Category: News

Aliyeh Motallebzadeh’s Request for Release on Probation Rejected

Posted on by A MN
News, Prisoners, Women
Aliyeh Motallebzadeh, Article 134, Branch 36, Coronavirus, covid-19, Evin, Evin Prison, Motallebzadeh, Tehran, ward 209, Ward 209 of Evin Prison, Women's rights, Women's rights activists

Aliyeh Motallebzadeh’s request for release on probation was recently rejected in a written notification by the Tehran prosecutor’s office.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the photographer and women’s rights activist is currently enduring a two-year sentence in Evin Prison in Tehran.

On November 26, 2016, Motallebzadeh was summoned to the office of the ministry of intelligence and subsequently was detained in Ward 209 of Evin Prison. On December 19, 2016, she was released on bail of 300 million tomans.

In 2017, the Revolutionary Court of Tehran sentenced Motallebzadeh to three years in prison on charges of  “assembly and collusion to act against national security” and “propaganda against the regime”.

This verdict was upheld by Branch 36 of the court of Appeals in Tehran. In the issued lawsuit, “launching and participating in women empowerment workshop in abroad” had been invoked as an example of these charges. Grounded on Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, a severest punishment of two years was enforceable for her.

On October 11, 2020, Motallebzadeh arrived at Evin prison to begin her sentence, where she has been held since.

On April 26, 2021, she was punitively deprived of making phone calls after her complaints about the practice of holding detainees in solitary confinements in the prosecutor’s office of this prison.

On July 19, 2021, after contracting COVID, she was granted furlough and went on leave until August 30.

Aliyeh Motallebzadeh is a photographer, women rights activist and a member of the One Million Signatures Campaign for Gender Equality as well as a campaign to protect acid attack victims.

 

Omar Sharifi Bukani Arrested in Tehran and Transferred to Unknown Location

Posted on by A MN
News, Prisoners
Bukani, Citizen arrested, Citizen detained, Mahabad, Mahabad City, Omar Sharifi Bukani, Security forces, Sharifi Bukani, Tehran, Urmia, Urmia prison

On Thursday, November 11, security forces arrested Tehran resident Omar Sharifi Bukani and then transferred him to an unidentified location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Kurdpa, security forces arrested 70-year-old Sharifi Bukani without a warrant at his home in Tehran.

Mr. Sharifi Bukani was reportedly arrested once previously, in 1992, on a charge of “membership in one of the opposition political parties” and then sentenced to seven years in prison by the Revolutionary Court of Mahabad City. He was released in 1998 after serving out his sentence in Urmia Prison.

The reasons for yesterday’s arrest, along with Mr. Sharifi Bukani’s current whereabouts, are unknown as of this writing.

Two Christian Converts Sent to Bushehr Prison to Endure One Year Sentences

Posted on by A MN
News, Religious Minorities
Article 18, Bushehr, Bushehr prison, Christian converts, forced confessions, Freedom of religion, Habib Heydari, Heydari, Khosravi, Sasan Khosravi

Earlier this Thursday, November 11, Christian converts Sasan Khosravi and Habib Heydari were sent to Bushehr Prison to endure their prison sentences.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Mohabbat News, the Revolutionary Court of Bushehr sentenced each of them to one-year imprisonment, among other punishments, in June of this year. These verdicts were later upheld by the court of appeals.

Khosravi and Heydari received these sentences on a charge of “propaganda against the regime”. They had also faced two other charges of “acting against national security” and “membership in anti-regime group”, but of both of these they were acquitted.

On July 1, 2019, the intelligence agents arrested Khosravi and Heydari in Bushehr and  released them on a bail of 300 million tomans after two weeks. During their detention period, the detainees were held in solitary confinement and denied any access to a lawyer. They were also forced to make a videotaped confession.

Despite the fact that Christians are recognized as a religious minority under Islamic law, the security services pursue the issue of Muslims converting to Christianity with particular sensitivity and deal harshly with those who convert to Christianity.

The Iranian regime targets Christian converts despite Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which state that every individual has the right to freedom of religion and belief and freedom to express it openly or secretly.

