Narges Mohammadi Sentenced to 30 Additional Months in Prison, Flogging, and Fines

On May 19, less than a year after completing a five year sentence and being released from Zanjan Prison, human rights activist Narges Mohammadi was sentenced by Branch 1177 of the Criminal Court in the Quds Judicial Complex in Tehran to 30 more months in prison, 80 lashes, and two fines.

In March, HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, reported that Narges Mohammadi had published an open letter in response to her latest summons to the Evin Courthouse.

“I have not attended any hearing,” Mohammadi said in the letter. “I will not accept the verdict issued by the court and I definitely will disobey.”

According to HRANA, Mohammadi is facing a slew of protest-related charges, including “Propaganda activities against the Islamic Republic of Iran through the issuance of a statement against the death penalty”,  “Sit-down strike in the prison office”, “Breaking glass”, “Libel and assault”, and “Rebelling against the prison administration who asked to end the sit-down strike”.

In December 2019, Mohammadi and seven other political prisoners in the women’s ward of Evin Prison announced in a letter that they would go on a sit-down strike in support of bereaved families who lost loved ones in November 2019 national protests. Evin Prison officials threatened to deport Mohammadi and others who participated in the strike to prisons known for their harsher conditions. She was transferred from Evin Prison to Zanjan Prison in December 2019.

After five years and six months in prison, Narges Mohammadi was finally released from Zanjan in October 2020. Mohammadi has since been denied a passport and barred from leaving the country to visit her husband and children even though her previous conviction did not mention a supplementary ban on international travel.

Whether Mohammadi’s latest sentence is carried out given her refusal to accept the charges remains to be seen.

Coronavirus outbreak in Iranian prisons

On February 29, 2020, Ebrahim Raisi, the Chief Justice of Iran, issued a circular laying out policies to prevent the spread of Coronavirus in prisons.  This order mandates giving 15 -30 days furlough to prisoners with sentences less than five years. Another part of this order is about reducing entries into prisons, temporary releases, and public activities in prisons. In addition, this order mandates to increase alternative sentences and suspended prison terms instead of imprisonments.

Although the Chief Justice of Iran announced that the prisoners with less than five years prison term will be granted furlough, the prison authorities are not cooperative with political prisoners and prisoners of conscience to implement this regulation. As an example, Esmaeil Abdi and Negin Ghadamian were sentenced to five years imprisonment and after spending four and three years in prison respectively, they were not granted any furlough. Nazanin Zaghari’s husband reported that she is suspected to have Coronavirus. She is serving the 4th year of her five-year imprisonment sentence. Reportedly, three women were diagnosed with Coronavirus in Evin Prison.

The number of prisoners suspected of having coronavirus is increasing. Several prisoners suspected of having coronavirus were identified in Urmia, Khorramabad, Gorgan, Sanandaj, Qom, and other prisons.

 

A letter from political prisoner’s families

With the current spread of Coronavirus in prisons in Iran, some of the families of the political and security prisoners have written a letter to the judicial authorities on February 26, 2020, requesting furlough for prisoners until this crisis (Coronavirus) is over in the prisons. Considering the closed environment of the prison, malnutrition of the prisoners, shortage of medical care and facilities, high density of prisoners, and the occurrence of some cases suspected to be related to coronavirus has raised concerns of the families of prisoners.

The families of the following prisoners have signed this letter:

Mahmoud Beheshti Langeroudi, Esmaeil Abdi, Mohammad Habibi, Narges Mohammadi, Amir Salar Davoudi, Farhad Meisami, Roeen Otoufat, Jafar Azimzadeh, Shahnaz Akmali, Majid Azarpey, Atena Daemi, Sam Rajabi, Morad Tahbaz, Niloufar Bayani, Abdolreza Kouhpaieh, Amirhossein Khaleghi, Houman Jokar, Taher Ghadirian, Neda Naji, Mehrdad Mohammadnejad, Mohammad Abolhasani, Peyman Koushkbaghi, Aras Amiri, Jafar Fazel, and Alireza Golipour.

In some of the prisons, such as Khorramabad or Sanandaj Prisons, the prisoners asked the authorities to provide them with medical and hygiene necessities and to quarantine the prisoners who are suspected to be infected and have threatened that if this negligence is continuous, they will go on hunger strike. Other prisons such as Karaj, Tabriz, Evin and many other prisons across the country are also demanding similar precautions.

