Category: News

Mounting Pressure on Houshang Fanaian in Amol Prison

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Prisoners
Houshang Fanaian

HRANA News Agency – Iranian Intelligence Agency has increased the pressure on Houshang Fanaian who is serving a four year sentence in Amol Prison, Mazandaran Province.Houshang Fanaian is a Baha’i citizen recently charged with and convicted of acting against national security and membership in Facebook.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), on Sunday, May 29, 2011, security agents contacted Glarh Fanaian, Houshang Fanaian’s daughter, by phone and summoned her to the Iranian Intelligence Agency.Glarh Fanaian has requested a written summon before complying with the order.

Following Glarh Fanaian’s demand for a written summon, intelligence agents informed Houshang Fanaian in prison that since his daughter refused to comply with the summon to explain the contents of a letter she wrote before the Persian New Year, an arrest warrant had been issued for her.

Additionally, on Tuesday, May 31, 2011, intelligence agents visited Amol Prison once again and demanded from Houshang Fanaian the document outlining his defense and gave him ten minutes to prepare it.Houshang Fanaian refused to comply with the order and stated that his defense would be prepared in consultation with his attorney during the allotted twenty days allowed by law.

Houshang Fanaian, a Baha’i citizen from the city of Amol, was detained last March and has been in prison since then.Recently, he was sentenced to 4 ½ years in prison for acting against national security, membership in Facebook and writing a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader.Houshang Fanaian who was informed of the verdict against him a few days ago has 20 days to file an appeal.

 

Citizen Arrested in Mahabad for Working with Opposition Group

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Ethnic Minorities

HRANA – Mohammad Amin Rashidi of Mahabad was arrested several days ago by state security forces. According to Mokareban news agency, Mohammad Amin Rashidi is being held in Mahabad prison for working with groups that are opposed to the government.
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Report Compiled on Economic Pressures on Baha’is

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Religious Minorities
Houshang Ghoddousi, Manouchehr Ighanian, Sohrab Kaffashi

May 5, 2010

HRA News Agency – A report received recently from Iran provides details on a few cases of economic pressure put on the Bahá’ís.  It is necessary to note that there are undoubtedly many more such incidents that have gone unreported. According to HRANA,The business license of Mr. Manouchehr Ighanian of Tehran, who owns an optical shop, has not been renewed and he has been sent a warning letter by the Opticians’ Trade Union to close up his shop. Mr. Ighanian has submitted an objection letter to the Trade Union along with appropriate documents. No information bearing on the outcome of his legal action is available at this time.

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Bakhash-Ali Askari Hanged While Children Watched

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Executions
Bakhash-Ali Askari

HRANA News Agency – This morning, Wednesday, October 26, 2011, Bakhash-Ali Askari was hanged in public in Qarchak, Tehran Province, while the young and the old watched.Bakhash-Ali Askari was convicted of murder and rape.

Released pictures by the state media clearly depict that the authorities enforce no age limits on the audience watching another human being hanged.

According to a report by Fars News Agency, after the court order was read, Bakhash-Ali Askari was hanged early this morning in Qarchak.He was convicted of two counts of murder and one count of rape and sentenced to death for each charge.The Supreme Court reviewed and upheld these sentences in less than a month.

The pictures of this public hanging have been released here.

Copyright © 2009-2011 All Rights Reserved

Farshad Kamangar in ICU After 29 Days of Hunger Strike

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Prisoners
Akhtar Samand, Dayeh Saltaneh, Farshad Kamangar

HRANA News Agency – After 29 days of hunger strike, the Kurdish prisoner Farshad Kamangar has been hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital in the city of Bijar.He is in extremely critical condition.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Farshad Kamangar has been behind bars in Kermanshah, Marivan and Bijar prisons for two years on alleged financial crimes.Although Farshad Kamangar has served his full prison sentence, he remains behind bars because he is unable to pay a fine to the Iranian government.

Since his hunger strike began 29 days ago, prison officials have ignored Farshad Kamangar’s requests and have failed to take any actions to address his concerns.Early this morning, August 23, 2011, while Farshad Kamangar’s family was heading to Tehran to file an appeal with the Supreme Court, prison authorities informed them that Farshad had been taken to the intensive care in extremely critical condition.Hospital officials have not given Farshad Kamangar’s family the permission to see him while he is in ICU and have said that he is in “grave condition.”

Farshad Kamangar’s family members have asked various government and hospital officials for the permission to see him but have been denied a visit every time.Dayeh Saltaneh is Farshad Kamangar’s elderly mother who has now fallen ill due to excessive pressure and concerns for her son’s life.

