Category: Freedom of Expression

Five Hoveyzeh Protestors Arrested

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Freedom of Expression
Abbas Zahiri, Hakim Zahiri, Hassan Zahiri, iran human rights, iran protests, Majid Zahiri, petroleum iran, Rahim Zahiri

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – On August 25, 2018, five Hoveyzeh residents protesting the hiring practices of local petroleum companies were arrested.

HRANA reported the identity of the detainees: Majid Zahiri, Hakim Zahiri, Abbas Zahiri, Rahim Zahiri, and Hassan Zahiri, natives of the village of Zahiriya (also known as Zahiri).

An informed source told HRANA that the detainees were protesting “the hiring of a non-native workforce by the petroleum companies active in their village.”

July 2018 protests in the village of Zahiriya were among a number of protests this summer that were gaining momentum across the country, according to HRANA reports.

The report states that around 30 Zahiriya residents staged a stand-in on the road to the petroleum factories, in protest of their heavy pollution output as well as their apparent resistance to hiring local manpower.

Residents of Zahiriya have previously protested the companies’ reluctance to aid in solving the region’s rampant unemployment by offering work opportunities to locals.

The village of Zahiriya, a tributary of the city of Hoveyzeh, located in the Khuzestan province, occupies a region covering the active petroleum fields of northern and southern Azadegan and northern and southern Yaran. It is adjacent to Hoor al-Azim, the Iranian portion of the Mesopotamian Marshes, a 2016 UNESCO world heritage site.

Saga of the Iranshahr Girls: whereabouts of imprisoned activist still unknown

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Ethnic Minorities, Freedom of Expression, Prisoners, Women
Abdollah Bozorgzadeh, ethnic minorities in iran, iran human rights, iranshahr girls

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – The family of Abdollah Bozorgzadeh has been in the dark about his whereabouts for twenty days. The activist was arrested by plainclothes forces on June 17th after joining a peaceful gathering in support of the Iranshahr Girls.
The Iranshahr Girls are a group of 41 girls who have reputedly been raped in the southeastern city of Iranshahr. Their case attracted publicity after Sunni Imam Molavi Tayeb Molazehi spoke about them in his sermon at the end of Ramadan, in which he stated the girls had been raped by a group of men “of wealth and power”.
According to the Baluchi Activist Campaign, Bozorgzadeh spoke once with his family on the phone from a detention center run by the intelligence department of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He was then transferred to the quarantine section of Zahedan Prison and has not been heard from since.
A day after his arrest, Bozorgzadeh was seen in the corridors of Iranshahr’s Revolutionary Court where he said he had been tortured.
In the days that followed, the head of the Judiciary of Sistan & Baluchestan province was asked in a news interview about the reasons for the arrest. He responded that the activist had been “disrupting order”, adding that Bozorgzadeh’s brother was “among the enemies of the regime”.
A short while after, IRGC’s intelligence department published footage that showed Bozorgzadeh among a group of six male and female teenagers.
Social media has been buzzing in support of Bozorgadeh and his fellow protesters who were arrested for gathering to advocate for the Iranshahr Girls. Many Friday-prayer imams have also asked for his release.
After the names of the Iranshahr girls’ rapists were published on social media, it became evident that they had the support of the IRGC and security apparatuses.

Narges Mohammadi Back in Evin Prison after Hospitalization

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Freedom of Expression, Prisoners
Evin Prison, imprisoned human rights activist, iran human rights, Narges Mohammadi, prisoner of conscience

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – Narges Mohammadi, imprisoned deputy head of Iran’s Center for Supporters of Human Rights who had been transferred to Imam Khomeini hospital on August 13th due to her grave health condition, has been sent back to Evin Prison.

Taqi Rahmani, Mohammadi’s husband, released a statement to announce his wife’s return to prison: “Narges needs sick leave to continue her treatment,” Rahmani wrote. “Yesterday, her children were waiting for their mother to call, and the call never came. She has the right to treatment.”

Mohammadi had previously been hospitalized on June 30th, and shortly after undergoing surgery was sent back to Evin on July 5th. On August 6th, prison authorities denied her transfer to see a neurological specialist outside the prison.

According to Mohammadi’s lawyer Mahmood Behzadirad, her requests for conditional medical release are consistently denied. Four years remain of the ten-year sentence she is currently serving.

Mohammadi was sentenced in Tehran’s Revolutionary Court in May 2016 to two concurrent imprisonments of ten and six years. Mohammadi reported that the trial judge displayed an openly hostile attitude toward her while endorsing the allegations of the Ministry of Intelligence. The ten-year sentence stemmed from a charge of “forming a society to disrupt national security,” for campaigning to end capital punishment in Iran. Her six-year sentence was for “organizing and colluding against national security” and “propaganda against the regime.”