 

A death in Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary

It should be noted that on the same day, a prisoner of Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary who had symptoms similar to that of Coronavirus passed away after the prison authorities delayed in transferring him to the hospital to receive proper medical care. His name was Hamid Reza and he was 44 years old. He was convicted of a financial felony who was serving his sentence in Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary. He was initially diagnosed with symptoms of flu but after a few days, he started to cough and eventually passed away in the prion.

In addition, 60 prisoners of Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary who were working in the kitchen or service sector, were transferred to Rajai Shahr Prison. Moreover, 7 other prisoners in section 5 ward 2 have Coronavirus symptoms; they were kept in the medical ward without receiving medical care and were not transferred to the hospital.

 

Evin Prison and the violation of the Prisoners Classification Regulation

Amir Hossein Moradi, Saeed Tamjidi, Mohammad Rajabi, Milad Arsanjani, Jamil Ghahremani, and 15 other arrestees of the last November’s protests who were kept in Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary, were moved from their cell after an inmate was diagnosed with Coronavirus in their cell. Amir Hossein Moradi returned to prison on February 29, 2020, after spending a week in the hospital for another disease. He returned to his cell but after an hour he was transferred to the medical ward for his positive test results of Coronavirus. Although they were told that they will be transferred to Yaft Abad Hospital, they were transferred to ward 1 of this prison, which belongs to the prisoners who committed violent crimes. In June 2019, Alireza Shir Mohammadi, a political prisoner, was fatally stabbed in this ward by two other inmates of this ward who were charged with a drug felony. After this incident, the prison authorities moved other political prisoners from this ward to avoid future incidents. This is against prisoners’ segregation rule. According to a close source “section, 1 of the Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary has 10 wards and one suite which had been used as an exile to punish the prisoners who get in the fight or carry drugs. Since 2018, the political prisoners have been transferred to this suite. This suite has limited facilities and does not even have access to prison commissaries. Their door should be locked all the time however, in the case of Mr. Shir Mohammadi, the warden intentionally did not lock the door which was illegal.

Alireza Shir Mohammadi, a 21-year-old political prisoner at the Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary was murdered in prison on June 10, 2019. He was attacked by two other prisoners, who were later convicted of murder and sentenced to death. The prisoner in question was stabbed in the neck and stomach and died before arriving at the hospital. Shir Mohammad Ali was arrested on July 14, 2018, and was sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of “blasphemy”, “insulting the former and current Supreme Leaders”, and “propaganda against the state”.  He was detained in a solitary confinement cell for 36 days after being arrested. His bail was set at 80 million Tomans but the Revolutionary Court illegally rejected his release on bail. Throughout his prosecution process, he did not have access to an attorney because of his financial conditions. He was waiting for the decision of the appeal’s court when he was murdered. He protested his detention along with non-political prisoners and went on a hunger strike on March 14, 2019, which ended on April 16 after prison authorities accepted his demands. He also wrote open letters criticizing the “unsafe” and “inhumane” conditions of Greater Tehran’s Penitentiary Prison. He wrote an open letter five days into his hunger strike on March 18, 2019. In this letter, he explained the awful condition he was experiencing in prison. In addition, he claimed that he was denied regular social rights that any prisoner is entitled to have. However, his main request, reflected in this letter, was to be transferred to another prison (Evin prison). No judicial authorities or prison officials reacted to his open letter. 

A prisoner of ward 4 of Evin Prison was transferred to an unknown place for his positive test results of Coronavirus. He kept with several other prisoners and political prisoners of this ward who are on hunger strike and are more vulnerable to this disease.

 

Khorramabad and Ghezel Hesar Prisons

On March 1, 2020, the prisoners of Khorramabad Prison have started a sit-in to protest not being sent to furlough although Coronavirus has spread in this prison. There is a shortage of access to medical care and hygiene products for the diagnosis and treatment of Coronavirus. Several prisoners who have symptoms of this disease did not receive any treatment and were kept with other prisoners. Several prisoners who went on furlough were returned to prison. A close source to a family of a prisoner in this prison told HRANA that a sick inmate with severe coughs received neither medical care nor disinfecting substances and hygiene products such as alcohol, mask, and gloves.

