According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Rasanak, on Monday, May 10, 2021, a 5-year-old child was killed by military forces’ gunfire in the city of Iranshahr.
Drug Control Force officers were reportedly chasing smugglers in a similar-looking vehicle, and mistakenly opened fire on the car in which the child sat.
According to the report, a group of citizens protested this incident later on the same day in Iranshahr.
Security forces were present at this protest and before long, tensions escalated and violence broke out.
The report states that the security forces opened fire into the crowd of protesters. Whether there were casualties of this subsequent incident of military violence is currently unknown.
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Mohammad Hosseini Ajdadi, a citizen of Lahijan City in Gilan province, was summoned for enforcement of judgment by the executive branch of the Second Criminal Court in Tehran.
In December of 2020, Hosseini Ajdadi was unknowingly sentenced to two years in prison and a substantial fine, after his 2019 case was reopened in connection with new materials published online.
In the summer of 2019, Mohammad Hosseini Ajdadi was arrested by IRGC intelligence agents in Lahijan, on charges of “spreading lies against the country’s officials to disturb the public mind”. He was released on a 200 million Toman bail, paid for by his mother.
In December of that year, Hosseini Ajdadi was sentenced to two years in prison and fined 4 million Tomans by Branch 1037 of Tehran’s Second Criminal Court, but was later acquitted from “insulting the leadership” charges.
All steps of Mr. Hosseini Ajdadi’s latest trial took place without his presence or information. In fact, he only finally became aware of his conviction sentence while checking on the status of judiciary paperwork for his previous summon.
It is worth noting that in 2019, Iran’s Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raisi, with the support of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, removed a section of Constitution requiring the presence of a defendant, plaintiff, or legal representative at appeal hearings.
Hosseini Ajdadi’s mother was informed by the Lahijan Judiciary on behalf of the Tehran Criminal Court that the bail bond will be confiscated if Mr. Ajdadi does not show up on time.
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Kordpa, on May 9, 2021, a citizen from Margavar Rural District in Urmia fell into the Banar River and drowned after being chased by military forces.
Mr. Parviz Jabbari, 31 years old, was the son of Abdullah and a resident of Mansurabad village from the Margavar Rural District of Urmia. A source reports that Jabbari was chased by government soldiers in the Benar-Darreh Valley, on suspicion of carrying smuggled goods.
The informed source added: “After Mr. Jabbari’s body was found and transferred to the village of Mansurabad, the security forces transferred the body to Urmia.”
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on May 1, 2021, political prisoner Arash Sadeghi was freed from Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj. After serving 5 years and 6 months in prison, including his previous detention, Mr. Sadeghi was released under Article 12 of the law on reducing sentencing. Previously, he was sentenced by the Revolutionary Court to 15 years, of which 7 years and 6 months were enforceable with the application of Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code. Since Mr. Sadeghi’s previous suspended sentence of 4 years had been served, only 7 years and six months of imprisonment remained enforceable after sum up of the issued sentences.
Despite the early release, Sadeghi’s time in prison has not been without cost. Until he was freed, Arash Sadeghi had been denied the right to visit and call his wife, Golrokh Ebrahimi Erayi, a political prisoner in Amol Prison. The couple had been prohibited from visiting, despite legal provisions for meetings between imprisoned family members residing in different prisons. In 2017, Sadeghi went on a hunger strike for more than seventy days to protest her re-arrest, and the prolonged hunger strike caused irreparable damage to his physical health.
While in Rajai Shahr, Sadeghi also developed a malignant type of bone cancer called chondrosarcoma. Sadeghi underwent surgery to combat the disease, but prison officials denied him access to the tri-annual post-surgery treatment recommended by physicians, leading to myriad complications. The lack of adequate treatment, coupled with the permanent physical damage from his 2017 hunger strike had devastating effects; Sadeghi’s chrondrosarcoma returned, and he needed to undergo an additional 30 sessions of radiotherapy and kinesiotherapy.
