Tag: Tehran

Khosro Sadeghi Boroujeni Being Denied Medical Treatment in Evin Prison

Posted on by A MN
News, Prisoners
Boroujeni, Branch 2, Evin, Evin Prison, Khosro Sadeghi Boroujeni, medical negligence, Mohammad Moghiseh, Morujeni, Porsesh Publishing Company, Tehran

Imprisoned writer and journalist Khosro Sadeghi Boroujeni has been denied access to medical treatment by prison authorities despite his poor health condition.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Boroujeni is currently enduring a five-year sentence in Evin Prison in Tehran.

“It is been over a month that he (has been) experiencing a poor health condition,” an informed source told HRANA. “He went several times to prison healthcare (for treatment), but he has not received any adequate treatment despite having body aches, insomnia, dizziness and nausea.”

Khosro Sadeghi Boroujeni was arrested and interrogated after being summoned to the Branch 2 of Evin’s prosecutor’s office on May 8, 2019. He was later temporarily released from Evin Prison on a bail of 300 million tomans.

Boroujeni’s trial was on July 28, 2019. According to the verdict ordered by the Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, which was presided over by judge Mohammad Moghiseh, Boroujeni was sentenced to five years imprisonment on a charge of “assembly and collusion with an intention to commit a crime against the national security”, one year of prison for the charge of “propaganda against the regime”,  and to two years imprisonment on a charge of “insulting the founder of the Islamic Republic”, adding up to a total of eight years imprisonment. This sentence was later reduced to seven years after the charge of “propaganda against the regime” was dropped upon appeal.

Boroujeni has been conducting research on neoliberalism and the political economy of Iran and has written several articles on these subjects in recent years. His essay “Critique of Neoliberalism” was published by H&S Media Publishing Company in the UK. His other book “Globalization and Inequality” was published by Porsesh Publishing Company in 2011.

Mojgan Keshavarz Granted Leave on Bail from Qarchak Prison in Varamin

Posted on by A MN
News, Prisoners
Branch 38, Evin Prison, Mojgan, Mojgan Keshavarz, Qarchak, Qarchak Prison, Section 2A, Tehran, Varamin, Women's Ward of Evin Prison

On Wednesday, October 6, civil activist Mojgan Keshavarz was granted a five-day leave on bail from prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Keshavarz is serving out her five-and-a-half-year prison sentence in Qarchak Prison in Varamin.

On April 25, 2019, intelligence forces raided Keshavarz’s home and arrested her. She was under interrogation in the detention facility of the intelligence unit of the Revolutionary Guards, known as the 2A section of Evin Prison, until May 1, and then transferred to Qarchak Prison in Varamin. She was relocated to Evin prison on August 12, 2020, and sent back again to Qarchak Prison on December 5, 2020.

Branch 28 of the revolutionary court in Tehran sentenced the civil activist to a total of 22 years in prison. She received 5 years on a charge of “assembly and collusion in the purpose of acting against national security”, 10 years on a charge of “provoking and provision of impurity and indecency”, and 7 years and six months on a charge of ” blasphemy”.  Later the sentence was reduced to 12 years and 7 months on appeal.

According to Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, the severest enforceable punishment for the charge of ” provoking and provision of impurity and indecency ” is five and half years imprisonment.

Mojgan Keshavarz is 38 years old and a mother of a ten-year-old daughter.

Journalists at Tehran-Municipality-Owned Newspaper Asked Probing Personal Questions by New Management

Posted on by A MN
Cultural, News
freedom of the press, Hamshahri, Hamshahri newspaper, Journalists' Guild Association, Mohsen Zohuri, Quran, Tehran, Tehran Municipality, Tehran Province

Following turnover in the Tehran-Municipality-owned Hamshahri newspaper’s managerial board, the extension of staff members’ contracts is being influenced by answers they give to a set of probing personal questions about their lifestyle and beliefs.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Fararu, employees are being asked questions such as “Why haven’t you married?” and “Why didn’t you vote in the election?”.

“It seems to be very serious,” journalist Mohsen Zohuri, commented. “They held an inquisition meeting for the journalists of Hamshahri and asked the question like ‘Why don’t you go to Congregational prayer?’, ‘Did you vote on such and such election?’, ‘How many chapters of Quran have you memorized?’, “Why did you get divorced?’ or ‘Why haven’t you married?’ ”

Changes in management in Tehran Municipality led to the appointment of a new director at Hamshahri newspaper. The new director has reportedly spearheaded this new procedure for extending contracts, and it is being applied to even the publication’s most tenured reporters.

“The new management in Hamshahri newspaper has set an inquisition meeting for its well-experienced and professional journalists,” a member of the Board of Directors of the Journalists’ Guild Association wrote on his personal page on social media. “They have to answer the irrelevant questions which means nothing but spying on personal lives and has nothing whatsoever to do with their occupation. I hope someone comes forward to explain that.”

 

Eight Street Booksellers Arrested by Security Police of NAJA

Posted on by A MN
Cultural, Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners
booksellers detained, Citizen arrests, Citizen detention, Citizens arrested, Citizens detained, IBNA, NAJA, NAJA police, Security police of NAJA, Tehran, Tehran Province

On Saturday, October 2, Tehran’s Security Police of NAJA arrested eight street booksellers for allegedly selling illegal books.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting IBNA, the police confiscated some of the books.

