Journalist Nazila Maroufian Re-Arrested Just One Day After Release

On Monday, August 14, journalist Nazila Maroufian was re-arrested by security forces and promptly taken to Qarchak Prison in Varamin. Her recent arrest comes after being granted bail and released from Evin Prison on August 13.

A reliable source close to Maroufian’s family, speaking to HRANA, has confirmed that she is now held at Qarchak Prison.

Maroufian’s ordeal began on October 30, 2022, when she was initially arrested by security forces and incarcerated in Ward 209 of Evin Prison. Subsequently, she was transferred to Qarchak Prison before being granted temporary freedom upon payment of a 600-million-toman bail (approximately $12,000 USD).

In January 2023, the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari, handed down a two-year suspended imprisonment sentence to Maroufian. This sentence was related to charges of “spreading propaganda against the regime and disseminating falsehoods to disrupt public opinion through an interview with Mahsa Amini’s father.” Alongside the suspended sentence, she also received a fine and a five-year ban on leaving the country.
On July 4, security forces conducted a raid and search on her residence, subsequently summoning her to Evin Courthouse. Four days later, she was re-arrested and confined once again to Evin Prison, following her appearance at Evin Courthouse. After a period of time, she was charged with “propaganda against the regime.”

Nazila Maroufian, a journalist and student at Allameh Tabatabai University, hails from Saqqez and currently resides in Tehran. With a notable career in media, she has contributed to outlets such as Didban Iran and Rouydad24.

 

 

Ayoub Javanpour Receives 15-Year Prison Sentence

Ayoub Javanpour, a resident of Saqqez, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison by the Saqqez Revolutionary Court, according to Kurdpa news agency.

The verdict, handed down by Branch 1 of the Saqqez Revolutionary Court presided over by Keyvan Jahani, includes one year for “propaganda against the regime,” ten years for “organizing groups to act against national security,” two years for “insulting the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” and two years for “insulting the Supreme Leader of Iran.”

If the verdict is upheld on appeal, Ayoub Javanpour would serve ten years in prison as per Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code.

The arrest of Javanpour took place on June 10, 2023, following an interrogation process at the Ministry of Intelligence detention facility in Sanandaj. He was later transferred to Saqqez Prison.

Notably, Javanpour has a history of previous judicial encounters due to his activism.

Over 100 Schoolgirls Hospitalized following Poison Attacks; Several Parents Arrested at Protests

On April 9, 2022, six schools in Saqqez, Kurdistan Province, were targeted by poison attacks, resulting in over 100 schoolgirls being hospitalized. Additionally, security forces arrested several parents who were protesting the attacks.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations, on April 9, 2022, more than 100 schoolgirls fell ill due to the poison attacks. Among them, 24 are in critical condition.

Security forces used tear gas to disperse the parents who had gathered outside these schools. The report did not provide information on the number of arrested parents or their detained location.

This incident is part of a larger trend of serial poison attacks on schools with toxic gas in Iran, primarily targeting girls’ schools. For further details and statistics, please refer to the HRANA report.

Teacher Union Activist Soleiman Abdi Arrested in Saqqez

On March 19, 2023, security forces arrested teacher union activist Soleiman Abdi at his home in Saqqez and took him to an undisclosed location. The agents also searched the house and seized some of his belongings.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations, on March 19 2023, Soleiman Abdi, a member of the Saqqez teacher union association, was arrested by security forces.

The reasons for his arrest and the place of detention are still unknown.

Soleiman Abdi faced other arrests for his civil activities as a teacher union activist on prior occasions.

 

 

Lawyer Behzad Hakimizadeh Arrested

On Monday, January 9, security forces arrested attorney at law Behzad Hakimizadeh at his home in Saqqez and took him to a detention facility in this city.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on January 9, 2023, lawyer Behzad Hakimizadeh was arrested in Saqqez.

The reason for his arrest and the allegations against him are still unknown.

Since the outbreak of nationwide protests, about 19400 people, including journalists, lawyers, teachers, students and civil rights activists, have been arrested. For more details and statistics on the nationwide protest across Iran, read HRANA’s comprehensive report here.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Now is definitely not the time to stop reading!

Spanish National Ana Baneira Arrested in Iran

During the nationwide protests, security forces arrested at least two Spanish nationals who are still in detention. 41-year-old Santiago Sanchez was arrested in Saqqez after visiting Mahsa Amini’s burial place. HRANA has identified the second individual as Ana Baneira, 24 years old.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Spanish citizen Ana Baneira, age 24, was arrested and jailed in Iran.

Baneira’s whereabouts and the date she was arrested are still unknown. An informed source close to her family told HRANA that she was arrested in recent days.