This is the most recent release of political prisoner Arash Sadeghi, who has spent the last decade serving a series of sentences for his human rights work. Sadeghi was first arrested by Ministry of Intelligence agents in July 2009 in front of Allameh Tabatabai University in Tehran along with several students protesting the 2009 election results. He was released on bail 90 days later. In 2010 he was re-arrested and imprisoned in ward 350 of Elvin Prison for 15 months. Sadeghi was arrested yet again in 2014 by IRGC intelligenge, and released on a bail of 600 million tomans in March of 2015. Finally, and most recently, he was arrested in June 2016 and sent back to Elvin Prison, and then transferred to Rajai Shahr, where he remained until his May 1st release.
Whether Sadeghi is able to recover from his time in prison remains to be seen, but a recent bone marrow scan test confirms promising signs in the body.
On May 4, 2021, four citizens were detained by security forces and taken to an unknown location in Marivan.
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Kordpa, on the evening of Monday, May 4, four citizens from the “Darsiran” neighborhood in the city of Marivan were detained by security forces without a court order. Kajvan Feizi, Foad Feizi, Shirko Sohrabi, and Ako Chavegi were detained after they protested violent persecution from a religious extremist group. Their current location is unknown.
Pictured above: Kajvan Feizi (top right) , Foad Feizi (top left), Shirko Sohrabi (bottom left), and Ako Chavegi (bottom right)
Three Iranian citizens lost their lives as a result of military forces’ reckless firing in the Pigol area, close to Khash city, on May 2, 2021.
According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), quoting the Baluch Activists Campaign, on Sunday, May 2, 2021, military forces’ reckless shooting killed three citizens on the Khash road, 30 km out of the Pigol area. The three killed have been identified as 45 year-old Hamid Gomshadzehi, 20-year-old Nazir Gomshadzehi, and 20-year-old Osman Gomshadzehi.
This is by no means the first incident of police brutality from Iranian military and security forces. Despite a clause in Article 7 of the Law on the Use of Firearms by Officials at necessary cases, which states that officers “should target the leg, as much as possible, and be vigilant that their actions do not cause death and/or harm third parties who are not involved in the incident”, there stands a long history of officers fatally shooting civilians.
According to the report, the three men were pulled over in their pickup truck on suspicion of carrying drugs, and killed shortly thereafter. The indiscriminate firing was carried out by drug agents without a stop order.
On the occasion of International Workers’ Day, or May Day, Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) highlights the ongoing denial of the full enjoyment of workers’ rights in Iran; namely workplace discrimination, child labour, violations of the right to form and join labor unions and the suppression of the right to peaceful assembly and association often resulting in unfair trials, arbitrary detention, and torture at the hands of Iranian officials. The following article provides a brief overview of the situation of labour rights in Iran as well as identifies several individuals known to be responsible for violating the rights of Iranian workers’ and labour rights activists. The noted violations are in stark contrast to Iran’s International human rights obligations (including ratified ILO Conventions, CRC, ICCPR, and ICESCR) and therefore should not go unpunished.
The Situation of Labour Rights in Iran
The Right to Form and Join Labour Unions
In the past year, a total of 593 workers’ protests and 738 trade union protests have reached the media and or civil society organizations.
Among the most important labor events in Iran over the past year the following workers’ protests can be mentioned; Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers, Kut-e Abdollah Municipality, Heavy Equipment Production Company (HEPCO) in Arak, railway technical lines and buildings, and the union protests of teachers, retirees and social security pensioners.
Over the past 12 months, various cities in Iran have witnessed various forms of protest movements by Iranian workers. A wide range of workers have taken to the streets due to non-receipt of their monthly salaries and disregard for their insurance claims, and some of these workers have gone on strike and protested for up to 30 months of wage arrears. Thus, 114 labor strikes and 3 union strikes have taken place.
The level of cohesive demand of different sections of the working class has been unprecedented in the past year. Repression and sabotage and non-recognition of the rights of trade unions and independent labor organizations, arrest and imprisonment of several labor activists, as well as the denial of the right to protest were among the reasons for the dispersal and disorder of some labor rallies and protests.
Many workers have been summoned, arrested or convicted on charges such as holding a peaceful rally on International Workers ‘Day, protesting against low wages, signing statements in support of trade unions, posting photos of workers’ demonstrations on the Internet or receiving invitations to attend world trade union meetings.
At least 37 workers and labor activists have been arrested in the past 12 months. Among the most important of these arrests are the arrests of four Haft Tappeh workers’ activists, five Kut-e Abdollah Municipality workers, six participants in a rally in support of the Haft Tappeh workers, and tens of nurses and teachers.
