Detained Civil Activist Zartosht Ahmadi Ragheb Still on Hunger Strike

Detained Civil Activist Zartosht Ahmadi Ragheb has been on hunger strike since his arrest on February 21. Last Monday, he was sent to a solitary confinement cell in Evin Prison. Yesterday, he was transferred to the Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, yesterday, in blatant violation of prison rules, they sent him to Ward 4 of the Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary, where the prisoners of violent crimes are held.

An informed source told HRANA that his health condition is poor and so far, he has not received any medical treatment.

On February 21, security forces arrested him at his home. They searched the house and confiscated some of his personal belongings.

On June 15, 2020, Ragheb was arrested during an appearance at Branch 4 of Public and Revolutionary Court in Shahriar City to serve his nine-month sentence in the Greater Tehran Prison. On January 15, 2021, he was released from jail after serving his sentence.

However, following a complaint by the Ferdosiye City Municipality, a new legal case was opened against him by Branch 28 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court on the charge of “propaganda against the regime”. During the trial, a piece of evidence invoked to support this charge included proof that he had signed a petition asking the Supreme Leader of Iran to step down.

Ragheb is a firefighter with 17 years of work experience who was fired from his work due to his civil activities.

Ebrahim Seddigh Hamedani Transferred to Solitary Confinement While Still on Hunger Strike

Political prisoner Ebrahim Seddigh Hamedani was transferred to a solitary confinement cell in Marivan Prison while still on hunger strike.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Hamedani and his son Salar Seddigh Hamedani have been on hunger strike for more than 11 days in protest against the housing of political prisoners in the same ward as prisoners of violent crime, which is in violation of prison regulations.

Hamdeani and his son were earlier transferred from Urmia Prison to Marivan and Kamyaran prisons, respectively.

An informed source HRANA that his health has been affected by the ward and by the hunger strike: “Considering that he suffers from diabetes, his health condition was exacerbated due to the continuation of the hunger strike. He has told to his family that most of his fellow prisoners in his ward use drugs which makes him exposed to drug pollution”.

On February 23, 2019, Hamedani was arrested alongside along his son Salar and daughter Maryam Seddigh. He was transferred to Urmia Central Prison on April 23, 2019.

Maryam Seddigh Hamedani was released from prison on April 25, 2019.

Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court of Urmia sentenced both to 16 years imprisonment on the charges such as “acting against national security through membership in one of the anti-regime organizations” and “propaganda against the regime.”

In August of 2020, while they were spending their sentence terms, they were relocated to the detention centre of the Ministry of intelligence in Urmia city and interrogated for allegedly “propaganda against the regime inside prison.” Subsequently, a new legal case was opened against them.

In 2005, Ebrahim Seddigh Hamedani had earlier been sentenced to six years imprisonment for the same charges. He was released after serving two and a half years of his sentence on probation.

Majid Mousavi Muhammerah and Abdoljalil Doraghi Sentenced to a Combined Ten Years in Prison

Branch 16 of the Court of Appeals in Khuzestan Province upheld the initial verdict against Majid Mousavi Muhammerah and Abdoljalil Doraghi. Each had been sentenced to five years in prison by the Revolutionary Court of Ahvaz City.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the court, headed by Judge Koosha, notified Muhammerah and Doraghi’s lawyer that the initial verdict was upheld. The defendants has were charged with “promoting Wahhabism (a fundamentalist movement within Sunni Islam)” and propaganda against the regime”.

“As the attorney of the defendants, I have not received a verdict letter and hence have not been able to ask for a retrial. The Court of Appeals held a session without the attendance of defendants and the attorney, which is in violation of a fair trial. Also, the issued verdict was upheld regardless of newly invoked pieces of evidence and was merely based on what was presented in the initial trial,” their lawyer, Iman Soleymani, told HRANA.

“They did not even let me make a copy of the documents. They hardly even let me review it,” he added.

Muhammerah and Doraghi were arrested by security forces and held in solitary confinement for six months in the detention centre at disposal of the Ministry of Intelligence in Ahvaz City.

