Two Inmates Executed for Drug-Related Crimes in Urmia Prison

Urmia Prison witnessed the execution of two inmates convicted of drug-related offences on June 9, 2023, as confirmed by HRANA (Human Rights Activists News Agency).

The individuals identified as Ghobad Farhadpour from Kermanshah and Jafar Mohammadpour, a resident of Sardasht, were subjected to the death penalty following their transfer to solitary confinement.

No official sources or domestic media outlets in the country have reported on these executions at the time of writing.

According to the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran, a total of 457 reports related to the death penalty were registered in 2022. This included 92 death sentences, including six individuals sentenced to public execution. Furthermore, 565 execution sentences were carried out, two of which were carried out publicly. Among the executed individuals, 501 were male, 11 were female, and five were juvenile offenders who were executed despite being under the age of 18 at the time of the crime.

Iran Protests: Two People Arrested in Sardasht and Dehgolan

In recent days, security forces arrested Sunni cleric Hassan Koohi in Sardasht and Shayan Sadeghi in Dehgolan and took them to undisclosed locations.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Kurdpa, on January 19, 2023, Sunni cleric Hassan Koohi was arrested by security forces in Sardasht, West Azerbaijan Province.

At arrest, the agents reportedly did not show any arrest warrant.
Also, on January 18, Shayan Sadeghi was arrested by security forces at his home in Dehgolan, Kurdistan Province.
The reason for these arrests and the allegations against these individuals are still unknown.

Since the outbreak of nationwide protests, about 19500 people, including journalists, artists, lawyers, teachers, students and civil rights activists, have been arrested. So far, over protests, about 730 people have been sentenced to a total of about 12000 months imprisonment.

 

 

Kolbar Jian Ali-Pour Shot Dead by Regime Military Forces at Border Areas of Sardasht County

On Thursday, October 14, a kolbar was killed by the direct shooting of military forces in border areas near Sardasht.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Kurdpa, on Thursday, the man has been identified as Jian Ali-Pour, a resident of a village in County Sardasht. He was married with two children. According to this report, the military forces shot him dead without any warning beforehand.

Many poor people living in border areas turn to this illegal work and carry loads on foot through borders to make ends meet. Yearly, dozens of kolbars are injured and killed from accidents, dangerous conditions, and border guard shootings.

HRANA’s annual human rights report has specifically documented cases in which military forces’ use of live ammunition against citizens has led to their injury or death.

According to the 2020 report, other than material damages like loss of pack animals due to road accidents, frost, or avalanche, 36 cross-border laborers (kolbars) have been shot dead, and 109 have been injured by military forces and border guards.

 

A Daily Overview of Human Rights Violations in Iran for January 25, 2019

The following is an overview of human rights violations in Iran on January 25th, 2019 based on the information compiled and verified by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

(1) A 23-years-old Kulbar (Kurdish back carrier), Soran Mohammadi, was injured after the Iranian border patrol opened fire to a group of Kulbars near Sardasht city.

(2) A labor activist, Behnam Ebrahimzadeh, has been detained for about a month and half, although a bond has been set for his bail.

(3) Majid Asadi, a prisoner in Rajaee Shahr in Karaj was denied urgent medical care. He is suffering from severe Gastrointestinal diseases such as Stomach ulcer and Herniated disc, and Ankylosing spondylitis which is a type of arthritis of the spine. He wrote an open letter about torture, mistreatment, humiliation and abuse in prison on January 16, 2019. He has been arrested in February 2017 and sentenced to six years prison term on the charge of “assembly and collusion against national security”.

(4) Eight Gonabadi Dervishes, Asghar Ganji Panahi, Mohammad Panahi, Pouya Ayazi, Omid Ghasemi, Sajjad Razmi, Bijan Soltani, Arash Moradi, and Saeed Arab were released from Great Tehran Penitentiary after finishing serving their one-year sentences. The group were among a larger cohort arrested and sentenced in Tehran Revolutionary Court for their participation in the Golestan Haftom incident in February of last year.

(5) Milad Heydari Hendijani was released from Shiraz’s Adelabad prison after finishing his prison term. He was accused of “insulting the Supreme leader”, and “propaganda against the state”.

(6) The laid off workers of Farsit Company in Doroud have held a protest to get their jobs back. The company was shut down in 2016 and recently 34 workers of it have been employed in a cast iron manufacturer.

(7) The head of the judiciary, Sadeq Amoli Larijani, announced that: The Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be pardoned or reduce the sentences of a large number of convicts on the 40th anniversary of Iran’s Islamic Revolution which is commemorated in Iran.

(8) The head of education in Golestan province said that “there are 72 ‘conex [shipping container] schools’ in the Golestan province.”

(9) The workers of Chouka Company in Shafa Rud have at least five months unpaid wages.

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

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.

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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.