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Prison Sentence and Ban on Leaving the Country Upheld for Environmental Activist Samko Maroufi

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Environment, Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners
Bukan, Bukan County, Court of appeals, Maroufi, Samko MAroufi, West Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan Province

The conviction of Bukan native Samko Maroufi was recently upheld by the Court of Appeals of West Azerbaijan Province.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting the Center of Democracy and Human Rights in Kurdistan, Samko Maroufi is an environmental activist and member of the Valat Environmental Association. He has previously been arrested and convicted for his activities.

In May of this year, Branch 104 of Bukan County Criminal Court sentenced Mr. Maroufi to one year in prison and a two-year ban from leaving the country on charges of propaganda against the regime.

He was arrested by security forces in Bukan on March 2021 and was released on bail on April 2021.

 

Aras Amiri Larijani Acquitted after Enduring 3 Years in Evin Prison

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Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners, Women
Abolghasem Salvati, Amiri, Aras Amiri Larijani, Emtedad, Kingston, Kingston University, Larijani, Supreme Court

After serving out 3 years of a 10 year sentence in Evin Prison, Iranian cultural activist Aras Amiri Larijani was acquitted by the Supreme Court of the charges against her.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting the Emtedad, Amiri is a student at Kingston University and former employee of the British Cultural Council.

Aras Amiri has been acquitted after enduring three years of her ten-year prison sentence. Ms. Amiri had previously been sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Revolutionary Court of Tehran and the sentence was upheld by the Court of Appeals.

She was arrested by security forces in September 2018 after being summoned to the Evin Courthouse, and was transferred to the women’s ward of the prison two days later.

In May 2019, Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, headed by Abolghasem Salavati, sentenced Ms. Amiri to 10 years in prison and two years of social deprivation, including bans from work and leaving the country after serving ten years in prison.

The accusation was labeled “espionage” by a spokesman for the judiciary in the public media. This sentence was upheld by the Tehran Court of Appeals in August 2019 in absentia and without the presence of a lawyer.

A grad student in Philosophy of Art, Amiri had been in organizing joint art exhibitions and festivals between Iranian and British artists and had collaborated with the British Council.

Amiri’s family member had previously told the media that Aras Amiri’s cultural interactions were coordinated and supervised by various deputies of the Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.

Court of Appeals Sentences Keyvan Samimi to 2 Years in Prison

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Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners
Ahmad Zargar, Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, Court of appeals, Ensaf News, Iman Afshari, Iran-e-Farda, Keyvan Samimi, Samimi, Supreme Court, Tehran

Iranian journalist Keyvan Samimi has been sentenced to two years in prison after a court of appeals overturned the Supreme Court’s  decision to resume Samimi’s case.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Ensaf News, Samimi is the editor of Iran-e- Farda newspaper and a member of the Iranian Writers’ Association.

Mr. Samimi had previously endured six years in prison in 2009 for questioning the 2009 presidential election, participating in protests, and writing articles critical of the Islamic Regime. He is currently being held in Evin Prison, where he has been imprisoned since his arrest on International Workers’ Day in 2019.

Samimi was sentenced by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, headed by Judge Iman Afshari, to three years in prison on charges of conspiracy to act against the security of the country. This verdict was upheld by Branch 36 of the Tehran Court of Appeals, presided over by Judge Ahmad Zargar.

Mahmoud Behzadi-Rad, Samimi’s lawyer, said that the Supreme Court accepted the resumption of Mr. Samimi’s trial, but when his case was sent to the Branch 54 of the Court of Appeals, the decision was reversed.

“The judge did not accept the opinion of the Supreme Court,” Behzadi-Rad said, “and they only reduced the three-year imprisonment sentence to two years.”