Two prisoners of Qezelhesar Prison, Basat Ali Khazaei, and Gholamhossein Abolfavaei were moved to the quarantine section in the health ward due to having positive test results of Coronavirus. They were charged with drug felony and kept in a ward with 500 other inmates.

 

Rajai Shahr and Urmia Prisons

The prisoners are deprived of medical care, disinfecting substances, and hygiene products such as alcohol, mask, and gloves.  Payam Shakiba, Mohammad Banazadeh Amirkhizi, and Majid Asadi are serving their third year in prison. Arash Sadeghi, who is diagnosed with Chondrosarcoma (bone cancer), has had an infection in his right hand, digestion issues, and because of his weak immune system should be prioritized to be granted a furlough. Saeed Shirzad is spending the last months of his prison sentence.

On March 2, 2020, Mohammad Ghanbardoost, a political prisoner, was transferred to the hospital due to having symptoms of coronavirus disease. He kept with other political prisoners and may infected others. He was arrested on August 16, 2017, and was sentenced to five years in prison on the charge of “cooperating with Takfiri groups”.

Several Coronavirus suspected patients in Urmia Prison were transferred to hospitals outside the prison. One Urmia prisoner died in hospital, but prison authorities claimed that he was infected outside the prison.

 

Update on political prisoners temporary releases

On March 3, 2020, Mohammad Karimi granted a furlough and temporarily released until April 3, 2020. Mr. Karimi was sentenced to one-year imprisonment on the charge of “propaganda against the state” which was upheld by the appeals court. on July 3, 2020, he was arrested and transferred to Evin Prison to serve his sentence.

On March 2, 2020, Shahnaz Akmali, political prisoner, was granted a furlough and temporarily released until April 3, 2020. She was arrested on January 15, 2020. She was sentenced to one-year imprisonment and was banned from having any social media account, membership in any group, and leaving the country on the charge of “propaganda against the state”. An appeals court upheld her sentence without hearing either Ms. Akmali or her attorney. She is the mother of Mostafa Karim Beygi one of the people who was killed by security forces during green movement uprising in 2009.

On February 29, 2020, Reza Gholamhosseini, a political prisoner of Bandar Abbas Prison, was granted a furlough and temporarily released until April 3, 2020. He was arrested on September 25, 2019, and was sentenced to three years imprisonment on the charges of “propaganda against the state” and “insulting supreme leader”. His sentence was reduced to 18 months later because he did not request an appeal.

A Daily Overview of Human Rights Violations in Iran for February 4, 2019

The following is an overview of human rights violations in Iran on February 4th, 2019 based on the information compiled and verified by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

(1) More than eight protests were organized across the country. The workers of inter-city rail in Ahvaz, the customers of the Iranian automaker companies SAIPA, Iran Khodro and Sanat Khodro Azarbaijan Group in Tehran, the investors of Caspian financial institution in the cities of Mashhad, Rasht and Tehran, Zagros Railway workers and employees in Andimeshk, taxi drivers in Dorud, and the customers of Sekeh Samen website in Tehran have held separate protests to request their demands.

(2) Mahmoud Abdollahi, a prisoner in Urmia prison, was transferred to the main prison ward after was kept for 21 days in solitary confinement on the charge of “cooperation with an opposition group”.

(3) Mohammad Hossein Sepehri, a teacher in Mashhad, who published a video to protest the arrest of teachers, workers, and union activists was summoned to the court on the charge of “insulting the Supreme Leader” and “spreading lies”.

(4) Mahmoud Behzadirad, the lawyer of Narges Mohammadi, requested medical furlough for her. The prison officials have denied her transfer to hospital for her urgent medical need although the Evin prison general prosecutor has granted this permission.

(5) The appeals court confirmed the 27-month prison term sentence given to an Azerbaijani Turkic minority rights activist, Mohammad Abdolmohammad-Zadeh, who was charged with “insulting the Supreme Leader” and “propaganda against the state”.

(6) The head of Razavi Khorasan Intelligence and Public Security Police (PAVA) reported the arrest of 40 massage therapists who have been advertising in cyberspace.

(7) The court of appeals will review Nasrin Sotoudeh’s sentence. She is a predominant human rights lawyer who has security-related charges. One of her criminal charges is putting a flower bouquet by the electricity junction box in Enghelab street.