Additionally, 46 labor activists were sentenced to 636 months in prison and 3,108 floggings, 51 people were summoned to judicial and security authorities, 1,331 were fired or suspended from work, 4,224 were unemployed, 28,493 uninsured workers and 4,224 uncertain of their work situations.
Also, in the field of unions and syndicates, a total of 47 arrests of union activists, 30 months’ imprisonment for 2 union activists, 50 summonses to judicial-security authorities and 132 cases of closure of places have been reported.
Both the ICCPR (Article 22) and ICESCR (Article 8), to which Iran is a State party, guarantee the right to form and join labor unions. However, under Iranian law, there exists no express right to form labor unions that are independent of the State. Claiming ‘security concerns’, workers may only be represented by a select group of State sanctioned bodies. Nonetheless, groups like the Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane Workers’ Syndicate and others continue to form and gather to protest widespread violations of labour rights. The Haft Tappeh Workers’ Syndicate is a union responsible for the organization of several protests regarding violations of workers’ rights – notably, withheld wages, unfulfilled promises, and the arbitrary detention and torture of many of their members.
The violations against the Haft Tappeh Workers’ and others are not only in contrast to the core human rights treaties to which Iran is a State party but also ILO Conventions. As a founding member of the International Labor Organisation (ILO), the Islamic Republic of Iran was one of the first countries in the sub region to join the organization. Iran has ratified 13 ILO conventions including five of the eight so-called core conventions. These conventions are legally binding upon signature.
In addition to poor working conditions labor rights activists are increasingly peacefully protesting discriminatory practices in the workplace, minimum wages set below poverty lines as well as increasingly low pensions, only deepening the economic hardship felt across the country.
Discrimination in Iranian Law
Iran’s national legislation remains discriminatory as a matter of law. Although the Iranian Constitution includes protection for labour rights, all legislation must be in line with Islamic principles (Article 4). This interpretation of the law allows for women and religious and ethnic minorities to face increased discrimination in the workplace based in Islamic principles. Likely in part due to these practices, the World Economic Forum’s 2020 Global Gender Report placed Iran at number 147 out of 153 for economic participation and opportunity.
Child Labour
The number of Working Children in Iran is between 3 to 7 million, while this figure is estimated at 20,000 for Tehran, yet considering that most working children do not have proper identifications; it is not possible to provide a more accurate statistics regarding the actual number of working children in Iran.
National legislation prohibits children under the age of fifteen to work. However, in practice, child labour remains present at an alarming rate. Iran’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child prohibit child labour in any form. In addition, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has expressed grave concern at the alarming number of children employed in hazardous conditions. Iran should ensure full compliance with international child labor standards, including in the CRC and relevant ILO Conventions.
Women in the Workplace
Prohibition of child labor and the provision of free education for children, the establishment of the highest level of safety standards in the workplace, the elimination of discriminatory laws for migrant women and workers are other demands of the working community.
Despite the fact that Iranian women workers are described as the cheapest labor force in the country, the employment situation of women is more precarious than men, and at the same time as noted above they have far less legal protections, salaries and benefits.
Female workers have less bargaining power than their male counterparts. At the same time, production and industrial units are less inclined to employ married women, and in some cases employ single women with a commitment not to marry or become pregnant.
The situation of working women in small workshops is much worse. Half of the workers in the kilns are women who work in onerous conditions.
Spreading Justice: Labour Rights Violators- at a glance
Omid Asadbeigi, Morteza Bahmani, Sadegh Jafari Chegeni, and Mustafa Nazari, all profiled in Spreading Justice are responsible for countless violations against Haft Tappeh workers, labor rights activists supporting them, and journalists documenting the unrest.
– Omid Asadbeigi, Owner and Managing Director of the Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane Agro-Industry Co (hereinafter Haft Tappeh), is known to have arbitrarily withheld wages of his employees in addition to colluding with law enforcement agencies and the judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to intimidate and exploit workers. These actions are in stark contrast to obligations under the 13 ratified International Labour Organization Conventions to which Iran is a signatory. Significantly, amongst the Conventions ratified by Iran are: The Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) and the Protection of Wages Convention, 1949 (No. 95). The ILO Conventions are legally binding upon signature. According to the legal review conducted by HRAs Spreading Justice Legal Consultant, Brian Currin, “It is evident that Asadbeigi does not only fail to comply with the most basic obligation of an employer, namely the payment of wages, but in addition he colludes with law enforcement agencies and the judiciary of the Islamic Republic to intimidate and exploit workers.”
