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Hamidreza Shirzadi Sentenced to Imprisonment for Blasphemy

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Freedom of Expression, News
Blasphemy, Dezpart, Hamidreza Shirzadi, HRANA, Izeh, Khuzestan, حمیدرضا شیرزادی

Hamidreza Shirzadi, a resident of Dezpart County in Khuzestan province, has been sentenced to one year in prison by the criminal court of Izeh.

Based on the verdict issued in absentia on July 21st by Branch 103 of the Second Criminal Court of Izeh, Shirzadi has been sentenced to one year in prison on charges of “blasphemy.” Posting content on Instagram was cited as an example of the charges against this citizen.

A source close to Mr. Shirzadi’s family confirmed the news to HRANA and stated that another part of Shirzadi’s case, involving charges of “propaganda against the regime,” “disturbing public order,” and “insulting the Supreme Leader,” has been referred to Branch 4 of the Ahvaz Revolutionary Court.

Twenty-two-year-old Hamidreza Shirzadi was arrested by security forces on September 23rd last year and released on bail in February of 2024.

Shirzadi was previously arrested in September 2021 during nationwide protests and was released after a while. His case was closed under a “general pardon and commutation” directive.

Latest Status of Political Prison Jaber Sakhravi in Sheiban Prison, Ahvaz

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News, Prisoners
ahvaz, HRANA, Jaber Sakhravi, Sheiban Prison

Jaber Sakhravi, a political prisoner held in Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz has recently suffered a stroke but he has been denied transfer to a hospital in Ahvaz for a physiotherapy session due to opposition from the Ministry of Intelligence.

A source close to the political prisoner’s family told HRANA: “Mr. Sakhravi had a stroke 10 days ago and was hospitalized in Golestan Hospital for two days. Despite doctors’ recommendations for continued treatment, he was returned to Ward 5 of Sheiban Prison. Doctors have prescribed 12 physiotherapy sessions for his recovery, but the Ministry of Intelligence of Ahvaz is preventing his transfer to the hospital. As a result, the first physiotherapy session, scheduled for Monday, July 22, at Golestan Hospital, did not take place.”

According to information received by HRANA, in addition to suffering from a stroke that has slowed and slurred his speech, Mr. Sakhravi also suffers from multiple sclerosis (MS), right leg paralysis, testicular swelling, and stomach pain. Despite his family providing the necessary medications, prison officials refuse to deliver them to him.

Sakhravi is in his tenth year of imprisonment in Sheiban Prison, Ahvaz. HRANA has previously reported on his latest status.

Sakhravi was sentenced by “Judge Sha’bouni” at the Ahvaz Revolutionary Court to 14 years and six months of imprisonment on the charge of “acting against national security through moharebeh (enmity against God).” This sentence was later reduced to 12 years and five months by Branch 16 of the Ahvaz Court of Appeals

Execution of Another Prisoner Along with Kamran Sheikheh in Urmia Prison

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Executions, News
Hassan Yousefi Azar, HRANA, Kamran Sheikheh, Naqadeh, Urmia prison

Today, Thursday, July 25th, in addition to the execution of Kamran Sheikheh, a Sunni prisoner in Urmia Prison, the execution of another prisoner was carried out in this prison.

This prisoner has been identified by HRANA as Hassan Yousefi Azar. Mr. Yousofi Azar, a resident of Naqadeh, had previously been arrested on charges of murder and subsequently sentenced to death by the judiciary.

As of the time of this report, the execution of these prisoners has not been announced by prison officials and relevant authorities.
In 2023, 66% of HRANA’s reports on executions lacked official announcements by judicial authorities and went unreported by media inside Iran, highlighting a troubling lack of transparency in due process.

According to data compiled by HRANA, Urmia Prison carried out 29 executions in 2023. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s report.

 

Report on Hossein Kooshki Nejad’s Condition in Evin Prison

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News, Prisoners
Evin Prison, Hossein Kooshki Nejad, HRANA, Khorramabad

Hossein Kooshki Nejad, a political prisoner, is serving his sentence in Evin Prison. He suffers from physical health issues which has been denied transfer to a hospital and appropriate medical care.