(8) Parvin Mohammadi’s request to set a bail bond for her, was denied by the court. The detained vice-president of the Free Union of Workers in Iran was arrested on January 29 and was transferred to the Kachoui prison in Karaj to serve her one-month detention.

(9) Tayeb Roozmehr was executed in Quchan on the charge of murder and another prisoner was sentenced to death by hanging in Alborz province.

(10) A Baha’i citizen, Mohammad Reza Teyfouri, was arrested on December 16, 2018 and was transferred to the Isfahan prison to serve her one-year prison term for proliferation of a movie about Baha’is. Meanwhile, Hamed Rezvani’s whereabouts is still unknown. He was interrogated several times in the last 10 years about his contacts with Baha’is.

(11) Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani, the head of Iran’s Judiciary, claimed “there are no political prisoners in Iran”.

(12) The Supreme Court changed the former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps member death penalty to ten years in prison. Arsalan Khodkam was charged with “collaborating with an anti-regime party through espionage,” allegedly on behalf of a Kurdish opposition party. According to Hrana, the married, 50-year-old resident of Mahabad was formerly a member of the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP), which eventually “surrendered to the forces of the Islamic Republic.” Later, in the 2000s, he switched allegiance by joining the IRGC, which he served for 16 years before being accused of spying on behalf of the KDP.

(13) A member of Isfahan’s city council, Mehdi Moghaddari, was sentenced to six-month in prison for tweeting in support of a detained councillor in Shiraz, Mehdi Hajati. Hajati was arrested on the charge of “supporting Baha’is”.

(14) According to a member of Islamic Parliament Research Center, Abdolreza Azizi, workers have lost 70 percent of their purchasing power.

(15) Marivan Karkuki (Najaf Abdolrahman), an Iraqi citizen, is serving seventh year of his sentence in Rajaee shahr prison in Karaj. He was sentenced to 33 years and three months imprisonment on the charge of “Moharebeh” (enmity against god).

(16) A 20-year old girl and her 2-year old niece suffer serious injuries after an acid attack in Qazvin. Meanwhile, they were denied urgent medical treatment by the hospital because their insurance, refused to cover the acid attack medical care.

A Daily Overview of Human Rights Violations in Iran for January 27, 2019

The following is an overview of human rights violations in Iran on January 27th, 2019 based on the information compiled and verified by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

(1) Abbas Lesani, Azerbaijani Turkic minority rights activist, started a hunger strike in the quarantine ward of the Ardabil prison. He is also banned from visiting his family. He was sentenced to 10 months in prison on the charge of ‘propaganda against the state’.

(2) An official in the Baruj county’s judicial department announced that there have been two alternate sentences to imprisonment for two convicts in the northern Khorasan province. They are obliged to plant medicinal herbs and Galbanum in the public lands.

(3) The court announced its verdict for two news agencies, Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) and Pars News website. They were accused of ‘distributing falsehood and lies’. Both of the news agencies were found guilty.

(4) The court for Mohammad Javad Motamedinejad was in session today. He was arrested last June during the truck drivers’ strike. He was charged with “supporting the protesting drivers” and “disturbing the public order and businesses”.

(5) The workers of Zagros Steel Contractor company have unpaid wages left from five years ago.

(6) Isa Saharkhiz has been notified of his six-months imprisonment sentence. He is obliged to appear in the court within the next five days to begin his sentence. He was accused of “insulting the head of Judicial system”.

(7) A 33-years-old prisoner who has been accused of murder and was sentenced to death, was spared from hanging on gallows by consent of next of kin in Gonbad-e Kavus.

(8) Mohammad Behzadirad, the lawyer of Narges Mohammadi, confirmed that the prison officials have denied her transfer to hospital for her urgent medical care although the Evin prison general prosecutor has granted this permission.

(9) Meimanat Hosseini-Chavoshi, a population expert and dual Australian-Iranian citizen, who was detained on charges of “social espionage” and “collaborating” with the West, was released. Population control policies, have been a subject of debate in Iran .

(10) During the uprising in January 2018, dozens of citizens in Dehdasht in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province were arrested. Seven of the arrested were sentenced to fines and flogging. They are accused of “disturbing the public order”.