– The Shush Security Police have been responsible for the unlawful arrests and detention of workers and have forcefully suppressed workers’ right to protest and strike. Morteza Bahmani is the head of the Shush Security Police and is responsible for and directly involved in the aggravated assault and torture of workers at Haft Tappeh as well as labor rights activists considered to be their supporters. As stated by SJ Legal Consultant, Brian Currin, “Morteza Bahmani’s actions are the antithesis of what is expected of a State that is a founding member of the ILO and should be condemned by the international community that embraces the practices, ethos and values of the ILO.”
– As the chief of the Shush Judiciary, Sadegh Jafari Chegeni has committed countless human rights violations, particularly workers’ rights violations. According to the workers of Haft Tappeh, Sadegh Jafari Chegeni was one of the main perpetrators of the repression of protesting Haft Tappeh workers. In addition, evidence of his involvement in the economic corruption involving the CEO of Haft Tappeh (Omid Asadbeigi noted above) has also been publicly mentioned by Haft Tappeh workers.
– As the prosecutor of Shousha, Mostafa Nazari has been directly involved in and responsible for widespread human rights violations, especially the rights of workers, as well as the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. According to numerous reports, he was one of the main perpetrators of the crackdown on the protesting workers of Haft Tappeh as well as their unfair judicial treatment.
*It is of note that the violators highlighted in this report are merely a select few. For more information on the violators within, please view the profiles in their entirety by clicking on the individual names.
A Statistical glance at the Situation of Iranian Workers 2020-2021
In Iran, Labor Day comes at a time when the privatization of state-owned factories and companies continues without regard to the long-term interests of workers.
According to Human Rights Activists in Iran’s (HRA) statistics department, a review of labor reports published in the last 12 months (April 30, 2020 to April 27, 2021), indicates at least 9,367 workers were killed or injured in work accidents.
Injuries:
At least 7577 workers were injured at work in the past 12 months. In 12 official reports or comments at the national and provincial levels, officials reported that 7073 people were injured. In addition to the official reports, Civil and labor rights activists reported another 504 cases of injuries at work.
Deaths:
At least 1790 workers lost their lives in work accidents in the past 12 months; Officials and relevant agencies reported the deaths of 1,545 workers in 9 official reports, while independent organizations reported 245 deaths of workers that were not mentioned by official reports and authorities.
Actual numbers might be a lot higher
It should be noted, even though statistics above are many, the reality might be much harsher due to lack of transparency of the responsible institutions, many of work incidents are not reported and thus do not make it to the media.
To better understand this issue, “Iran announced that 15,997 people lost their lives in work-related accidents in the last 10 years (2008-2018), 15,767 were men and 230 were women.” This means that an average of 1,600 people has lost their lives each year in work-related accidents over this decade.
According to these statistics, the main cause of death in work accidents is falling from a height. In the last ten years, that is about 41.5% of total casualties at work accidents. Iran ranks 102nd in the world in terms of occupational safety.
Occupational Accident Classification Chart
HRA’s Statistic Department: Occupational Accident Classification Chart (May 2, 2020 to April 27, 2021)
Wage Arrears
According to statistics compiled by HRA’s statistic Department, at least 34,318 workers have more than 2,313 months of wage arrears.
However, it should be noted that among the published reports on wage arrears, a large number of reports did not mention the number of workers awaiting wage arrears, which is one of the important factors in the impossibility of providing accurate statistics of workers claiming arrears.
Poverty line and low wages
On Sunday March 14, 2021, the Supreme Labor Council implemented a 39% increase in the minimum wage, that is the minimum monthly salaries were increased from 1 million and 912 thousand Tomans to 2 million and 650 thousand Tomans.
Although the Iranian government has refused to officially announce the poverty line, economic activists believe that the minimum wage is still well below the poverty line even after this increase.