They are residents of Ahvaz and worked at a bike repair and falafel shop, respectively.

Update on Abdolbaset Orsan’s Condition in Vakilabad Prison

Sunni prisoner Abdolbaset Orsan is currently spending the fifth year of his sentence in Vakilabad Prison, Mashhad City. He has hardly seen his family due to their distance from the prison, the high costs of travel and COVID-related restrictions.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Orsan has been deprived of family visitation. An informed source elaborated that in, “the ward where he is housed, under pretext of COVID-19 regulations, family visitation has long been stopped. The prisoners in other wards, however, can have visitations. Since [Orsan] was the sole breadwinner of his family, his family can hardly afford [to support themselves]”.

On October 8, 2017, Ministry of Intelligence agents arrested and held him for 12 months in solitary confinement in one of their detention centers.

In 2019, Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Mashhad sentenced him to 15 years in prison and fined him 55 million tomans (13090 USD) on the charge of “spreading corruption on earth through acting against national security and collaboration with terrorist groups”. He was acquitted from charges of “armed insurrection against the regime (Baghi)”. In 2020, this verdict was upheld on appeal.

In July, Orsan, along with eight other Sunni prisoners in Vakilabad prison, wrote a letter to Javid Rahman, the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran. The open letter both requested that their cases be investigated and mentioned that their confessions have been extracted under torture and pressure upon their families.

Orsan is a Sunni citizen and a resident of Torbat-Jam. He is married and the father of three children.

Hirad Pirbodaghi Still In Detention After 25 Days

After 25 days, workers’ rights activist Hirad Pirbodaghi is still detained and awaiting legal proceedings in Ward 209 of Evin Prison in Tehran.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Pirbodaghi confirmed during a phone call with his family that interrogations have finished and he is waiting for bail to be assigned so that he may be released. The Evin Prison court has refused to set bail despite multiple requests from his family.

“In these increasingly cold days, he has been given just one set prison uniform which he has to wash and wear while it is still wet. Moreover, they don’t allow him to purchase anything from the prison store”, an informed source told HRANA.

On November 6, Pirbodaghi was arrested violently by security forces alongside Asal Mohammadi. Their houses were searched during the arrest. He was transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison, which is at the disposal of the Ministry of Intelligence.

Pirbodaghi was indicted on the charges of “assembly and collusion against national security” on November 7.

Mohammadi was released on bond from Evin Prison on November 22. The reason for his arrest is still unknown at the time of writing.

The day before their arrests, Pirbodaghi and Mohammadi, accompanied by seven other activists, had filed a complaint in a judicial office against the use of solitary confinement as a torture method. Mohammadi and Pirbodaghi have previously faced other arrests and convictions for their non-violent activism and worker’s rights advocacy.

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At Least one Prisoner Transferred to Solitary Confinement in Urmia Prison for Execution Preparation

This morning, Wednesday, August 4, at least one prisoner sentenced to death was transferred to solitary confinement in Urmia Prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the prisoner was previously sentenced to death on drug-related charges.

The identity of this prisoner has been verified by HRANA as Ebrahim Nasrikhah.

Iran ranks first in the world in citizen executions per capita, according to international organizations. The Statistics and Publication Center of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) reported that between January 1 and December 20 of 2020, at least 236 citizens were executed.

One of these citizens was executed publicly, and two were juvenile offenders. An additional 95 citizens were sentenced to death.

According to the same report, more than 72% of executions in Iran are not reported by the government or the judiciary, which human rights organizations call “secret” executions.

The Use of Torture in Iran – Obligations, Violations, and Victim Testimony 

 

The use of torture in Iran is vast, often state-sanctioned, and continually occurs with impunity. While States bear the sole responsibility for protecting the human rights of individuals within their jurisdictions, if they are unable or unwilling to do so, the international community must work towards ensuring that there is accountability for violations on part of the State.

Throughout history, and oftentimes in reaction to a negative international image, Iran has ratified five out of the ten core human rights treaties. In light of the upcoming World Day to Support Torture Victims, the international community must commit to working together to ensure there is justice and accountability for said violations. 