A source familiar with the condition of this political prisoner confirmed this news to HRANA, stating: “Kooshki Nejad has a meniscus tear in his knee and, according to doctors, requires surgery. He has made several written requests for hospital transfer, but has not received any response and has been deprived of specialized medical care.”

Kooshki Nejad was arrested on April 7th of this year to serve his sentence and was transferred to Ward 8 of Evin Prison.

Last year, he faced new legal charges in Khorramabad’s Prosecutor’s Office. The indictment for this case, accusing him of “propaganda activities against the regime,” was referred to the Tehran Revolutionary Court. Subsequently, a judge sentenced him to one year in prison.

Kooshki Nejad, born in 1988, is the brother of Reza Koushki Nejad, who was arrested during the nationwide protests in 2022.

Two Prisoners Executed in Qazvin for Drug Offenses

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Executions, News
Ali Moharram Khani, Choobindar Prison, Hamed Naderi, Qazvin

At dawn on Thursday, July 25th, two prisoners, convicted of drug-related charges in a joint case, were executed in Choobindar Prison in Qazvin.

The identities of these prisoners have been reported by Iran Human Rights Organization as “Hamed Naderi, 32 years old, and Ali Moharram Khani, 37 years old, a father of two, residents of Abhar.”

According to a source, Naderi and Moharram Khani were both arrested about two years ago in a joint case on drug-related charges and were subsequently sentenced to death by the judiciary.

No official sources or domestic media outlets within the country have provided coverage of these executions at the time of writing.

The reports from the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists for the year 2023 reveal a concerning prevalence of executions for drug offenses in Iran, constituting 56.4% of the total executions. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s report.

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Ali Gholami’s Six-Month Prison Sentence Upheld on Appeal

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Freedom of Expression, News, Students
Ali Gholami, Bojnurd, Bojnurd Revolutionary Court

The prison sentence of Ali Gholami, a student activist, was upheld in its entirety by Branch 2 of the Court of Appeals of North Khorasan Province. He had previously been sentenced to six months of imprisonment by the Bojnurd Revolutionary Court.

Amirkabir Newsletter reported that the recent sentence of Ali Gholami, a student activist at the University of Science and Technology, who had previously been sentenced to six months of imprisonment by the Bojnord Revolutionary Court for propaganda against the regime, was upheld by Branch 2 of the Court of Appeals of North Khorasan Province.

Ali Gholami, a student activist, has a history of judicial encounters due to his activities.

Journalist Dina Ghalibaf’s Sentence Upheld on Appeal

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Freedom of Expression, News
Dina Ghalibaf, Evin Prison, Narges Mohammadi, دینا قالیباف

The Court of Appeals of Tehran Province has upheld the prison sentence and fine for Dina Ghalibaf, a journalist and student at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran. Previously, she was sentenced by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court to two years in prison and a fine, with the sentences suspended for five years.

According to the ruling recently issued by the Court of Appeals of Tehran Province and communicated to Ms. Ghalibaf’s defense lawyer, she has been sentenced to two years in prison, including time already served, and a fine of fifteen million tomans to be paid to the state treasury for the charge of “spreading falsehoods.” The issued sentences against Ms. Ghalibaf have been suspended for five years.

Part of the issued verdict states that “the defendant, under a supervisory suspension, is required to refrain from associating and interacting with individuals active in political or social fields.”

In May of this year, Ghalibaf was convicted of the aforementioned charge by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari. During this stage of the trial, she was acquitted of the charges of “defying the officers” and “engaging in propaganda activities against the regime.”

Ms. Ghalibaf was arrested in Tehran on Tuesday, April 16, and after a few days, she was transferred to the women’s ward of Evin Prison.

After the completion of interrogations and her transfer to the women’s ward of Evin Prison, Narges Mohammadi, a human rights activist imprisoned in Evin, shared her account in an audio message, describing Dina Ghalibaf as “having bruises on her body and recounting sexual abuse.”

Ghalibaf was released from Evin Prison on May 1 of this year upon posting bail.

Ms. Ghalibaf, aged around 23, is a journalist, student activist, and undergraduate student in political science at Shahid Beheshti University. She has collaborated with news agencies such as ISNA and EghtesadOnline.