Five Lawyers and 2 Activists Arrested by Security Forces in Tehran

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News
arash kaykhosravi, Citizen arrests, Citizens arrested, Citizens detained, Leila Heidari, Maryam Afrafaraz, Mehdi Mahmoudian, Mohammad Hadi Erfanian Kasb, Mohammad Reza Faghihi, Mostafa Nili, Tehran

On Saturday, August 14 Arash Kaykhosravi, Mostafa Nili, Mohammad Reza Faghihi, Mohammad Hadi Erfanian Kasb, and Leila Heidari, Mehdi Mahmoudian, and Maryam Afrafaraz were arrested by security forces in Tehran and taken to an unknown location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, The citizens’ personal belongings were confiscated at the time of arrest by security forces.

Arash Kaykhosravi, Mostafa Nili, Mohammad Reza Faghihi, Mohammad Hadi Erfanian Kasb, and Leila Heidari are lawyers, Mehdi Mahmoudian is a journalist and member of the Central Council of the Etihad Mellat party, and Maryam Afrafaraz is a civil activist and a member of the Imam Ali Charity Association.

Mohammad Hadi Erfanian Kaseb and Leila Heydari were released hours after their arrest. Five others are still in detention.

The reasons behind the citizens’ arrests and their whereabouts are not known as of this writing, and the number of detainees is likely to be higher.

Supreme Court Rejects Heydar Ghorbani’s Request for Retrial

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Executions, News, Prisoners
Ghorbani, Heydar Ghorbani, Kamyaran, Kamyaran Public, Saleh Nikbakht, Sanandaj, Sanandaj Revolutionary Court, Tehran

Branch 27 of the Supreme Court rejected political prisoner Heydar Ghorbani’s latest request for retrial.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Mr. Ghorbani has been previously sentenced to death by the Sanandaj Revolutionary Court on a charge of “insurgency”.

Heydar Ghorbani, a native of the village of Bazvash in Kamyaran area in Kurdistan Province, was first sentenced in October 2019 to three charges of imprisonment each for 30 years on charges of assisting in murder, assault with a deadly weapon, helping offenders to escape from law enforcement, involvement in premeditated murder, murder attempt, affixing a license plate to another car, attempt to kidnap, and the acquisition of stolen property.

The First Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Sanandaj eventually sentenced Mr. Ghorbani to death on the charge of insurgency.

In August 2020, Branch 2 of the Supreme Court in Qom upheld the sentence and sent the case to the Kamyaran Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office for enforcement of the judgment.

Saleh Nikbakht, Mr. Ghorbani’s attorney, announced in August 2020 that his client’s request for retrial had been filed. In September 2020, this request was overturned by Branch 27 of the Supreme Court.

In December 2020, another retrial was requested which was overturned last week. Saleh Nikbakht, Gorbani’s defense lawyer, said he will request a retrial again.

“From a legal and jurisprudential point of view, the accusation of insurgent against Mr. Ghorbani is not valid because someone who is called [rebel] insurgence is someone who is a member of a group which revolts against the Islamic Republic,” Nikbakht said. “If the group members use weapons, then they will be sentenced to death. None of these are true about Mr. Heydar Ghorbani.”

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Nasser Hemmati Transferred to Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan to Endure his Sentence

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News, Prisoners
Dastgerd, Dastgerd Prison, Hemmati, irgc, Isfahan, Isfahan Prosecutors Office, Nasser Hemmati

On Tuesday, August 10, Nasser Hemmati was detained after being summoned by the Isfahan Prosecutor’s Office, and transferred to Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan to endure his sentence.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Nasser Hemmati is a psychiatrist and a resident of Isfahan.

Mr. Hemmati had arrested by IRGC intelligence agents in January 2020 and was temporarily released on bail two weeks later.

He was sentenced to 2 years in prison by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Isfahan in June this year on charges of “insulting officials” and “propaganda against the regime”.

Abbas Akhoundi Sentenced to 60 Lashes and 3 Months Imprisonment

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Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners
Abbas Akhoondi, Akhoondi, cruel punishment, humiliating punishment, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Minister of Roads and Urban Development, Seyed Mehdi Hashemi, Tasnim

The Tehran Court of Appeals sentenced Abbas Akhoondi, former Minister of Roads and Urban Development of Iran, to 60 lashes and three months suspended imprisonment.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Tasnim news agency, Branch 78 of the Tehran Court of Appeals charged Akhoondi with “publishing lies”. The sentence was issued following the complaints from Seyed Mehdi Hashemi against the former Minister.