Also, the members of the Supreme Labor Council increased the workers ‘food rations to 450,000 Tomans and the workers’ housing allowance to 600,000 Tomans. It should be noted that housing allowance is not implemented yet and to be implemented must be approved by the Council of Ministers and then be included in the next year’s payroll of workers.
These figures are being ratified while the head of the labor faction of the 11th parliament has previously stated that even if the minimum wage rises by 100 percent, workers purchasing power will not return to normal.
In addition, the increase of workers’ salaries by a small amount to 2 million and 650 thousand Tomans has been approved while recently the head of the Supreme Association of Trade Unions, referring to the announcement of the Central bank that poverty line is at 10 million Tomans, said: “Last year the poverty line was 6 million Tomans, which has increased by 4 million Tomans this year.”
On the other hand, Faramarz Tofighi, the workers’ representative in the wage determination committee, had previously said: the acceptable cost of essentials (food, etc) is 6 million and 895 thousand Tomans. This is while in the final agreement, the minimum wage for the year 1400 (Jalali Calendar) is set at only 2 million 656 thousand Tomans, and this is about 3 million Tomans less than what the workers representatives indicated as cost of essentials.
In addition, Ali Asgarian, Deputy of Public Participation of the Relief Foundation, announced: According to the monitoring of the monthly observation center, which defines food poverty line by 1800 sampling points, now the food poverty line is 670 thousand Tomans per person and if the family consider three people with the minimum wage, many working families are below the poverty line or at the food poverty line. He added that about 20 million people in the country need support; “Currently 6.5 million people are covered by the Relief Foundation and there are about 7 million other people who have similar conditions but are not covered by this organization. There are also another 14 million people in need in the country who are not receiving any assistance.”
The minimum wage set by the Supreme Labor Council, according to many experts and labor activists, is much lower than the real inflation rate in the country and lower than the value of the household consumption basket. This is another reason for the continuation of the protests of the working community of the country.
Obligations
Violations against labor rights activists and workers alike are in stark contrast to Iran’s international human rights obligations namely, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Convention on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), and relevant ILO Conventions. Iran should ensure full implementation of the noted mechanisms and protect the rights of workers’ by removing discriminatory barriers to workplace participation particularly on women and ethnic and religious minorities. In addition, HRA calls on the international community to hold the above and all perpetrators accountable for their actions against Iranian workers’ ending the widespread impunity enjoyed in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
This Article has been prepared by Spreading Justice team, For further inquiries please contact Skylar Thompson, Senior Advocacy Coordinator Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) at [email protected]
In honor of the International Day for Safety and Health at work on April 28th, 2021, Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) highlights the alarming number of work related deaths and accidents that took place in Iran from May 2020 to April 2021. As a founding member of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and a signatory of 13 ILO Conventions, including 5 core conventions, Iran must be held accountable for failing to comply with obligations and for continuing to allow employers to disregard employee safety in such a way that continually leads to death and injury.
Iran ranks 102nd in the world in terms of occupational safety. According to the Statistics Center of Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA), from May 2, 2020 to April 27, 2021: work-related accidents due to lack of safety at the workplace or unsatisfactory working conditions resulted in the deaths of at least 1,790 workers. This number is drawn from HRA research pulled from media reports and organizations active in the field.
In addition to the 1,790 reported deaths due to work-related accidents, there are 7,575 reported cases of injuries at the workplace; this number is aggregated at HRAs statistics department through research compiled from media and organizations active in the field. It should be noted that the highest number of work accidents occurred in Khuzestan, Tehran, and Isfahan provinces, respectively. The below chart demonstrates the sectors most affected by the failure to ensure the safety and health of workers’.
The ongoing denial of the full enjoyment of workers’ rights leading to injury and death has also led to frequent gatherings of labor rights activists demanding change. These gatherings are often met with suppression and further exacerbate the violations of labor rights through denial of the right to peaceful assembly and association; and even sometimes leads to arbitrary detention, unfair trials, and torture. Unsatisfactory working conditions leading to alarming numbers of work-related injury and death could be mitigated by implementing domestic policies which protect workers’ safety as well as allow for the transparent monitoring of employers compliance to said policies. Iran should ensure full adherence to international labor standards and uphold the rights of all Iranians in the workplace and elsewhere.
