Madadi’s prison sentence of five years and three months has been upheld in Branch 36 of Tehran Revolutionary Appeals Court.

If the outcome of Madadi’s appeal has come clear, the case of his co-defendant Davoud Razavi is less so: the absence of a judge has delayed the appeals hearing that was scheduled to review his own five-year prison sentence on October 31st of this year.

Madadi and Razavi were arrested April 28, 2014, for labor activism, detained in Evin prison, and released 22 days later on 1 billion IRR [approximately $25,000 USD] bail. Their initial trial was held in Branch 26 of Revolutionary Court.

Madadi is the vice president of the Greater Tehran Bus Drivers’ Syndicate and a longtime labor activist. Saleh Nikbakht, the attorney for both men, told HRANA that authorities have historically founded their allegations against Madadi on his syndical activities– so many manifestations, she said, of their intolerance of syndicates like the Bus Drivers’ Union. Egregious in the eyes of the judiciary, the attorney said, was Madadi’s distribution of sweets at a bus terminal on International Workers’ Day (May 1st) 2014, and his 2015 lobbying at the Labor Ministry for a higher minimum wage. Madadi served a 3-year prison sentence, also connected to his labor activism, that ended April 18, 2012.

Likewise, Revolutionary Court cited Razavi’s participation in the minimum-wage demonstrations as evidence of “collusion and assembly to act against national security.” The publishing of photos from these demonstrations was tantamount to anti-regime propaganda, they said; rallying fellow citizens to attend an International Labour Organization conference was endorsing “the labor opposition movement outside of Iran” (the ILO is an official UN agency). The court offered no other evidence connecting Razavi to a criminal offense.

In a statement dated April 2017, Amnesty International called on Iranian authorities “to immediately and unconditionally release those imprisoned for their peaceful trade union work, and quash the harsh prison sentences […] and allow workers to hold peaceful gatherings, including on International Workers’ Day, and to exercise their right to form and join independent trade unions to improve their living situations.”

Madadi, a sexagenarian, suffers from diabetes, prostate inflammation, and high blood pressure and cholesterol. Secondary to a stroke, he has gone deaf in one ear and suffered partial hearing loss in the other.

Labor Activist Zanyar Dabbaghian Still in Custody One Week Later

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – It has been one week since six security agents stormed the home of labor activist and Sanandaj resident Zanyar Dabbaghian, arresting him and transferring him to an undisclosed location.

Without providing a reason for his arrest, security agents reportedly searched Dabbaghian’s home on October 8th and confiscated some of his family’s belongings, including their mobile phones. Despite persistent inquiries, Dabbaghian’s family remains in the dark about his fate.

Dabbaghian was previously arrested and interrogated by intelligence forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He is employed at a plastic factory in Sanandaj-e Do Industrial Estate.

Sanandaj is the capital of Kurdistan Province.

Labor activist Reza Shahabi awaits surgery

HRANA News Agency – Labor activist Reza Shahabi awaits surgery while recovering from his prolonged hunger strike. Reza Shahabi is the board member of SWTSBC, the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company.

On Saturday, July 12, 2014, Shahabi was transferred from Rejai Shahr Prison to Imam Khomeini Hospital. Since then he has been waiting to regain his physical strength to undergo surgery. “The surgeon has postponed the operation until Reza is strong enough,” a family member says.

The Appeals Court has sentenced Shahabi to serve four years in prison. He has been banned from participating in labor organizations for five years and fined approximately $3,000.