She was previously summoned to the university’s disciplinary committee in 2023 after participating in a student protest at the university, which was held in response to the execution of the defendants in the Isfahan house case.

Ten Poeple Arrested by Security Forces in Kamyaran

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Freedom of Expression, News, Other
Amanj Ghorbani, Amir Nadimi, Farideh Vaisi, Farzin Movafaghi, Hamid Sabzeh, Hesam Mahdi, Kamyaran

On Wednesday, July 24, Hesam Mahdi, Amir Nadimi, Farideh Vaisi, Hamid Sabzeh, Amanj Ghorbani, and Farzin Movafaghi, along with four other citizens, were arrested in Kamyaran and transfered to an undisclosed location, according to Kolbar News. The arrest took place during the funeral of Esmaeil Karimi, a forest ranger who was fatally injured while extinguishing the fire in Kamyaran.

The identities of six of them have been reported as “Hesam Mahdi, Amir Nadimi, Farideh Vaisi, Hamid Sabzeh, Amanj Ghorbani, and Farzin Movafaghi.”

According to the report, the arrest of these citizens occurred during the funeral of Esmaeil Karimi, a natural resources officer. Karimi was injured in a fire incident in the village of Kani Gisheh, Kamyaran County, on Monday, July 22, and was transferred to Kosar Hospital in Sanandaj. He passed away the previous day due to the severity of his burns, which covered eighty percent of his body.

No information is available yet about the whereabouts and charges against these detained citizens.

Among these individuals, Farideh Vaisi, Amir Nadimi, Amanj Ghorbani, and Farzin Movafaghi have previously been arrested and faced judicial actions.

 

Inmate Executed in Parsilon Prison for Drug-Related Crimes

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Executions, News
Azim Amraei, Khorramabad, Parsilon Prison, Saeed Sepahvand

At dawn on Saturday, July 20, the execution of a prisoner previously sentenced to death on drug-related charges was carried out in Parsilon Prison, Khorramabad.

HRANA has identified the prisoner as Saeed Sepahvand.

Sepahvand, along with another prisoner named Azim Amraie, who had also been arrested and sentenced to death on drug-related charges, was transferred to solitary confinement in Parsilon Prison, Khorramabad, on Thursday, July 18, for the execution of their sentences. The execution of Amraie was postponed for three months, and he was returned to the general ward of the prison.

No official sources or domestic media outlets within the country have provided coverage of these executions at the time of writing.

The reports from the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists for the year 2023 reveal a concerning prevalence of executions for drug offenses in Iran, constituting 56.4% of the total executions. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s report.

Kamran Sheikheh, the Last of Seven Sunni Prisoners, Executed in Urmia Prison

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News
Anvar Khezri, Ayoub Karimi, Davoud Abdollahi, Farhad Salimi, Ghasem Abasteh, Kamran Sheikheh, Khosro Besharat, Urmia prison

At dawn on Thursday, July 25, Kamran Sheikheh, a Sunni prisoner who had endured over fourteen years of imprisonment, was executed in Urmia Prison. He was sentenced to death along with six other Sunni prisoners in a joint case and was the last defendant to be hanged.

This Sunni prisoner had been transferred from Mahabad Prison to Urmia Prison yesterday for the execution of his sentence.
Six other Sunni prisoners in this case, Ghasem Abasteh, Ayoub Karimi, Davoud Abdollahi, Farhad Salimi, Anvar Khezri, and Khosro Besharat, were hanged in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj on November 5, 2023, November 29, 2023, January 2, 2024, January 23, 2024, May 1, 2024, and May 15, 2024, respectively.

The case stems from the assassination of Abdolrahim Tina, the Imam of a mosque in Mahabad, in September 2008. In January and February 2010, Sheikheh and six other Sunni suspects were arrested in connection with the killing.

Initially sentenced to death by Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Mohammad Moghiseh, their sentences were overturned by the Supreme Court. The case was then reassigned to Branch 15 of the same court, presided over by Judge Salavati, who reinstated the death sentences for Sheikheh and six other defendants. The Supreme Court ultimately upheld their death sentences on February 3, 2020.