 

Park Ranger Sentenced to Death for Murder of Illegal Hunter

Posted on by A MN
Environment, Executions, News, Other
Bisotun, Boroomand Najafi, Capital Punishment, Citizen sentenced to death, Death Penalty, Death row, Death sentence, Kermanshah, Kermanshah province

The criminal court of Kermanshah Province recently sentenced a park ranger to death for the murder of an illegal hunter while he was poaching in the protected nature area Bisotun.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Javan Online, Branch 3 of the Criminal Court has issued this verdict. The report has identified the convicted park ranger as Boroomand Najafi.

In August 2020, during a fight between several forest rangers and several illegal hunters, one of the hunters was shot dead.

The most recent report of the Statistics and Publication Center of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) states that between October 8 of 2020 and October 9 of 2021, at least 266 citizens, three of whom were juvenile offenders, were executed and 90 citizens were sentenced to death.

 

One Worker Killed and One Injured in Recent Workplace Accidents

Posted on by A MN
Labor and Guilds, News
Azna, Azna City, Baneh, Baneh City, Bastami, Iran Ferroalloy Industries, IRIB, Kurdistan, Kurdistan Province, Lorestan, Lorestan province, Salar Bastami, Tabriz, Tabriz City

In two recent workplace accidents, one worker lost his life in Azna City in Lorestan Province and one was injured severely in Baneh City in Kurdistan Province.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting IRIB News Agency, a worker of Iran Ferroalloy Industries Company was killed after falling from a tall industrial structure. Reportedly, he died from a heavy object that fell on top of him in the accident.

In a separate work accident, according to IRNA, a gasoline leak from a car parked in a store caused a fire that severely injured one worker in an industrial town in Baneh City.

“The fire broke out in the store due to the gasoline leaked from a car in the vicinity of a heading torch” head of Municipal Fire and Safety Services of Baneh Salar Bastami stated. The injured worker has second-degree burns and is now hospitalized in Tabriz City.

Iran ranks 102nd in workplace safety out of 189 countries.

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Man Killed and Woman Injured by Landmine Blast in Elam Province

Posted on by A MN
News, Other
Afghanistan, Elam Province, Entekhab, Iran-Iraq war, Iraq, landmines, Mehran, Mehran County, Pakistan

On Wednesday, November 10, a landmine blast killed a man and injured a woman severely in Mehran County in Elam Province.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Entekhab newspaper, a man and woman who had been collecting residual military waste in zone 5 of the residential complex of Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation found a mortar 60mm which detonated when they tried to move it.

Reportedly, the man was killed at the spot and the woman was hospitalized.

Every year, landmine explosions take several victims in  Iran’s border areas. There are about 42,000 square kilometers of war zones in Iran that have not yet been fully demined from the Iran-Iraq war.

Accordingly, there are still thousands of landmines planted in Iran in the border areas with Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq. The regime also planted many landmines during the conflicts of the 1980s in Kurdistan.

 

Educator and Union Activist Aziz Ghasemzadeh Summoned by Public and Revolutionary Court of Rudsar County

Posted on by A MN
Cultural, Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners
Activist arrested, Aziz Ghasemzadeh, Citizen arrested, educator arrested, Ghasemzadeh, Ministry of Intelligence, Revolutionary Court of Rusdar, Rudsar City, Rusdar, SENA, Teacher arrested, Teachers' Trade Associations, union activist

On Saturday, November 6, educator and union activist Aziz Ghasemzadeh was summoned by the Public and Revolutionary Court of Rudsar County.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Aziz Ghasemzadeh received a summons via the online judicial system SENA to appear at the Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court of Rudsar within eight days.

Following nationwide protests of educators all across the country, on September 26, security forces arrested Ghasemzadeh at his parents’ home in Rudsar City. During the arrest, security forces searched the house and confiscated several of Ghasemzadeh’s personal belongings.

The arrest took place the day after working and retired teachers held protests in 36 cities across the country, which were organized by the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations. Throughout the detention, he was denied any access to a lawyer, phone calls and family visitations. Finally, on October 11, 2021, he was released on bail.