 

State Obligations 

The Islamic Republic is a State party to the ICCPR, with no reservations or derogations, thus obliging the State to respect all provisions within. Article 7 of the ICCPR expressly prohibits the use of torture, providing that “no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment […]”. Article 7 is additionally complemented by positive obligations in Article 10 paragraph 1, which sets forth that “all persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person”.

The meaning of Article 7 has been debated and expanded upon throughout the years, most notably in UN Human Rights Committee (HRC) general comment no. 20

In addition to international obligations, Article 38 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran states, ‘The use of any type of torture for extracting information or confession from a person is not allowed. Forcing a person to testify, take an oath, or confess is not allowed and such statements given under pressure are invalid. Those violating this principle will be punished according to relevant laws.’ 

There is an ever-present culture of impunity in Iran. Closing the accountability gap requires a bold stance from the international community to commit to understanding the widespread use of torture in Iran and utilizing that information to hold human rights violators accountable. The brief analysis that follows aims to demonstrate Iran’s extensive use of torture in every meaning of the term – notwithstanding obligations under the ICCPR and domestic law. The examples given are by no means exhaustive. 

 

Physical, mental integrity and prolonged solitary confinement 

The prohibition of torture outlined in Article 7 relates not only acts that cause physical pain but also to acts that cause mental suffering to the victim. It is widely recognized that prolonged solitary confinement may amount to torture. In addition, prolonged solitary confinement is proven to cause both mental and physical suffering to the victim.

 

The use of physical torture in Iranian prisons can be divided into the following 3 categories:

 – Inflicting physical pain: floggings, use of handcuffs and shackles for prolonged periods of time, the beating of prisoners, hanging prisoners, amputation of body parts, and more.

It should be noted the above are a mere few examples of physical torture present in Iranian prisons.  Amputations and floggings are provided for under domestic punitive law.

– Deprivations: long periods of time in which prisoners are deprived of food, water, medical and sanitary products, sleep, fresh air, space to move, and/or healthcare.

There are several examples of prisoners kept in small spaces, denied medical and sanitary products, and healthcare. All of the above are instances that amount to torture. In addition, the denial of medical care is a violation of the right to the highest attainable standard of health. Where the lack of medical treatment leads to avoidable death there is an additional violation of the right to life.

– Exploiting cultural taboos: sexual harassment of both men and women, force-feeding, harassing loved ones, and beating prisoners with items that might be sacred to their religion or culture.

This type of torture is physical, but it also has a deep psychological impact.

 

The use of psychological torture in Iran is widespread. Psychological torture negatively impacting an individual’s mental health and is aimed at breaking down the victim leading to a negative interpretation of self-worth and altered perspectives.

 

Examples of psychological torture common in Iran over the past 4 decades: 

– Prolonged solitary confinement: limits all the sensory experiences and leaves the victim fully dependent on the interrogator or prison guard for every basic necessity of life, including food and communication.
In Iranian prisons often solitary confinement cells have their lights on 24 hours a day, making it extremely difficult for prisoners to count the days or sleep.

– Control of access to information: many prisoners have stated how they were fed wrong information about the outside world while they were in solitary confinement. At times, they are told their friends or family members were also arrested, killed, or testified against them. There have been documented instances of individuals being told that their loved one was seeing someone else or had forgotten about them.  There are also times that individuals are completely cut off from the outside world given no access to newspapers or the like. The latter is in addition to psychological torture, a violation of Nelson Mandela Rules.

– Verbal threats: Individuals are threatened with physical torture such as; the rape of oneself or a family member, killing, or additional false sentencing in the name of societal shame i.e. changing one’s charge to moral corruption.

– Creating shame and disrespect: examples: ethnic individuals forced to speak in Farsi, religious minorities forced to disrespect their own religion, and sexual minorities forced to deny and or insult their sexuality. In addition, female prisoners have documented instances of having been repeatedly told to list the men they have slept with.

– Witness suffering: prisoners are forced to hear or witness the suffering of others. This includes: hearing others being beaten, watching executions, or watching others being tortured.