Occupational Accident Classification Chart
HRA’s Statistic Department: Occupational Accident Classification Chart (May 2, 2020 to April 27, 2021)
HRANA – For fifteen years HRA has maintained a victim-centric approach to documenting and reporting on human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI); The primary focus has been to document rights abuses and highlight the crimes perpetrated against victims. Through the years, while perpetrators have enjoyed widespread impunity, victims have endlessly struggled for justice.
On the occasion of the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims, and alongside the adoption of the resolution on the situation of human rights in the IRI at the 46th session of the Human Rights Council, HRA launches Spreading Justice, a database of human rights violators in Iran.
At Tuesday’s closing of the Human Rights Council, organizations, member States, and activists alike called for an end to impunity in Iran. Spreading Justice was created to equip the international community with a tool to work towards holding perpetrators accountable, increasing both social and political pressure, and ending the widespread impunity that is currently enjoyed throughout the country.
The database, housed atwww.spreadingjustice.org, includes unique profiles of both individual and institutional violators; those well known as well as those that seemingly fly under the radar.
Who is included in the database?
While all known violators will be included, Spreading Justice is primarily focused on new human rights violations. While many individuals or institutions included in the database have been committing violations for several years, there are oftentimes recent events that have contributed to their place in the database. By placing a focus on recent events, researchers are better positioned to collect, document, and fact-check information on the violations in question.
Along with profiles of individual violators, such asMasoud Safdari, there are also profiles for institutional violators like theTehran Islamic Revolutionary Court. Profiles of institutional violators are linked to the profiles of affiliated individuals, both individual violators, as well as individual and group victims. This feature aims to aid in establishing connections for research purposes. Similarly, when users click on a victim’s name, they are directed to a list of any violators within the database that may also be affiliated.
While the existing profiles are complete, users are able to aid in the development of profiles by anonymously submitting additional information. Informed users are encouraged to submit bothmissing information and information on violators not currently included through an anonymous, easy to use and secure form. All information submitted through this form is verified for authenticity before being added to the database. Utilizing a tool created by a German University, users are also able to submit information on a wide array of physical appearance indicators. Facemaker, the tool mentioned above, mocks a virtual drawing of the violator based on user submissions. These submissions are compiled for internal comparative analyses.
HRA researchers have spent countless hours collecting, documenting, and verifying the information within the database. All of the information included has been through a strenuous fact-checking process and is verified for authenticity prior to being added. New profiles will continue to be added to the database in real-time as information is collected and verified.
All of the information, documents, and reports collected on violators are both online and stored internally via PDF. Requests for documents can be made through the Contact Us page.
How are the violators profiled?
Over the years, HRA has learned what information is most necessary for stakeholders when working towards holding violators accountable. The lessons learned were taken into consideration when building out the database. The individual violator profiles, where available, include a photo or photos of the violator, evidentiary documents (including witness or victim testimony and/or relevant multimedia), verified articles written by reputable media outlets that have mentioned the violator by name, and a detailed legal review written by Brian Currin, a leading expert in international human rights. One can also find information on work history, current residency, travel history, and educational background.
The profiles include basic information such as full name and any alternative spellings, date of birth, place of birth, and any current institutional affiliation. If a violator has known family members, such as a spouse or child, they are listed by name. Additionally, there is information on physical appearance including, eye color, hair color, height, and weight. Certain aspects of the basic and physical information are categorized into one of three levels of certainty: exact, partial, and approximated. Information categorized as exact is verified and precise. Partial is listed when some part of the information provided is unknown at the time of writing. The approximation category is used when HRA researchers have used approximating techniques with available information to offer a range. Institutional Violators are profiled similarly. Users also have the ability to toggle between both unit and date conversions.
Violators are tagged and searchable by documented victims, identified rights violations, and any relevant institutional affiliation. All of the profiles are available in a downloadable PDF format. Download links are located at the bottom of all violator profiles alongside a form to submit any missing information.
How does one use the database?
Spreading Justice is available in both English and Farsi. Users can search the database utilizing a variety of tagged violation indicators including torture, the right to life, labor rights, women’s rights, social rights, prisoner’s rights, the right to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression and thought, and more. These searches enable those focused on specific violation types to filter. One can also search tags by institutional affiliation such as the Tehran Islamic Revolutionary Court or the Iranian Cyber Police among others. The database is also searchable by victim name to assist lawyers or researchers working on specific cases. There is additionally an option to search by keyword. Users can find the main search tool on theSpreading Justice homepage.