Farshad Kamangar and Hassan Akhtar Samand together with two other prisoners were transferred from Marivan to Bijar Prison on July 25, 2011.They began their hunger strike upon their arrival in protest to being exiled to Bijar.Hassan Akhtar Samand is a political prisoner.

 

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At Least Fifteen Baha’i Citizens Summoned and Detained

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Religious Minorities
Afrooz Farmanbardari, Aghae Talei, Aminollah Mostaqim, Favod Moqadam, Kamran Mortezai, Mahmoud Badavam, Mehran Behmradi, Ramin Zibae, Shahin Negari, Sohail Fanbari, Vahid Mokhtari

HRANA News Agency – This morning, with search and arrest warrants, Iran’s Intelligence Agency raided the houses of at least fifteen Baha’i citizens, detained some of them, and seized their personal properties.

 

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), the majority of those detained are students attending a provisional university established for Baha’i citizens who are denied the opportunity to study at Iran’s higher education institutes.

 

The names of nine detainees are as follows:

  1. Kamran Mortezai
  2. Vahid Mokhtari
  3. Mahmoud Badavam
  4. Aminollah Mostaqim
  5. Favod Moqadam
  6. Shahin Negari
  7. Afrooz Farmanbardari
  8. Sohail Fanbari
  9. Ramin Zibae

Additionally, Mehran Behmradi and Aghae Talei have been summoned to report to the Intelligence Agency in Shiraz by Tuesday, May 24, 2011.

Baha’i Student Threatened with Expulsion

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Religious Minorities
FariborzMiraki

 

May 5, 2010

 

HRA News Agency –Mr.FariborzMiraki of Tehran, pre-university preparatory year:following the religious studies teacher’s insultingandridiculing the Faith and Bahá’ís, students became curious and asked questions fromMr. Miraki to which he provided answers.

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At Least 19 Prisoners Secretly Executed in Vakil-Abad Prison

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Executions
Vakil-Abad Prison

HRANA News Agency – Reliable sources in Iran have reported that a few groups of prisoners have been executed secretly in the city of Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan Province, from July 23, 2011 to September 22, 2011.Iranian Human Rights Organization has announced that its sources inside the country have reported that at least 19 prisoners were hanged secretly during this time.

According to these reports, two groups of prisoners, each consisting of 7 inmates, were secretly hanged in Vakil-Abad Prison on August 11, 2011 and September 20, 2011.Although Iranian government claims that during the month of Ramadan, no executions occur in Iran for religious reasons, August 11, 2011 coincided with the 11th day of Ramadan.Previously, Iranian Human Rights Organization’s reports indicated that other hangings also took place during this month.

Furthermore, at least 5 other inmates were executed together in Vakil-Abad Prison between August 11, 2011 and September 20, 2011.The exact number of inmates and the precise date are not known yet.All of the prisoners were convicted of crimes related to narcotics.

Copyright © 2009-2011 All Rights Reserved

Payman Karimi in Danger of Blindness; Hassan Farji in Aftermath of Heart Attack

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Prisoners
Hassan Farji, Payman Karimi

HRANA News Agency – Medical conditions of two political prisoners locked up in Ward 350 of Evin Prison are reported critical.Payman Karimi suffers from diabetes and is in danger of losing his sight entirely; Hassan Farji has suffered a heart attack resulting in speech impediment and physical and mobility impairment.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Payman Karimi was arrested following the events after 2009 presidential elections in Iran.He was transferred to the prison hospital two months ago due to frequent volatility of blood glucose level and remains there to this day.Since his hospitalization, Payman Karimi has experienced many diabetic shocks and consequently has blurry vision.According to medical doctors, if the current situation continues, Payman Karimi will be in danger of losing his eye sight entirely.

Furthermore, Hassan Farji is another political prisoner suffering from a number of medical problems including heart and digestive diseases.Recently, when he was told that he had been sentenced to 10 years in prison, Hassan Farji suffered a heart attack and had to be taken to Modaress Hospital.However, he was again behind bars in Evin Prison before long.At this time, Hassan Farji has lost most of his ability to talk, can’t walk and is incapable of taking care of himself.

Hassan Farji’s cellmates have found out that prison officials mistakenly told him that a new 10 year prison term had been issued for him.The new verdict should have been given to another prisoner with the same name convicted of smuggling weapons.

Medical examiner and coroner’s office has issued two certificates indicating that these two prisoners are incapable of tolerating imprisonment due to their physical health.However, Tehran’s prosecutor, pressured by Iran’s security and intelligence apparatus, has refused to obey these legal orders.