One of the members of the Workgroup for Protecting the Rights of Publishers and Booksellers called these detained booksellers “distributors of illegal and smuggled books”.

The member claimed that part of these confiscated books is the works of the supporters of the restoration of the monarchy in Iran as well as illegal books and unpermitted hard copies of bestselling books.

Nine Fatal Work Accidents in Recent Days Due to Unsafe Work Conditions

Posted on by A MN
Labor and Guilds, News
Afghanistan, Ghaem Shahr, Kashmar City, Labor regulations, Mazandaran province, Neyshabur, Rajaei Port, Razavi Khorasan, Razavi Khorasan Province, Rokna, Shaban, Tehran, unsafe conditions, workplace safety

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, nine workers have recently lost their lives in separate accidents due to unsafe workplace conditions.

Last Wednesday, September 29, a labor source reports that in Alborz Province, a gas leak caused the suffocation of three workers led to their death before emergency forces arrived. Reportedly, these workers were hired to illegally branch off the gas pipe for a villa house.

In another accident, on Friday, October 1, in Kashmar City located in Razavi Khorasan, a worker fell into a hundred-meter-deep well and died before reaching the hospital.

That same day in Tehran, a 26-year-old worker of Afghanistan nationality died in a fire accident.

According to Rokna, on Friday, October 1, in Rajaei Port, an operator lost his life due to a rupture of wire rope of a 140-ton crane.

In Isfahan, a construction worker died due to falling debris. He later died in the hospital from severe injuries.

In a similar accident, on Saturday, October 2, in Neyshabur a city in Razavi Khorasan Province, a construction worker died due to the fall from the wall of an old building.

On that day, in Ghaem Shahr in Mazandaran province, a work accident at a construction site took another victim. Reportedly, the victim, Hassan Shaban, 32 years old, was working without having any safety equipment and died after falling from the fourth floor.

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Two Men Spared from Execution, One Sentenced to Death

Posted on by A MN
Executions, News
Capital Punishment, Death Penalty, Death row, death sentences, Dideban, Karaj, Mahmoud, Meysam, Tehran, Urmia

Recently, two men facing death sentences were spared from conviction while a third was sentenced to death.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Dideban,  one man in Tehran was sentenced to death on a charge of murder on Wednesday, 29 September.

Two men were spared from execution in separate criminal lawsuits, in Urmia and Karaj respectively. Both cases were ruled upon exacting satisfaction from the “avenger of blood”, meaning that the victim’s relative or closest acquaintance agreed to refrain from demanding the perpetrators’ execution.

A man indicted for murder was sentenced to the death penalty. He was detained after one man was stabbed to death in a street fight that took place in a park in Islamshahr, July 2018. This 30-year-old man, named Mahmoud, has denied the charge of first-degree murder and claimed that his actions were self-defense.

According to IRNA, a death-row inmate in Urmia Prison, after 11 years imprisonment, could exact the satisfaction of ‘blood avengers’ with the mediation of elders of the community.

The second spared inmate was a 20-year-old Meysam, who was sentenced to death on a charge of killing a 21-year-old man in a fight. After 5 years, he could exact the satisfaction of the victim’s parent by paying 2.5 billion tomans as reparation.

Nine Citizens Arrested in Qom, Alborz, and Tehran Provinces for Supporting Erfan-e-Halgheh

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News, Prisoners, Religious Minorities
Alborz, Alborz province, Erfan-e-Halgheh, Qom, Qom Province, Tehran

The IRGC in Qom recently announced the arrest of nine supporters of Erfan-e-Halgheh (Circle of Mysticism).

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Fars, the arrests took pace in the three provinces of Qom, Alborz, and Tehran.

According to Fars, nine “main members of Erfan-e-Halgheh” were arrested and sent to prison with a court order. The report does not mention the identities or whereabouts of these citizens.

Inter-universalism is known  as Erfan–e Halgheh (Circle of Mysticism) in Iran.

Death Sentence Issued to Man in Tehran

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Executions, News
Capital Punishment, Citizen death sentence, citizen executions per-capita, Citizen sentenced to death, Death Penalty, Death row, Sattar, Supreme Court, Tehran, Tehran Province

An Afghan man named Sattar was recently sentenced to death by the Second Branch of the Criminal Court of Tehran Province on charges of murder.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Rokna, the verdict was later upheld by the Supreme Court.

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.

Inmate Executed in Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj

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Executions, News
Capital Punishment, Citizen executed, Citizen execution, Death Penalty, Death row, Death sentence, Karaj, Rajai Shahr Prison, Rajai-Shahr, sexret executions, Tehran

An inmate whose identity is not known as of this writing was recently executed in Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Javan newspaper, the man had previously been sentenced to death for murder by Branch 12 of the Tehran Criminal Court

Branch 15 of the Supreme Court of Tehran upheld the death sentence and had sent it to the prosecutor’s office branch for the execution of judgment.

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.

Six Afghans Sentenced to Death in Tehran

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Cultural, Ethnic Minorities, Executions, News, Prisoners
Afghan, Citizens sentenced to death, death sentences, First Criminal Court in Tehran, iran death penalty, Secret executions, Tehran

Six men were recently sentenced to death on charges of rape by Branch 7 of the First Criminal Court in Tehran.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Rokna, these men are citizens of Afghanistan.

In addition to the death penalty, two men were sentenced to seven years in prison for stealing the victim’s cell phone.

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.