Not simply a database
Spreading Justice is not simply a database, it also offersresources on Iranian power structures and judicial systems,unique reports and analyses on human rights violators in Iran, as well asstatistical overviews including a breakdown of the situation of human rights in Iran by province and violation type.
Similarly to the profiles, all of the information found at spreadingjustice.org including statistics, resources, and reports will be updated regularly.
____
HRA encourages readers to share the database with their networks. For any additional information on Spreading Justice please contact Skylar Thompson, HRA Senior Advocacy Coordinator at [email protected]
HRANA – Siamak Moghimi, Political Prisoner imprisoned at Great Tehran Penitentiary who was arrested during the nationwide November 2019 Movements was transferred from quarantine to the public ward, today Monday March 15, 2021. Earlier on Wednesday 24th February 2021, Siamak Moghimi had attempted Suicide by Cutting his Wrist and abdomen. Although he was saved from bleeding and dying after being sent to the hospital where he recieved numerous internal and external sutures, yet he spent the last 18 days in prison quarantine in poor conditions. Despite suffering from a mental illness and a long hospital stay before his arrest, with the negligence of Authorities Mr. Moghimi is still serving his sentence in Great Tehran Penitentiary.
According to Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Today Monday March 15, 2021, Siamak Moghimi, Political Prisoner imprisoned at Great Tehran Penitentiary who was arrested during the nationwide November 2019 Movements was transferred from quarantine to the public ward.
According to a source close to Mr. Moghimi’s Family, despite that the wrist and abodman of Mr. Moghimi had received multiple internal and external sutures after his attempted suicide, yet he has been transferred from hospital to the Quarantine Ward of Great Tehran Penitentiary, and without any facilities and medical care he has been imprisoned in harsh conditions. It is said that Mirza-Aghai the head of a division, has not signed his papers and therefore he has been kept in the quarantine.
It is said that since Mr. Mirza-Aghaei, the head of the division 9 and 10 of the Great Tehran Prison, took office, every administrative correspondence of the prisoners lasts for 20 days. This used to be done on a daily basis.
Siamak Moghimi was taken to the hospital late night on Wednesday, 24th February, following a suicide attempt by cutting his wrist and abdomen. Despite Mr. Moghimi suffering from a mental illness and his long hospitalization before his arrest, yet by the negligence of the authorities, he is still serving his sentence in the Greater Tehran Prison.
According to an informed source, Mr. Moghimi had attempted suicide being influenced by Mirza-Aghai’s Words, who had told those arrested in relation to November 2019 protests “you have no rights”. By forming a disciplinary council in the prison and disciplinary cases for these prisoners, Prison officials are threatening them with deprivation from furlough, and Not being entitled to parole. This action has created additional psychological problems for some prisoners.
Siamak Moghimi was arrested by the agents of Sarallah Base of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) during the November 2019 protests in Parand city and was transferred to the detention center of this organization. After the interrogation process, he was transferred to Great Tehran Prison.
Mr. Moghimi’s charges were delivered to him at Parand, and after his case was sent to the 24th Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran headed by Judge Amouzadeh, he received 10 years of imprisonment for charges such as “gathering and collusion”, “propaganda against the regime”, “insulting the supreme leader”, and “insulting the president”. According to Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, the most severe punishment, i.e. 5 years in prison, will be applicable to him.
Mr. Moghimi had previously on 25th January 2020, had attempted suicide after coming to know of the verdict of 10 years of imprisonment for him.
The arrest, conviction, and continuation of Mr. Moghimi’s detention took place while, a week before his detention he was hospitalized for a long time in a psychiatric hospital, and his imprisonment exacerbated his condition.
It should be noted that the November protests are a series of nationwide protests that began on Friday, November 15, 2019, with the announcement of an unprecedented increase in gas prices in dozens of cities in Iran with the unprecedented presence of protesters in the streets which continued for several days. Mohammad Javad Koulivand, a Karaj MP, said the protests took place in 719 locations across the country. Seyyed Hossein Naghavi Hosseini, the then spokesman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the parliament, also announced that the number of detainees in the protests was about 7,000. And according to various human rights groups, hundreds of people were killed during these protests.