Ghasemzadeh will need to defend himself against charges of “propaganda against the regime” and “spreading lies”.

 

Rahil Mousavi Arrested By Security Forces in Khorramshahr City

Posted on by A MN
Cultural, News, Women
Citizen arrested, Citizen detained, Karun, Karun water protests, khorramshahr, Khorramshahr City, Mousavi, Rahil Mousavi, Security forces

On November 9, photographer and media activist Rahil Mousavi was arrested by security forces in Khorramshahr City.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Mousavi was transferred to an unidentified location following the arrest.

Ms. Mousavi had previously faced other arrests. On December 8, 2016, intelligence agents detained her for a while due to taking photos of a protest against Karun water transfer.

The reasons for Mousavi’s arrest, the charges against her, and her whereabouts are still unknown as of this writing.

Three Christian Converts Summoned in Karaj to Endure Their Sentences

Posted on by A MN
News, Religious Minorities
Alborz, Alborz province, Alireza Nourmohammadi, Amin Khaki, cash bail, Christian converts, Court of appeals, Freedom of religion, Islamiz Law, Karaj, Khaki, Milad Goodarzi, Shariah Law

Christian Converts Amin Khaki, Milad Goodarzi, and Alireza Nourmohammadi were summoned to appear today, November 10, at the Executive Unit of the Court of Karaj to endure their sentences.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Branch 12 of the Court of Appeals of Alborz Province had previously sentenced each of these citizens to three years in prison.

In their first trial, which took place on June 26 of this year, they were each sentenced to 5 years imprisonment and paying a fine of 40 million tomans by Branch 4 of the Revolutionary Court of Karaj on charges of “propaganda and catechizing deviant against the holy Sharia of Islam”.  Following the verdict, they were released each on bail of 250 million Tomans. On August 22, the verdict was reduced to three years each on appeal.

Despite the fact that Christians are recognized as a religious minority under Islamic law, nevertheless, the security services pursue the issue of Muslims converting to Christianity with particular sensitivity and deal harshly with the converts of the Christian faith.

The Iranian regime targets Christian converts despite Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which state that every individual has the right to freedom of religion and belief and freedom to express it openly or secretly.

 

 

Abbas Vahedian Shahroudi Sentenced to 10 Years Imprisonment by Revolutionary Court in Mashhad

Posted on by A MN
News, Prisoners
Abbas Vahedian Shahroudi, Mashhad, Mashhad Prison, Ministry of Intelligence, Revolutionary Court of Mashhad, Rezvanshahr, Rezvanshahr County, Shahroudi, Vahedian, Vakilabad, Vakilabad prison, Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad

Writer, educator and civil activist Abbas Vahedian Shahroudi was recently sentenced to 10 years by Branch 4 of the Revolutionary Court in Mashhad.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, after spending 70 days in detention, Vahedian received the verdict, which was finalized after he refused to request an appeal.

In regard to a case which opened against Vahedian in 2019, the court issued this final verdict for the charge of “organizing in purpose to disturb national security” and in accordance with Article 498 of the Islamic Penal Code. During his 70 days in detention and throughout the introduction of the new case against him, Vahedian has been denied access to a lawyer.

Earlier, HRANA reported about his poor health condition in a solitary confinement cell in a Detention Center at the disposal of the Ministry of Intelligence.

On September 1 of this year, intelligence agents arrested Vahedian in Rezvanshahr County. Two days later, in a phone call to his family, he informed them about the opening of a new case  against him on a charge of “acting against national security.” Meanwhile, Vahedian’s daughter’s home in Mashhad was searched by security forces and some personal belongings were confiscated.

Vahedian has previously been arrested and convicted for his writings and civil activities. In one case, he was arrested in Mashhad in October 2018 and later charged by Branch 903 of the Revolutionary Court of Mashhad with “acting against national security”, and “attempting to overthrow the regime”. He was released on a bail of 350 million tomans from Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad in December 2018.

Shortly after his interrogation, in August 2019, Vahedian was again arrested and transferred to Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad. He was one of the 14 signatories of a letter of request for the resignation of Ayatollah Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran. Mr Vahedian was released on bail from Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad in July 2020.