(11) The head of Department of Environment of the Razavi Khorasan province announced that 845 poachers were arrested in the last 10 months. Similarly, two poachers were arrested, and four others are prosecuted in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province.

(12) A construction worker died in Ilam because of negligence in the oversight of safety conditions in the workplace. Iran ranked 102 in the workplace safety among other countries.

(13) More than six protests were organized across the country. The bankrupt contractors in Kermanshah, the customers of Kerman Khodro in Tehran, the workers of Ahvaz inter-rail and their families in Ahvaz, the shareholders of Caspian financial institution in Tehran, the investors of SekehSamen website in Tehran, and several people with law degree have held separate protests to request their demands.

A Daily Overview of Human Rights Violations in Iran for January 23, 2019

The following is an overview of human rights violations in Iran on January 23rd, 2019 based on the information compiled and verified by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

(1) At least six protests were organized across the country on January 23, 2019. The municipality workers in Marivan, Borujerd, and Shadegan, the retired employees in Tehran, costumers of Kerman Motors in Tehran, and the families of victims’ of Sanchi oil tanker collision have held separate protests to request their redemands.

(2) The authorities of Evin prison refused to transfer Narges Mohammadi and Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe to a hospital. Mohammadi is in urgent need of medical care such as anti-seizure drugs.

(3) Esmat Salahshour was sentenced to five years imprisonment in Urmia, on the charge of “cooperation with a Kurdish opposition group”. Mokhtar Zarei has been tried in absentia and was sentenced to three years in prison. He is accused of “insulting the Supreme Leader” and “propaganda against the state”.

(4) Yashar Soltani, director of Memari News website, was sentenced to five years in prison, and was banned for two years form traveling, membership in any social or political group, and internet activism. He was arrested in 2016 after he reported on alleged corruption in Tehran’s municipal government.

(5) Majid Hosseini was released on bail today. He was transferred from solitary confinement to the quarantine ward of Evin prison recently. Arsham rezaei who was arrested with him, is still in prison. He was arrested with Arsham Rezaei on the charges of “insulting the Supreme Leader” and “collusion against the state”.

(6) Iraj Mohammadi was released on bail after ten days, in Miandoab. He was accused of “propaganda against the state” because a former political prisoner transferred the amount of money into Mohammadi’s bank account.

(7) Leila Mir-Ghaffari was sentenced to paying fines for de-veiling. In October she was sentenced to two-year in prison for having pointed to a picture on the wall. Mir-Ghaffari was initially detained for supporting the “Girls of Enghelab Street.”

(8) Rahman Jasbi Zargani who was married and had two children, was executed in Sepidar prison in Ahvaz on the charge of murder. He was accused of murdering his cousin in a fight in 2009. In 2018, at least 236 people have been executed and 195 people have been sentenced to death in Iran.

(9) Sepideh Gholian was detained in the Intelligence Ministry’s detention center in Ahvaz but Esmail Bakhshi ‘s whereabouts is still unknown. They have been rearrested after the broadcast of their under-torture confessions on the national television. Their families have been under pressure from security forces not to discuss the matter publicly. Moreover, Amnesty International warns that they are at grave risk of further torture.

(10) Saeed Shirzad, a political prisoner in Rajaee Shahr prison in Karaj, has been refused urgent medical care despite doctors requested his transfer to hospital for his severe kidneys’ failure a month ago. While the prosecutor’s office has assured that he would receive treatment a month ago, prison authorities have prevented this transfer.

(11) Two workers died and one was injured in Charmshahr village in Tehran province because of negligence in the oversight of safety conditions in their workplace. Iran ranked 102 in the workplace safety among other countries.

(12) Four female prisoners including a juvenile offender, accused of murder were spared from hanging on gallows by consent of next of kin in Shahr-e Rey prison. In addition, Sohrab Nosrati was saved from execution in Rajaee shahr prison in Karaj.

(13) Two thousand workers of Abadan municipality have unpaid wages. The workers of Ghoflkar Company in Qazvin have held a protest to request their unpaid wages on Tuesday.

(14) Ahwazi Arab citizens, Hassan Alvani, Malek Abdollahi, and Gheis Chaian have been arrested by security forces in Ahvaz and Shush. Their whereabouts are still unknown.

(15) Tehran appeals court sentenced Christian converted ,Majid Reza Souzanchi Kashani, to two-year prison term. He was charged with “membership in evangelical groups” and “evangelical-related activities”.