Interrogation and forced confessions 

The use of statements or confessions obtained through torture is not legally admissible in a trial of the accused. The Human Rights Committee has expressed that forced confessions amount to torture under Article 7 of the ICCPR. These acts are also expressly prohibited in the Iranian Constitution. 

 

Access to doctors and lawyers 

Under the ICCPR, there should, in all cases, be prompt and regular access to doctors and lawyers. In the case of Iran, once imprisoned, many political prisoners and activists are denied access to both medical care and legal counsel. Instances of denial are well documented in HRANA reports. In addition, particularly in the case of those detained in Evin Prison, the lack of adequate medical care has been documented to lead to avoidable illness and death. There are serious concerns regarding the consequences of the denial of medical care. 

The right to an effective remedy 

Positive obligations onto the State include effective remedies for victims of torture, including compensation. However, victims and families of torture victims are often harassed, intimidated, and bribed. Iranian authorities systematically repress the efforts of those seeking justice for crimes committed against them including for torture. 

Victim testimonies: physical and psychological torture 

Yashar Piri

Yashar Piri, a Turkic ethnic activist from Tabriz city, was beaten during both his arrest and interrogation. His brother, Rouzbeh, wrote in a note that “Basij members in plain clothes arrested Yashar without providing a court order or a judicial officer card“. He continued, claiming that when “Yashar was arrested, he was hit on the head with an electric shocker and then pepper-sprayed in his mouth, his legs were tied with a belt, and after handcuffing him, the beating continued until he was drug to the ground and transferred to an unknown place while unconscious”. Yashar was released 3 days after his arrest and has been in the hospital since being treated for his injuries obtained in this event.

Mohammad Doji

On November 18 of last year, 19-year-old Mohammad Doji died following severe physical torture in Amirabad Prison in Gogan city. Prisoners who witnessed the incident have stated, “There was a clash in the prison and the guard officer took off his [Mahammad Doji’s] clothes to punish Mohammad. He tied his hands and feet while he was naked and hung him from the ceiling of the prison in the cold. They beat and beat him until he was unconscious, they poured cold water on him, and all this was done in front of our eyes to teach us a lesson. Unfortunately, this morning he could not stand the torture anymore.

Hamid Rastbala

In August 2020, Hamid Rastbala, a Sunni Prisoner held in Vakil Abad Prison of Mashhad, wrote in a letter about the torture that he and other Sunni prisoners faced. He details torture aimed at forced confessions below. 

Parts of this letter reads: 

They recklessly call the Sunnis the military enemies of the Islamic Republic. We were tortured in solitary confinement for almost ten months to obtain false confessions. Many of us Sunni political prisoners were greeted with severe floggings and severe shocks (electrical shocks by shockers). Some of us were even sexually abused by spraying pepper spray on our genitals and anus. 

They threatened to arrest, torture, assassinate and rape our families. Many of us suffered severe mental health concerns, and to halt the torture and pressure, we accepted any accusation that was leveled against us.

We even admitted and repeated these accusations in front of the video camera so that they would not harm our families. This is human rights and human dignity in the Islamic Republic.

Mohammad Alijani

Mohammad Alijani was arrested during the nationwide protests of November 2019 in Islamshar. He is currently being held at Greater Tehran Prison and is facing charges of Muharebah. In July 2020, Alijani wrote a letter about the physical and mental torture he faced. 

 

Parts of his letter reads: 

I, Mohammad Alijani, Reza’s son, was arrested by the security and intelligence police during the protests in November 2019. I was severely tortured physically and mentally.

I was made to confess to charges such as disturbing public order by participating in the riots and destroying public property of the Basij base, insulting the leadership, by force, and under physical and psychological torture. 

I am the breadwinner of my home and my absence from home has caused problems such as falling rent and family problems to pay for the house. My family and I suffer greatly from this.

 

Abolfazl Karimi 

Abolfazl Karimi was a juvenile at the time of arrest during the November 2019 protests. On March 16, 2020, Karimi wrote a heartfelt letter about his conditions and the torture he faced in Evin Prison.

