Category: News

Security Forces Block Reconstruction of Ahl-e Haqq’s Shrine

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Religious Minorities
Khobyaran Jalalvand, Sayed Farokh Shrine, Sayed Mirza Hussani

HRANA News Agency – Iranian security forces have blocked the reconstruction of Sayed Farokh Shrine located in the village of Khobyaran Jalalvand, Kermanshah Province.  This shrine belongs to a religious minority commonly known as Ahl-e Haqq (Yarsan).

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a group of Ahl-e Haqq followers funded and planned a construction project in order to rebuild the Shrine of Sayed Farokh, but Iranian security forces interfered and stopped their plans.

The Shrine of Sayed Farokh is located seventy kilometres south of Kermanshah.  Iranian government totally destroyed this shrine in the summer of 2011 and even prevented the local residents from collecting the debris.

The rural district of Jalalvand consists of approximately 60 villages. The vast majority of residents in these villages are the followers of Ahl-e Haqq. In recent years, Iranian government has prevented Jalalvand’s residents from practicing their faith in order to pressure them into embracing the denomination of Shi’a.

Reports indicate that pressure on the followers of Ahl-e Haqq has significantly increased.  Last week, another member of Ahl-e Haqq community, Sayed Mirza Hussani, was summoned to the Intelligence Agency and threatened to stop observing religious rituals belonging to his faith.

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Three Kurdish Political Prisoners Still on Hunger Strike: Day 24

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Ethnic Minorities
Anvar Khezri, Davood Abdullahi, Kamran Shakhi, Ramzan Ahmadkamal, Seyed Ebrahim Seyedi

HRANA News Agency – On Sunday, June 26, 2011, three Kurdish political prisoners entered their 24th day of hunger strike in Rajai-Shahr Prison.However, prison officials refuse to pay any attention to these prisoners’ demands and have failed to take the necessary steps to meet their needs to end this hunger strike.

According to a report by Kaleme News, three Kurdish political prisoner, Anvar Khezri, Kamran Shakhi and Seyed Ebrahim Seyedi, in protest to being locked up amongst ordinary criminals such as rapists, murderers and drug traffickers have been on hunger strike for 24 days.Meanwhile, prison officials remain indifferent towards these Kurdish activists and refuse to transfer them to the political prisoners’ cell block.
Anvar Khezri, Kamran Shakhi and Seyed Ebrahim Seyedi have been illegally transferred from Ward 350 of Evin Prison to Rajai-Shahr Prison in violation of their basic rights.While ordinary prisoners only spend one day in the quarantine ward of Rajai-Shahr Prison in order to determine whether they are addicted to narcotics or not, these three political prisoners spent 50 days in the same ward which lacks basic health and sanitary conditions.After this time, they were transferred to Ward 6 of Rajai-Shahr Prison instead of the political prisoners’ cell block.
Ramzan Ahmadkamal, Davood Abdullahi and Ramzan Saeedi are three other Kurdish political prisoners that are currently locked up amongst inmates convicted of violent crimes and also prisoners with dangerous communicable diseases.According to the principles governing the separation of prisoners based on their crimes, these three individuals must also be kept in the cell block allocated to inmates arrested for political reasons.
Anvar Khezri, Kamran Shakhi and Seyed Ebrahim Seyedi have demanded to be transferred to the political prisoners’ ward in Rajai-Shahr Prison.Otherwise, they will continue their hunger strike indefinitely.
 

No News of Young Blogger, Mina Shahrvand

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Freedom of Expression
Mina Shahrvand

HRANA News Agency – After forty days of arrest, the fate of Mina Shahrvand, a young blogger born in August of 1983, remains unknown.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), on February 3, 2011, a number of plainclothes officers raided and searched Mina Shahrvand’s family home. After confiscating her personal property such as government subsidies, books, notes, and CDs, she was arrested and transferred to an unknown location.

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Syndicate Workers of Tehran Bus Company Demand Release of Imprisoned Member Reza Shahabi

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Labor and Guilds

HRANA-The Syndicate Workers of Tehran Bus Company released a statement demanding the immediate release of imprisoned labor association board member Reza Shahabi.

According to the statement Reza Shahabi was arrested on June 12, 2009. He has had three phone conversations with his family since his arrest however they have not heard from him in over two weeks. The Syndicate Workers of Tehran Bus Company report that repeated inquiries by Reza Shahabi’s family and lawyer have gone unanswered by the prosecutors office and the revolutionary court. There is no word regarding the fate of Reza Shahabi at this time.