(16) The arrest of 11 poachers in Sarab and 160 illegal tree removals in Bandar Abbas have been reported by the Department of Enviroment.

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A Daily Overview of Human Rights Violations in Iran for January 17, 2019

The following is an overview of human rights violations in Iran on January 17th, 2019 based on the information compiled and verified by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

(1) More than three protests were held across the country. The workers of inter-city rail in Ahvaz, several teachers in Yazd, and the workers of the maintenance contractor in oil, gas, petrochemical, refineries, water and energy (RAMPCO Group) in Assaluyeh, have organized separate protests.

(2) Four people have been summoned and one was arrested in Sonqor in Kermanshah province. Borzou Naderi, Ehsan Darabi, Fahim Naseri, Kiumars Vaezi, and Zahra Asadi have been summoned. Moreover, Darabi was arrested and transferred to the Intelligence Detention Center.

(3) A detained Lebanese citizen, Nazar Zaka, who was held in solitary confinement for 11 days, has been transferred from Evin prison to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Detention Center. He was sentenced to 10 years and paying 200 thousand dollars fine on espionage-related charges.

(4) A day after Iranian ambassador to the UK meeting with the UK media regarding Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe’s case, the UK Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, repeated his request for her release.

(5) Five Kulbars have been shot by border patrol in Khoy, Sardasht, Urmia, and Chaldoran in West Azerbaijan province. Afshin Alipour, Abdollah Yousefi, Ehsan Khaledi, Naser Omari were killed or injured. Also, Amir Taheri, another Kulbar, died from hypothermia.

(6) Hamid and Mohammad Parvazeh who were arrested by the Intelligence agents in Sanandaj, were transferred to Marivan prison. They were charged with “cooperation with a Kurdish opposition group”. They were not given access to lawyers.

(7) Prison authorities will transfer Nazanin Zaghari and Narges Mohammadi to hospital. They ended a 3-day hunger strike in protest to the denial of medical care last night. They suffer from serious health conditions which have been exacerbated in prison due to authorities’ refusal of medical care to them.

(8) Amir Amirgholi a former political prisoner and a member of Gam editorial board was arrested and his whereabouts is unknown. Amir Hossein Mohammadifar and Sanaz Allahyari, the editors of “Gam”, were arrested on January 9, 2019.

(9) Mostafa Borumand sentenced to 74 lashes and six and a half years imprisonment on the charge of “disturbing public order” by being present in an unlawful protest. He was in Vakilabad prison for 11 months before his trial.

(10) An 11-year-old student died by suicide in Urmia in West Azerbaijan province. More than 7% of suicides in Iran are committed by teenagers.

(11) A 55-year-old construction worker had a fatal fall in his workplace in Tehran because of negligence in the oversight of safety conditions.

(12) Political prisoners of Urmia prison were transferred forcefully by “special guards” to a high security level ward which does not have any air conditioner, window, and kitchen.

A Daily Overview of Human Rights Violations in Iran for January 16, 2019

The following is an overview of human rights violations in Iran on January 16th, 2019 based on the information compiled and verified by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

(1) Morteza Parhizgar was sentenced to 74 lashes and nine years imprisonment on the charges of “assembly and collusion against national security” and “insulting the president”. He was in prison for 11 months before his trial.

(2) More than five protests were held across the country. The workers of inter-city rail in Ahvaz, several teachers in Yazd, the farmers of Esfarvarin, the customers of SAIPA and Iran Khodro in Tehran and Urmia, and the workers of the maintenance contractor in oil, gas, petrochemical, refineries, water and energy (RAMPCO Group) in Assaluyeh, have organized separate protests.

(3) Six United Nations special rapporteurs requested Iranian authorities to prepare medical care for Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe and Narges Mohammadi. Their health conditions have been exacerbated in prison due to authorities’ refusal of medical care.

(4) Aryasb Bavand was sentenced to 22 years and six months prison term and Mahizadeh Poshtpanah has faced six years imprisonment. Their accusations are “Forming a group to act against the national security, propaganda against the state and insulting the Supreme Leader”.

(5) A worker of Iran National Steel Industrial Group (NSIG) in Ahvaz, Mohammad Reza Nematpour, was released today. Two other workers of NSIG are still in prison. More than 43 workers of NSIG have been arrested on December 16, 2018.