Iran is one of the few countries that has continued to use humiliating punishments despite the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights’ explicit prohibition of the use of inhumane and degrading punishments, including the death penalty and flogging.

Atena Daemi on a Hunger Strike in Lakan Prison in Rasht in Gilan Province

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Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners, Women
Atena Daemi, Evin, Evin Prison, Gilan province, Hunger Strike, hunger strikes, irgc, Lakan, Lakan prison, Rasht, Supreme Court, Tehran

On August 12, civil activist Atena Daemi went on a hunger strike in Lakan prison in Rasht in protest of repeated telephone cuts and prison mismanagement.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, it is said that the head of the prison has not been seen in the prison for about 4 weeks, and his absence has slowed down the release process of many prisoners.

According to an informed source, the frequent interruption of the prison phone raised concerns among Atena’s family members, and her parents had to travel to the Lakan Prison to visit Atena while they were infected with the coronavirus to confirm her well being.

Atena (Fatemeh) Daemi was sentenced to 14 years in prison on May 15, 2015, by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, headed by Judge Mohammad Moghiseh, on charges of conspiracy against national security, propaganda against the regime, and insulting the leadership. After the appeal and application of Article 134, 5 years of prison were enforceable to her.

In 2018, while enduring her sentence in the women’s ward of Evin Prison, she and Golrokh Ebrahimi faced a new case, they were sentenced by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran to an additional 2 years and 1 month in prison after applying Article 134.

In July 2020, Branch 24 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, presided over by Judge Mohammad Reza Amouzad, sentenced Ms. Daemi to two years in prison and 74 lashes for a new lawsuit filed against her while imprisoned. The case was opened by the complaint of the Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC against Ms. Daemi.

In March 2021, the Supreme Court overturned a request for a retrial of Atena’s lawyers. Atena Daemi and her family members have also faced numerous other security and judicial cases and pressures. In March 2021, Atena was transferred in handcuffs and shackles from Evin Prison to Lakan Prison in Rasht in Gilan Province.

This is not the young activist’s first hunger strike. Atena Daemi once went on a hunger strike in 2015, which led to health problems and removal of her gallbladder. Her previous hunger strike experience has increased her family’s concern.

Two Citizens Detained in Bukan in West Azerbaijan Province

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News
Ali Aziz-Zadeh, Arrest without warrant, Bukan, Citizen arrests, Citizens arrested, Rahimi, Rashid Rahimi, West Azerbaijan, Zadeh

Two citizens were recently detained by security forces in Bukan in West Azerbaijan Province and transferred to an unknown location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Kurdpa, on Monday, August 9, Bukan native Rashid Rahimi was arrested by security forces and taken to an unknown location. During the arrest, security forces searched the house and confiscated some of Mr. Rahimi’s personal belongings.

Also, according to the Center of Democracy and Human Rights in Kurdistan, on Wednesday, August 4, Bukan resident Ali Aziz-Zadeh, was detained by security forces without a warrant. According to the report, Mr. Aziz-Zadeh was beaten at the time of arrest.

As of this writing, no information is available on the detainees whereabouts or the charges against them.

 

Three Executed in Qazvin Prison on Drug-Related Charges

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Executions
Citizen executions, Citizens executed, Esmail Fatehi, Mansour Mohammadi, Mozaffar, Qazvan, Qazvin prison

At dawn on Wednesday, July 28, three prisoners who had previously been sentenced to death on drug-related charges were executed in Qazvin Prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting the Iran Human Rights (HRI),the three prisoners have been identified as Esmail Fatehi, Mansour Mohammadi, and Mozaffar (unknown surname).

“Esmail Fatehi was arrested and imprisoned five years ago for carrying 300 kilograms of opium,” the report quoted an informed source as saying. “Mansour Mohammadi and Mozaffar have also been in prison for about six years.”

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 execution of these three prisoners has not been announced by Iranian media or official sources.