Dr. Ali Nazeri Has Been Detained

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Freedom of Expression

HRANA- Dr. Ali Nazeri, a prominent dentist, political and human rights activist was arrested by agents of the intelligence ministry at his home on Zaferanieh St. in Tehran last week.

It has been reported to HRANA that although it has been almost two weeks since his arrest, the intelligence ministry and the revolutionary court have been able to keep news of his arrest quiet by threatening his wife and promising his quick release.

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Attempt on the Life of Student Activist Shahriar Hossein-Bar in Sistan Balouchestan University

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Freedom of Expression, Students

HRANA- Shahriar Hossein-Bar, reformist student activist in Sistan Balouchestan University was attacked and severely beaten by unidentified individuals on campus.

According to Daneshjoo News, Hossein-Bar was twice disciplined and suspended for his activities that included protesting the lack safety and security on campus in 2008, and in 2009 for protesting the election results. He was barred from campus last semester.

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Azarbaijani Civic Activist Hossein Mohammadi Alvar Arrested

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Ethnic Minorities
Hossein Mohammadi Alvar

HRANA – On May 4th, Tabriz intelligent agents arrested Hossein Mohammadi Alvar, a civil rights activist in Azerbaijan and a fan of Tractor Sazi F.C.
According to Savalan Sesi, a few hours after a phone call between this Azeri civil rights activist and the chairman of Tractor Sazi F.C., Tabriz intelligent agents went to Mr. Mohammadi’s father’s house and detained Mr. Mohammadi without an arrest warrant. They also confiscated his computer, books, and personal belongings.
His arrest took place shortly after his phone conversation with the chairman of Tractor Sazi F.C., in which Mr. Mohammadi requested a lawful action about an incident that occurred in a recent soccer game between Tractor Sazi and Sanat Mes Kerman. In that game, 13,000 Persian fans of Sanat Mes Kerman chanted racist slogans against Tractor Sazi team and Azeris, and Mr. Mohammadi demanded Tractor Sazi F.C. to peruse this incident through the Football Federation of Iran.
Furthermore, according to family members of Mr. Mohammadi, he called his home on May 8th and told his family that he has been kept in solitary confinement in Tabriz Intelligence Service.
Before this, Mr. Mohammadi was arrested on April 2nd while attending a gathering in support of Lake Urmia and was release on bail.
 

Two executions in Iran, one in public / a couple sentenced to death

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Executions
Ardabil, Neyriz

HRANA News Agency – Two men were executed in Ardabil and Neyriz, the second was in public. And also, a couple were sentenced to death in Ravar.

According to the reports by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), quoted from Iran’s Judiciary websites, Two men were executed in Ardabil and Neyriz, the second was in public on Monday 12 November 2012. And also, a couple were sentenced to death in Ravar.

All of them convicted on charges related to drugs.

 

Clashes Between Residents of Gajin & Security Forces

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Freedom of Expression
Bandar-Abbas

HRANA News Agency – On Sunday, November 13, 2011, there were clashes between the residents of Gajin and security forces.During these clashes, several individuals were injured and taken to hospital. The city of Gajin is in Bandar-Abbas County on the southern coast of Iran.

According to a report by Sunni News, security forces opened fired at the residents in the city of Gajin and injured many people around noon on Sunday.Prior to these clashes, security forces shot a local retailer at the beach in the city of Gajin.When other residents attempt to rescue this retailer, police opened fire at the crowd and injured four people.Some of the injured have refused to go to hospital, fearing repercussions from Iranian security forces.

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Prison Sentence for a Teacher in Kurdistan

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Ethnic Minorities
Mohammad Moniri

HRANA News Agency – Mohammad Moniri, a teacher from the city of Saqqez in Kurdistan Province, has been found guilty by Saqqez’s Revolutionary Court and sentenced to serve prison time.

In an interview with Mukrian news Agency, Mohammad Moniri’s attorney confirmed the news of this conviction and said, “The first branch of the Revolutionary Court in Saqqez found my client guilty of cooperating with the opposition groups and propaganda against the regime and sentenced him to five years in prison.The Appeals Court in Kurdistan then reduced this ruling to six months.”
On June 19, 2011, Mohammad Moniri reported to Saqqez Central Prison to begin serving his sentence.Mohammad Moniri was arrested last year but after a while, he was released on bail.