Tag: Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf

An Instagram Blogger Arrested in Qazvin and His Account Blocked

Posted on by . .
Freedom of Expression, News
Maryam Ghalibaf, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Vahid Nemati

On June 28, 2024, Vahid Nemati, an Instagram blogger, was summoned and arrested by security forces in Qazvin for allegedly “publishing criminal content.”

Nemati, known for creating humorous videos in response to current events, was detained by a security agency in Qazvin. The content on his Instagram and Facebook pages, which had about 90,000 followers, was deleted, and an image stating “By order of the honorable judicial authority, this page has been blocked due to the publication of criminal content” was posted.

Recently, Nemati released a video in which he criticized the remarks of Maryam Ghalibaf, daughter of Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly and a candidate in the 2024 presidential election in Iran, using humorous rap music. This video went viral, being viewed and shared millions of times on social media.

As of the time of this report, no information is available about Nemati’s whereabouts or the charges against him.

Journalist Vahid Ashtari Starts Serving 14-Month Sentence

Posted on by . .
Freedom of Expression, News
Babol, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Vahid Ashtari, وحید اشتری

On Thursday, June 20, Vahid Ashtari, a journalist, was arrested and transferred to prison to serve his fourteen-month sentence, according to Mizan, the judiciary’s news agency.

Vahid Ashtari was initially sentenced to 24 months in prison, which was later reduced to 14 months by the Court of Appeals. This case was referred to another branch in the Court of Appeals of Tehran Province in November-December 2023 following the Supreme Court’s order for retrial. However, the judges of that branch rejected the retrial and confirmed the verdict issued by the Tehran Court of Appeals.

Mizan reported that this conviction is related to a case initiated after Mr. Ashtari reported the assault against him by a soldier in Babol, Mazandaran province.

This journalist has faced several other charges and convictions due to his activities as a journalist. He is also known for exposing the trip of Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s family, the current Speaker of the Parliament of Iran, to Turkey, leading to a scandal known as the “baby layette Gate” for Ghalibaf.

Journalist Yashar Soltani Acquitted of Charges

Posted on by A MN
Freedom of Expression, News
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Yashar Soltani

Recently, the Press Court, following the overturn of an initial verdict against Yashar Soltani by the Supreme Court of Iran, acquitted him in a retrial.

Soltani is a journalist and the director of Memari News who had previously broken the news of widespread corruption. 

In 2020, the Revolutionary Court of Tehran sentenced him to five years in prison and prohibited him from journalistic activism on the internet.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, journalist Yashar Soltani was acquitted of the charges in a retrial by the press court.

In February of 2020, Mr Soltani was sentenced by Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran to five years in prison and  prohibition on media activities on the internet on the charge of “disturbing public opinion.”

On December 21, 2019, Mr Soltani was summoned by the court in regards to a lawsuit filed by Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the former mayor of Tehran.

In February of 2021, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s lawyer, Ali Asghar Ghahremani said that Mr. Soltani has been sentenced to 13 months in prison.

“There Are Other Tortures that are not Recorded on Camera”: Political Prisoners in Evin Prison Give Statement on Released Footage

Posted on by .
Environment, News, Prisoners
Adalat Ali, Andarzagah, Evin, Evin Prison, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, prison accountability, Prison conditions, prisons in iran

Following the broadcast of videos from Evin Prison surveillance cameras, a group of political prisoners in Andarzagah 8 of Evin Prison have written a statement in response.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the statement calls for serious and immediate attention to the situation of prisoners in Iran.

“There are other tortures that are not recorded on any camera,” the prisoners write in the statement. “The psychological and mental torture of prisoners in solitary confinement (white torture) and interrogation rooms; fathers, mothers, wives, and children who become more tired of pursuing cases of their loved ones in the maze of [judiciary and prisons] offices every day without seeing their loved ones, and lack of accountability of officials and their humiliating behaviors with the prisoner and their families are noteworthy.”

Recently elected head of the judiciary, Gholam Hossein Mohseni Eje’i , has ordered an immediate investigation into the officers’ treatment of prisoners following the release of the video by the hacker group Adalat Ali.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the parliament, in response to the request of the representatives to deal with the publishers of these videos, said that a Commission, with the collaboration of the prosecutor’s office is following up the whole issue.

Whether the investigation will lead to meaningful reform or increased accountability remains to be seen.