 

Below is an excerpt from the letter:

I suffered a lot in ward 2A of Evin prison and was unaware of my mother’s pain [who had recently gone under surgery]. Because they did not allow me to contact my family and kept me in solitary confinement for 50 days. During interrogations, I was threatened with the arrest of my mother and father. I was also beaten with a shocker by the Akbarabad Revolutionary Guard’s intelligence; they claimed that I had killed one of the officers. Officers broke my head and pulled my toenails. Even now, all my toenails are falling out. They broke one of my teeth by kicking my face and during the interrogation in Branch 1 of Baharestan, they forcibly accused me of the crime. My request to everyone is to please not say that the IRGC intelligence does not hurt anyone. The IRGC’s intelligence is crueler than Shimr (Shimr is referred to as who is said to have killed Hossein (one of Shia 12 Imams) in the battle of Karbala).

 

The Afkari brothers

The Afkari brothers, arrested in relation to nationwide protests of August 2018, are said to have been made to confess against each other under severe torture. Even after one of them, Navid Afkari was executed, the others continued to be tortured and kept in solitary confinement.

 

Their parents wrote a letter to the Judge Supervisor of the prison. An excerpt follows: 

Mr. Hashemi, Judge Supervisor of Adelabad Prison of Shiraz; My children Navid, Vahid, and Habib Afkari were beaten and transferred to solitary confinement on 3 and 5 September 2020. For this reason, they demanded that their complaint be investigated, and the family also demanded that the beating and torture of their sons by Ali Khadem al-Husseini, a prison guard, be investigated. We demanded a forensic doctor go to the prison and record the injuries inflicted on my children, which were 17 in the case of Navid and about 15 in the case of Vahid and Habib.

However, 47 days later, no action has been taken and the office of Mr. Rezaei Dana, the director of Adelabad Prison, claims that the complaints were registered by Mr. Rezaei Dana.  However, the reviewing authority does not give us the date of registration of the complaint and the letter number.

 

Niloufar Bayani 

Niloufar Bayani, an environmental activist who worked as an expert at the Parsian Wildlife Institute, was arrested along with eight other environmental activists in early 2018. The arrests took place in a coordinated operation by the IRGC’s intelligence on charges related to “espionage”.

There are multiple reports that these individuals were physically and psychologically tortured. During the interrogation carried out by IRGC intelligence interrogators, Niloufar Bayani was abused and harassed. She was made to be completely naked and endured sexual assaults including inappropriate touching. She was threatened with rape and was severely beaten by officers using cables and hoses. 

Bayani wrote a letter describing her detention conditions stating she was kept in solitary confinement for 8 months and was interrogated daily from 8 to 12 hours a day.

An excerpt of her letter follows: 

“I was blindfolded, while being interrogated I was made to stand, spin or squat and stand again, I was threatened with the arrest and torture of my 70-year-old mother and father. They threatened me to be physically tortured by showing me images and descriptions of torture devices. And I heard hours about the suffering and pain that torture causes.” 

The above are a mere few recent examples of many more known and unknown cases of physically tortured prisoners across the country. It should be noted that many cases of physical torture are never revealed and there can be no correct statistic given in this regard. These few cases were chosen to show that physical torture is being used widely for various reasons being punitive, making examples for others, extracting false confessions, and more. The examples also provide insight into the widespread use of torture not limited to one institution, rather country-wide. The featured cases also aim to highlight that the victims of torture can be anyone including juvenile offenders, women, ethnic minorities, religious minorities, and more. 

 

Accountability

The frequent use of acts amounting to torture illustrates the deep level of impunity enjoyed in Iran. Closing the accountability gap requires a bold stance from the international community to commit to understanding the widespread use of torture and utilizing that information to hold human rights violators accountable. 