 

Nationwide Protests Continue into Fourth Week

The nationwide protests after the death of Mahsa Amini continued on October 8 and 9, 2022. People in the streets and university students marched and chanted slogans against the regime. In many cities, traders and shopkeepers went on a general strike and closed their shops. People’s access to the global internet is still restricted.  Hacktivists increased their cyberattacks against their regime.

On Saturday, October 8, people took to the streets and demonstrated in several cities, including Tehran, Sanandaj, Aak, Isfahan, Karaj, Mashhad, Hamedan and Javanrud.

Moreover, the students gathered and protested on at least 17 universities campus. The students chanted slogans against the regime, such as “We will fight, We will take Iran back,” “Student! Shout out for your rights,” “Death to the dictator,” and “They took Nika and gave back her body” (referring to Nika Shakarami, a teenage girl who was killed by the security forces during the protest).”

In Tehran, Mashhad and Sanandaj, bloody street clashes erupted between the protestors and the police. In some videos, sounds of gunshots are heard.

In several cities, including Tehran, Shiraz, Marivan, Bukan, Sanandaj and Saqqez, traders and shopkeepers went on strike and closed their shops in protest.

Iran-State TV broadcasted more coerced confessions extracted from people arrested during the protest.

So far, thousands of protestors have been arrested, and the number is increasing daily. On Saturday alone, HRANA identified 26 arrests.

HRANA has identified more than 200 people killed during the protests. HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, is still working on fact-checking and reviewing the reports independently.

Below is the compilation of the videos from the protests on Saturday, October 8.

Mahsa Amini’s Death Sparks Nationwide Protests

The death of Mahsa Amini has sparked nationwide condemnation and protests in several cities in Iran. Amini was a 22-year-old woman from Saqqez, Kurdistan Province. She was arrested by Tehran Morality Police at a train station for improper hejab. She fell into a coma where she was in custody and then died in a hospital in Tehran.

Since Amini’s death, hundreds of individuals have organized protests, and businesses in a number of cities were closed in protest. On Saturday, September 17, there were also angry demonstrations during her funeral at her burial and in front of the governorate building in Saqqez, Kurdistan Province. The police used violence against the protestors using tear gas and gunshots. Several people have been injured. Kurdpa has identified Kian Derakhshan as being in critical condition. The video below shows the moment he was injured. 

Another individual identified as Parsa Sehat was injured in the eye and nose and is hospitalized in Tabriz.

The protests continued on Sunday, September 18. In Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province, people rallied and chanted slogans against the regime such as “Kurdistan, a graveyard for fascists”, and “Death to Dictator”. The police used the shooting to crack down on the protestors. Sanandaj’s residents have reported internet disruptions. Some videos show the deployment of special guard forces and water cannons. Moreover, several pictures on social media show some citizens have been injured by pellet guns.

Confirming the arrest of several protestors, the Deputy Governor of Kurdistan claimed that so far no one has been killed in the past two days.

In Mahabad, The police with a heavy presence attempted to scatter the crowd in order to prevent the protest.   

The University of Tehran students held a protest on campus. Also, in the Gohardasht district of Karaj, Mahabad, Sanandaj, Rasht, and several other cities demonstrations were held, where people chanted “death to the dictator”, “death to Khamanei”, and “woman, life, freedom.” 

Ten Teacher Union Activists Arrested in Saqqez and Divandarreh

Yesterday, on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, security forces arrested ten teacher union activists in Saqqez and Divandarreh, in Kurdistan Province, and transferred them to an unidentified location. The individuals arrested, who are members of the Kurdistan Teachers’ Trade Associations, include Soleiman Abdi, Aziz Marzi, Salah Sorkhi from Saqqez and Omid-Shah Mohammadi, Othman Rezai, Hiwa Ghoreishi, Parviz Ahsani and Kaweh Mohammadzadeh from Diwandarreh.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Kurdpa, on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, ten members of the Kurdistan Teachers’ Trade Associations were arrested in Saqqez and Divandarreh.

The reason for the arrest, the whereabouts and the charges against these individuals are unknown so far.

The Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations called active and retired teachers to rally across the country in protest against the widespread arrests of teachers.

Workers’ Rights Activist Othman Esmaeili Arrested by Security Forces

On Wednesday, October 20, workers’ rights activist Othman Esmaeili was detained by security forces.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Esmaeili was transferred to an unidentified location following the arrest.

As an informed source told HRANA, ten security agents arrested the activist at 6 pm in front of his home in Saqqez City. According to the source, the security forces had been monitoring the house all day.

As of this writing, the reason for the arrest and charges against him are unknown.