(6) A 29-year-old prisoner was executed on the charge of murder after spending six years in prison. He was hanged earlier today, in Babol. In 2018, at least 236 people have been executed and 195 people have been sentenced to death in Iran.

(7) Some 13 thousand children suffer from malnutrition in Sistan and Bauchestan province.

(8) A student transportation vehicle crashed leaving one dead and six injured students in Ekhtiarabad in the Kerman province.

(9) An accused individual in the Golestan province received an alternative sentencing to study and teach traffic laws to students. In the last 10 months, 3000 convicts received alternative sentences in the Golestan province.

(10) A lawyer, Hossein Ahmadi Niaz, was summoned to the Sanandaj court on the charge of “publishing lies” and “disturbing public opinion”. Several lawyers were arrested or have been under pressure for the cases they accepted to defend.

(11) The court of Azerbaijani Turkic minority rights activists, Olduz Ghasemi, Javad Ahmadi Yekanli, and Amir Sattari was in session today. They were charged with “propaganda against the state” for being present in an unlawful protest.

(12) Some 1.5 million students are studying at old and structurally unsafe schools. In the last six years, hazardous events occurred due to unsafe schools and led to 58 injuries and deaths. Moreover, 70 students died or had been injured in schools field trips.

(13) Majid Asadi, a prisoner in Rajaee Shahr in Karaj, wrote an open letter about torture, mistreatment, humiliation and abuse in prison. He has been arrested in February 2017 on the charge of “assembly and collusion against national security”. He is serving his six years sentence.

A Daily Overview of Human Rights Violations in Iran for January 14, 2019

The following is an overview of human rights violations in Iran on January 14th, 2019 based on the information compiled and verified by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

(1) Five Kulbars (Kurdish back carriers) have been shot by border patrol in Sardasht and Baneh. Namagh Gholami died and Sirvan Hassanzadeh, Jabbar Ahmadi, Karzan Aminzadeh, and Shahryar Khezri were injured in this incident. Moreover, three other Kulbars died or were injured in Salmas and Sardasht in West Azerbaijan province. Ayob Amini died and Hashem lost his hands due to hypothermia. In addition, Osman Ramezani died of drowning in the river.

(2) Ali Rabiei, the former labor minister, shows concerns about protests in 160 cities in January 2018. He added that people’s dissatisfaction, injustice, and dysfunctional politics caused these uprisings.

(3) At least five protests were organized on January 14, 2019. Educators in Tehran, the workers of inter-city rail in Ahvaz, the customers of SAIPA Company in Tehran, the shareholders of the bankrupt financial institution of Caspian, and the customers of Sekeh Samen website in Tehran have been demanding their requests in separate protests.

(4) A worker of Iran National Steel Industrial Group (NSIG) in Ahvaz, Behzad Alikhani, was released today. Three workers of NSIG are still in prison. More than 43 workers of NSIG have been arrested on December 16, 2018.

(5) At least four prisoners were executed in Rajaei Shahr prison in Karaj. Mohsen Rezaei, Reza Farmanjou, and Baratali Rahimi were executed on Wednesday. They were transferred to solitary confinement on Monday.

(6) 219 poachers have been arrested in the South Khorasan Province in the last 10 months. More than one thousand and 573 animals and their carcasses were confiscated from them.

(7) Yazd court of appeals sentenced two Baha’i citizens to two years imprisonment, combined. Mehran Bandi Amirabadi and Mehran Eslami Amirabadi were sentenced to prison terms and exile on the charge of ‘propaganda against the state’ earlier.

(8) Alireza Golipour has not received access to medical care in Evin prison. Although he has severe seizures and a prison doctor requested his transfer to the hospital due to his deteriorating health condition, he was not transferred to the hospital.

(9) Nazanin Zaghari and Narges Mohammadi , prisoners of conscience, began three-day hunger strike in protest of denial of medical care. They suffer from serious health conditions which have been exacerbated in prison due to authorities’ refusal of medical care to them.

(10) Iraj Mohammadi was summoned to the intelligence office and was arrested in Miandoab on January 13, 2019. He had been released from prison after completing a ten-year sentence, in October.

(11) Nasrin Sotoudeh, the Iranian human rights lawyer, was being banned from having visitors. She is imprisoned on   security-related charges.