 

Torturer Violator Spotlight

 

Sohrab Soleimani

Sohrab Soleimani

Sohrab Soleimani has been directly involved in and responsible for countless violations of fundamental human rights as the director-general of prisons in Tehran Province. These violations have included harassment, torture, and pressure on prisoners, especially in political and ideological prisons. There are many reported incidents of brutality against prisoners at the hand of Sohrab Soleimani. Imprisoned journalist Issa Saharkhiz suffered from frequent seizures while held in solitary confinement and protested the lack of medical care for political prisoners under Saleimani’s directorship. Article 10 of the ICCPR, as noted above, mandates that “all persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person”. In addition to the countless violations of both Article 7 and 10 related to torture, Soleimani is responsible for widespread violations of the non-derogable right to life. Soleimani and all of those acting under his control should be held accountable. Read more about Soleimani’s violations here. 

Bahram Reshteh ahmadi

Bahram Reshteh Ahmadi 

As the Deputy Prosecutor for Security and the Head of the Evin Security Court, Bahram Reshteh Ahmadi has played a key role in violating the rights of defendants and political prisoners, as well as in detaining political, civil, and human rights activists. Ahmadi has additionally been directly involved in the harassment of political prisoners through the denial of access to legal counsel, a right expressly guaranteed under the ICCPR.  Read more about Ahmadi’s violations here. 

Hamid Mohammadi

Hamid Mohammadi

Since June 2020, Hamid Mohammadi has been the warden of Evin Prison. As warden, Mohammadi carries the ultimate responsibility for the life and wellbeing of prisoners held there. Mohammadi is responsible for the cruel, inhumane, and often degrading treatment in Evin Prison in the form of torture, beatings, interrogation, and solitary confinement. He also bears responsibility for inmates’ frequent deprivation of health and medical care, which has led, in several cases, to avoidable physical and mental suffering and even death. Under Mohammadi, political prisoners and journalists such as Nasrullah Lashani, Keyvan Samimi Behbahani, Majid Asadi, and Golrokh Iraee have experienced harsh interrogations, prolonged solitary confinement, and lack of access to medical care, family, or lawyers. 

 Read more about Mohammadi’s violations here. 

 

Additional Iranian human rights violators complicit in acts of torture can be found at www.spreadingjustice.org using the searchable tag ‘torture’ and include among others: 

 

Seyed-Kamal Hadianfar, Seyed Ebrahim Raisol-Sadati, Mohammad-Hassan Sadeghi Moghaddam, Mohammad Mohammadi Reyshahri, Ali Fallahian, Mohammad Mahdi Haj-Mohammadi, Ali Sheikhloo, Heydar Moslehi, Ruhollah Rezaei Dana, Hassan Karami, Saeed Jalili, Seyed-Mahmoud Alavi, Ali Larijani, Gholam-Hossein Esmaeili, Hamid-Reza Baharvand, Mostafa Nazari, Mohsen Rezaee, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Esmaeil Fallah, Morteza Bahmani, Mohammad Shahriari, Sadegh Jafari Chegeni


For media inquires please contact Senior Advocacy Coordinator Skylar Thompson [email protected]

Labor Activist Maziar Seyednejad Transferred to IRGC Detention Center in Evin Prison

On Monday, June 7, labor activist Maziar Seyednejad was arrested by security forces at his private home in Tehran.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Seyednejad is currently being held in solitary confinement in the Ministry of Intelligence Detention Center in Ward 209 of Evin Prison.

Recently, the labor activist’s 3 year sentence was confirmed by the Court of Appeals in the Khuzestan Province.

Seyednejad has not, as of yet, been allowed access to a lawyer.

A Daily Overview of Human Rights Violations in Iran for December 13, 2018

The following is an overview of human rights violations in Iran on December 13th, 2018 based on the information compiled and verified by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

(1) More Than Ten Protests Were Organized in Iran

(2) Two Evin Prisoners Went on Hunger Strike

(3) A Labor Activist Released on Bail

(4) Ansar Al-Mahdi Followers Sentence to Overall 82 Years Imprisonment, 4318 lashes and 13 Years of Exile

(5) Unpaid Workers’ wages

(6) Eight Gonabadi Dervishes Moved to General Ward After Spending 105 Days in Solitary Confinement 

(7) More from Iran

           