Among the pieces of evidence used against her on the latter counts were her media interviews, participation in peaceful protests supporting prisoners on death row, her correspondence with fellow activists like Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi, and her 2013 meeting with former European Union Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton.

Branch 36 of Tehran’s Appeals Court confirmed Narges Mohammadi’s sentence in the Fall of 2016. In May 2017, Iran’s Supreme Court refused to appeal the decision.

Nasrin Sotoudeh Starts Hunger Strike in Evin Prison

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Freedom of Expression, Other, Prisoners
compulsory hijab, Evin Prison, imprisoned human rights activists, imprisoned lawyers, Nasrin Sotoudeh, prison hunger strike, prisoner letter, prisoner of conscience, Reza Khandan

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – Nasrin Sotoudeh, prominent lawyer and human rights activist, who has been detained in Tehran’s Evin Prison since June 13th, started a hunger strike on Saturday, August 25th.

Sotoudeh has published an open letter to declare her hunger strike. The arrest and harassment of her family members and friends is the reason behind her protest, she says in the letter.

Sotoudeh’s husband, Reza Khandan, published a note to confirm his wife’s hunger strike.

The full text of Nasrin Sotoudeh’s letter, translated by HRANA:

My fellow Iranians,

After I was arrested two months ago, agents of the Ministry of Intelligence undertook the unlawful action of arresting the esteemed citizen, Dr Farhad Meysami. They searched his house and that of his relatives and friends to discover evidence of protest against mandatory veiling.

After they failed to find anything in the house of my husband’s sister, they confiscated a satellite device [instead].

Since none of my correspondences to the authorities has been so far responded to, I have no choice but to embark on a hunger strike to protest against the arrests and judicial pressures brought upon my family, relatives and friends.

In the hope that law and justice will one day prevail in our beloved country, Iran.

Nasrin Sotoudeh
August 2018

<b> —- </b>

Nasrin Sotoudeh had recently refused to appear in court, despite a summons order issued by the authorities. She wrote an open letter to explain why.

According to a report published by HRANA on August 18th, Reza Khandan’s house and the house of other relatives and friends of the family were raided by the authorities.

<b> *** </b>

<h3> UPDATE: </h3> Nasrin Sotoudeh ended her hunger strike on October 3, 2018, her lawyer Mohammad Moghimi told HRANA.

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

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Freedom of Expression, Prisoners
Evin Prison, hamed ayinehvand, iran human rights, jailed journalists, political activists in Iran, Prisoners of conscience, solitary confinement

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.

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Imprisoned Telegram Activist Farrokh Abdi Issued Additional Sentence

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Freedom of Expression
farrokh abdi, freedom of expression, iran human rights, prisoner of conscience, telegram activist in prison in ran

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – Last Thursday, August 16, 2018, Urmia resident and Telegram activist Farrokh Abdi was sentenced by Branch 102 of the Criminal Court of Urmia to fifteen months of discretionary imprisonment for “insulting sanctities.”

Abdi previously received a three-year sentence from Branch 2, which was reduced to fifteen months in an appeals court, for “collaboration with anti-regime groups”.

An informed source told HRANA that Farrokh Abdi is currently detained in the general Ward 3-4 of Urmia Prison. In a punitive measure disproportional to the severity of his conviction, the source added, officials have forestalled his transfer to the prison’s political ward.

Iranian Actress Interrogated for her Instagram Posts

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Freedom of Expression
Parastoo Salehi

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – In response to a summons she received last Wednesday, film and TV actress Parastoo Salehi underwent interrogation on Sunday, August 19, 2018, by the Monitoring and Follow-Up Unit of the Iranian Judiciary.

Salehi reported that she was being called out for criticizing the economic and social situation in Iran on her social media account. Recently, she had used her public Instagram profile to decry such issues as embezzlement, the drop in the value of Iranian currency, citizens being detained for political reasons, rape, cases of child abuse, and the Caspian Sea Agreement.

“[The authorities] were friendly and respectful, but a summons is a summons,” Salehi said.

Salehi quoted her interrogators as saying, “You’re bringing everybody down with all of these problems. It doesn’t benefit the country or society.” She said they pressed her to name who she was “taking orders from” to direct her social media activity.

“I support the Iranian people, not any particular party, faction, or group” she added. “I only reflect on events and repeat what the people are saying. If we speak out, we are met with warnings and threats. If we don’t, we are accused of opportunism. I’ve been repeatedly asked by activists why I don’t join them on the streets.”

“I am not afraid,” she added. “What happened to Nasrin Sotoodeh [a recently imprisoned lawyer] and many others? I find it odd that amid all of these corrupt people, I am the one who gets summoned.”

