Execution of Prisoner Carried Out in Ahvaz’s Sepidar Prison

Early Wednesday morning, October 30, a prisoner sentenced to death on murder charges was executed in Sepidar Prison, Ahvaz.

HRANA has identified the individual as Sardar Safarpour, who was initially detained on murder charges and later received a death sentence from the judiciary.

As of this report, officials from the prison and relevant authorities have not officially announced Safarpour’s execution.

According to the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran, in 2023, at least 767 citizens, including 21 women and 2 juvenile offenders, were executed. Of these, the executions of 7 individuals were carried out in public. Additionally, during this period, 172 others were sentenced to death, with 5 of them sentenced to public execution. It is worth noting that during the same period, the initial death sentences of 49 other individuals were also upheld by the Supreme Court.

Zeinab Khenyab Pour Sentenced to Two Years for Publishing Photo without Hijab

The Behbahan Criminal Court has issued a two-year prison sentence to Zeinab (Bahar) Khenyab Pour, a resident of Behbahan, for the publication of photos without hijab.

The announcement of this verdict was made by Sajjad Chatr Sefid, Khenyab Pour’s legal representative. The court session addressing her charges took place on October 9, 2023.

In a separate legal development overseen by the Mahshahr Revolutionary Court, Khenyab Pour had previously received a three-month sentence.

On December 5, 2022, Khenyab Pour’s garment shop was closed following her participation in a general strike in support of nationwide protests. In response to the closure, she sought clarification from judicial authorities and was subsequently detained for six days in Sepidar Prison, located in Ahvaz.

Zeinab Khenyab Pour Receives Three-Month Prison Sentence

The Mahshahr Revolutionary Court has imposed a three-month jail term on Zeinab (Bahar) Khenyab Pour, a resident of Bebahan.

Sajjad Chatr Sefid, Khenyab Pour’s lawyer, confirmed that his client has been found guilty of “spreading propaganda against the regime.” Khenyab Pour is also currently contending with an additional charge, which is under consideration by the Bebahan Criminal Court. The court session for this particular aspect of her legal proceedings took place on October 9, 2023.

Previously, on December 5, 2022, Khenyab Pour’s garment shop was closed due to her participation in the general strike in support of nationwide protests. Following the closure, she sought clarification from judicial authorities and was subsequently detained for six days in Sepidar Prison, located in Ahvaz.

 

Zahra Saeedianjoo Detained in Izeh

Zahra Saeedianjoo was arrested in Izeh by security forces and taken to an undisclosed location, according to a source close to her family. The arrest occurred on Monday evening, coinciding with the approaching first anniversary of her brother Milad Saeedianjoo’s death, who was killed by regime forces during the 2022 nationwide protests.

The specific allegations against Zahra Saeedianjoo remain unknown at this time. It’s worth noting that she had been previously arrested in Tehran on July 9, and subsequently released on bail from Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz after a month in detention.

Milad Saeedianjoo, aged 26, tragically lost his life on November 16, 2022, when he was fatally shot by regime forces during the protests in Izeh. The circumstances surrounding his death continue to be a source of concern and scrutiny.

Hassan Abyat Executed in Ahvaz

On February 20, Hassan Abyat was executed in Sepidar Prison, Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province. Abyat was previously sentenced to death by the Ahvaz Revolutionary Court for “enmity against God (moharebeh).”

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on February 20, 2023, Hassan Abyat, age 44, was executed in Sepidar Prison.

Karim Dahimi, a political activist and human rights defender focused on Iran’s Arab communities, told HRANA that, “Abyat was previously sentenced to death by Branch 1 of the Ahvaz Revolutionary Court, presided by Judge Farhadvand, for moharebeh.”

“Along with dozens of protestors, Abyat was arrested over protests in Khuzestan Province on April 15, 2011, on the anniversary of 2005 unrests”, he added.

According to Dahimi, Abyat and five others were detained under torture in the Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility in Ahvaz for over 11 months. At the time, Iranian state-owned Press TV aired several videos of their coerced confessions.

In 2022, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran registered 457 reports related to the death penalty. This included 92 death sentences, including the conviction of 6 people to public execution and 565 execution sentences were carried out, 2 of which have been carried out in public. Based on the announced identifications of some of the executed individuals, 501 were male and 11 were female. In addition, 5 juvenile offenders were executed in 2022, meaning they were under the age of 18 at the time they committed the crime.

 

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Detained Student Ronak Rezai Transferred to Sepidar Prison

On Saturday, July 2, 2022, after one month in detention, Ronak Rezai was transferred from an IRGC detention facility to Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz. Ronak Rezai is a resident of Abadan and a graduate student at Allameh Tabataba’i University.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, in a phone call to her family, Rezai informed about her relocation from an IRGC detention facility to Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz. Currently, she is held in a quarantine section.

Rezai’s  lawyer, Farzaneh Zilabi, said that she was charged with “propaganda against the regime.” Rezai’s attorney has also stated that so far, she doesn’t have access to her client’s documents.

In early June, security forces arrested Rezai, which may be related to the recent protests following Abadan’s Metropol building collapse.

Numerous activists have asked for Rezai’s release.

On May 23, 2022, a 10-story building which was known as Metropol collapsed in the city of Abadan in Khuzestan Province. Over 30 individuals were killed, injured or trapped in the rubble. Following the collapse, hundreds of citizens in Abadan and several other cities demonstrated against the government and its failure to impose safety standards on the construction which led to the disaster.

Ronak Rezai Arrested and Taken to Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz

Security forces arrested Ronak Rezai, a resident of Abadan and transferred her to Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz. Her arrest is related to the recent protests following Abadan’s Metropol building collapse.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Ronak Rezai was arrested in Abadan and jailed in Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz.

The reason for the arrest and the charges are unknown so far.

In recent days,  a number of citizens were arrested during the protests. HRANA has earlier reported the arrest of the journalist and poet Arash Ghaleh-Golab in Abadan and Mohammad Soveylat, age 22, in Shadegan, in Khuzestan Province.

On Monday afternoon, May 23, 2022, a 10-story building which was known as Metropol collapsed in the city of Abadan in Khuzestan Province. Over 30 individuals were killed, injured or trapped in the rubble. Following the collapse, hundreds of citizens in Abadan and several other cities demonstrated against the government and its failure to impose safety standards on the construction which led to the disaster.

Brothers Ali-Muhammad Muhammadi and Eslam Muhammadi Executed in Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz

On the morning of Tuesday, October 19, two brothers who had previously been convicted of murder were executed in Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the prisoners’ mother died of a heart attack, which is believed to have been induced by the execution of her children.

HRANA has identified the brothers as 45-year-old Ali-Muhammad Muhammadi and 38-year-old  Eslam Muhammadi, both residents of Ramhormoz County in Khuzestan Province.

According to an informed source, the brothers were arrested in regards to a group fight that happened in June 2005, in a Patak-e Jalali village in Khuzestan Province.

The most recent report of the Statistics and Publication Center of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) states that between October 8 of 2020 and October 9 of 2021, at least 266 citizens, including three juvenile offenders, were executed and 90 citizens were sentenced to death.

As the report points out, Iran’s judicial authorities do not publicly announce over 82% of carried-out executions, dubbed as “secret executions” by human rights organizations.

The execution of the Muhammadi brothers has not been announced by officials or reported by domestic media in Iran as of this writing.