(1) More Than Ten Protests Were Organized in Iran

Today at least nine protests were held in Iran and the protesters demanded the fulfilment of their requests. Members of the Azadegan housing corporation project, the land owners by Kohestan park in Yazd, the workers of sanitizing oil tankers company in Bandar-e Emam Khomeyni, Hendijan’s launch owners, shareholders of the bankrupt institution of Caspian, Isfahan farmers, and the clients of Ramak Khodro and Negin Khodro companies held an assembly protest on December 13, 2018. Moreover,On the 33th consecutive day of protest, the workers from the Iran National Steel Industrial Group (INSIG) in Ahvaz, accompanied by their families, have held a protest in Ahvaz streets. They were wearing white shrouds which is a symbol of readiness for martyrdom. In addition, teachers and students in Hamedan protested the approach of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) to teachers. They requested IRIB to depict financial hardship of teachers and they were also in support of the release of teachers’ right activists who have been imprisoned.

(2) Two Evin Prisoners Went on Hunger Strike

Mahmoud Naji, charged with security offences, began a hunger strike on December 12, 2018 to protest his accusations and not receiving any response on his temporary release request.Ruhollah Mardani, a teacher prisoner, went on strike since December 9, 2018 toprotest the situation of prison and the poor access to health care in prison.

(3) A Labor Activist Released on Bail

Zaniyar Dabbaghian, a labor activist released on bail from Sanandaj prison on December 12. He was arrested on October 8, 2018 in his house for an unknown reason. He had been detained for 67 days and release on 300 million Tomans [25000] bail.

(4) Ansar Al-Mahdi Followers Sentence to Overall 82 Years Imprisonment, 4318 lashes and 13 Years of Exile

The followers of Ansar Al-Mahdi, a religious group of Ahmad al-Hassan were arrested in Torbat-e Heydarieh in August 2018. The conviction of 60 detained people of this group including a child, announced on December 9. Overall, they faced 82 years and six months imprisonment, 4318 lashes and 13 years of exile and fines.

(5) Unpaid Workers’ wages

The workers of North Drilling Company protested for their unpaid wages last week. On December 13th, they reported that the wages of 3000 workers of this company were still unpaid.Moreover, the spokesperson of fire department confirmed that a construction worker was severely injured in the construction site in Zafaraniyeh.

(6) Eight Gonabadi Dervishes Moved to General Ward After Spending 105 Days in Solitary Confinement

On August 29, 2018, afteran attacked from the prison guards, these eight Gonabadi Dervishes are Reza Entesari, Kasra Nouri, Morteza Kangarloo, Amir Nouri, Sina Entesari, Mohammad Sharifi Moghaddam, Hesam Moeini, and Mehdi Eskandari were beaten, separated from other Dervishes, and sent to solitary confinements for their three-months trike at Fashafoyeh prison without informing their family.

(7) More from Iran

Three park rangers were injured by poachers in Tarom Sofla district in the Qazvin province.

A citizen was saved from execution in Nowshahr by the help of judicial authorities and victims families’ consent.

Journalist Hamed Ayinehvand Denied Bail, Moved from Solitary Confinement to General Ward

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – Hamed Ayinehvand, a journalist and political activist who was arrested on June 27, 2018, by security forces belonging to the Intelligence unit of Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has been transferred from solitary confinement, where he spent 44 days after his arrest, to a general ward in Evin Prison.

The Prosecutor of Branch 7 of the Evin Prosecutor’s office has denied Ayinehvand bail, despite the completion of the investigations process and the judicial proceedings. The charge issued against him is “Propaganda against the regime through cyberspace activities”.

A source close to the case told HRANA: “Mr Ayinehvand’s family is worried about [his] mental condition which was described as inappropriate based on his family’s observation [of him] during their last prison visit.”

Hamed Ayinehvand is a political activist, journalist and PhD student of international relations at the Islamic Azad University’s science and research department. Furthermore, Ayinehvand was a *disqualified candidate in Iran’s most recent Parliamentary election.

*Iran’s Guardian Council is responsible for vetting the qualifications of parliamentary candidates and determines who is eligible to run for Parliament.