(12) Expulsion of Shirin Baninejad, a Baha’i Computer Science student, from Azad University of Andisheh (Sama) due to her faith. Bahai students in Iran routinely experience denial of entrance to university or expulsion during their studies.

(13) Saeed Sadeghifar, Azerbaijani Turkic minority rights activist, is summoned to the Ardabil Revolutionary Court on January 23. He was charged with ‘forming an illegal group to disrupt national security’. Asgar Akbarzadeh, Rahim Gholami, and Ali Vaseghi, Azerbaijani Turkic minority rights activists, have been also summoned to the Ardabil court.

(14) A 36-year old prisoner accused of murder, was spared from hanging on gallows by paying the blood money and consent of next of kin. He was spending 12 years in prison.

(15) A worker and a firefighter were injured in Tehran because of negligence in the oversight of safety conditions in workplaces.

(16) The workers of Farnakh and Mahnakh Company have 180 billion Rial [approximately one million and 80 thousand USD] unpaid wages.

(17) Mohammad Karimi, a labor activist, was released from Bukan prison after 13 months of imprisonment. He was arrested and sentenced to three years in prison in November 2018.

A Daily Overview of Human Rights Violations in Iran for January 9, 2019

The following is an overview of human rights violations in Iran on January 9th, 2019 based on the information compiled and verified by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

(1) Matlab Ahmadian, a prisoner suffering from Orchitis (inflammation of testicles) and bladder infection, has been denied medical care for eight years. He was charged with ‘cooperation with an opposition Kurdish group’ and sentenced to 30 years imprisonment in exile.

(2) Narges Mohammadi wrote a letter from prison to district attorney protesting the denial of her right to have a phone conversation with her children. She was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment on the charge of ‘acting against the national security and propaganda against the state’.

(3) Liza Tebyanian was exonerated in the appeal court. The appeal court denied accusations and added that according to the law promoting the Baha’i faith would not consider ‘propaganda against the state’.

(4) Abdolrazagh Rasoulpour and Hojat Razmjou, prisoners of Urmia prison, were beaten by intelligence officers yesterday. They were accused of ‘cooperation with Kurdish opposition groups’ and sentenced to five years imprisonment each.

(5) Namegh Deldel, a Sunni prisoner of conscience who was detained in Karaj’s Rajai Shahr Prison has been transferred to detention center in intelligence agency of Sanandaj for an unknown reason. He is serving his sentence of six years imprisonment being accused of national security related charges.

(6) Kianoush Salatini, a political prisoner, was sentenced to 19 and a half years in prison on blasphemy related charges in connection with his social media activities.

(7) A prisoner who was accused of murder, was saved from execution after 11 years in prison in Yasuj. Another prisoner charged with murder was saved from gallows by victim’s family’s consent in Karaj.

(8) Nasrollah Lashani began his hunger strike on January 6 to protest being banned from having visitors. He is a Nationalist-Religious Activist who was accused of ‘propaganda against the state’ and sentenced to six years in prison.

(9) Ali Ghamsari, a musician, was banned from working and the rest of his concerts have been canceled because of featuring a female vocalist, Haleh Seyfizadeh in his concert. Women are prohibited from singing or playing musical instruments solo in Iran.

(10) A worker, Ali Jahantigh, was electrocuted to death in his workplace in Mehriz because of negligence in the oversight of safety conditions. Mehriz county is located in Yazd province.

(11) Mohammad Mahdavifar, a civil rights activist, who is serving his sentence of two years in prison, was sentenced to five years imprisonment and four years exile for his new blasphemy related charges.

(12) An open letter has been written by 20 lawyers to president Hassan Rouhani, about Loghman Vahid and other victims of landmine explosion. Vahid is a Kulbar who lost an eye and a leg due to landmine explosion and was sentenced to pay a fine.

(13) A Baha’i citizen, Moein Mohammadi, was arrested by the security forces for an unknown reason in Yazd. Moreover, Amir Hossein Mohammadifar and Sanaz Allahyari were arrested by the security forces and have been transferred to an unknown place. Also, Soroush Agahi and Neda Shabani are Baha’i citizens who have been arrested on November 30 in Karaj and were transferred to an unknown location. Their whereabouts are still unknown after 40 days.

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.