Salehi added that “Rouhani’s administration is the worst Iran has seen in 40 years

Iranian Authorities Detain Lawyers and Civil Rights Activists

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Freedom of Expression, Prisoners
Arash Keykhosravi, caspian sea, iranian parliament protest, Masoud Javadieh, mohammad mossadegh, Mohammad Nourizad, shole saadi

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – A number of lawyers and civil rights activists who had gathered in front of the Iranian Parliament building to protest both the Caspian Sea Agreement and the Guardian Council’s vetting process were arrested last Saturday, August 18th.

Mohammad Nourizad was among a group of detainees that were released a few hours later. Among three lawyers taken into custody, one — Masoud Javadieh — posted bail and was released the following day. Lawyers Ghasem Shole-Saadi and Arash Keykhosravi were transferred to the Great Tehran Penitentiary after being charged at Branch 5 of the Evin prosecutor’s office.

Mr Nourizad, a 66-year-old Iranian director, screenwriter, and journalist, had been taken into custody earlier this year in connection to his visits with the family of political prisoner Ramin Hossein Panahi, who is currently serving a prison sentence in Sanandaj Central Prison. Previously considered a religious radical, Nourizad joined with critics of the Islamic regime in the early 2000s and has continued in recent years to meet with the families of political detainees.

Upon his release on Saturday, Nourizad noted to reporters that Shole-Saadi had been interrogated for sharing a video, and conjectured that officials were building a case against him for that reason. In the video in question, Shole-Saadi can be heard voicing support of the late Iranian prime minister Mohammad Mossadegh, whose efforts to nationalize Iran’s oil industry were thwarted more than 70 years ago. In the recording, Shole-Saadi vows to appear before the Iranian Parliament building in protest of the Guardian Council’s vetting process.

Notably, Ghasem Shole-Saadi previously served two terms in the Islamic Consultative Assembly and was convicted of “insulting the leadership of the Islamic Republic” via a letter he notoriously published in 2002. He has been imprisoned several times on charges from the Revolutionary Court for “propaganda against the regime”.

Security Forces Storm the Residences of Civil Activists

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Freedom of Expression, Prisoners
Evin Prison, iran human rights, jila makvandi, Mohammadreza (Davoud) Farhadpour, Nasrin Sotoudeh, Reza Khandan

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – This morning, Saturday, August 18, 2018, security forces of the Ministry of Intelligence stormed the private residences of Reza Khandan, Mr Khandan’s sister, Mohammadreza (Davoud) Farhadpour and Jila Makvandi. The security forces produced inspection orders issued by Branch 7 of Evin Court, searched the residences thoroughly and confiscated a number of items belonging to the aforementioned individuals.

Reza Khandan, the husband of Nasrin Sotoudeh, told HRANA, “This morning, Saturday, August 18, between 8 and 10 am, security forces of the Ministry of Intelligence entered our home and searched every inch of it. After that, they went to the home of Mr Mohammadreza (Davoud) Farhadpour and searched his home in its entirety as well. At the same time, in an unusual attempt, the security force went to my sister’s home and violently searched the entire place, going so far as individually inspecting every page of her child’s notebook. Two hours later, they arrived at our neighbor’s door and asked them a number of questions about us. It is likely that their invasion of my sister’s privacy is merely an attempt to further pressure my family; there simply is no other explanation for it. The security forces had in hand an order issued by the Branch 7 of Evin Court.”

Reza Khandan added, “The security forces were only looking for [pinback buttons] with [the words] ‘I oppose mandatory veiling’. They also took some of the letters that my wife, Nasrin Sotoudeh, had sent from prison.”

This morning, Jila Karamzadeh Makvandi reported of her home’s inspection in a post affixed with the inspection order. She wrote, “This morning at 10 am agents from the Ministry of Intelligence inspected our home using this order. The inspection was in regards to Dr Maysami’s books and the [lapel pins] with the engraving‘I oppose mandatory veiling.’”

Furthermore, in the order issued by Branch 7 of Evin Court and posted by Jila Karamzadeh Makvandi, in addition to the inspection of her residence, it is stated that Farhad Maysami is being held in solitary confinement.

Security Forces Arrest Citizen in Ahvaz

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Freedom of Expression
iran human rights, iran protests, majed savari

Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) – Majed Savari, a citizen from the city of Ahvaz (southwestern Iran), was arrested by Ministry of Intelligence forces early morning on Wednesday, August 15, 2018. According to an informed source, Mr Savari was transferred to an undisclosed location.

“He had participated in the popular protests against environmental pollution and the transport of water out of Karoun River. His family does not have any information about the reason for his arrest yet,” says the close source.

Majed Savari is a 26-year-old civil engineering student.