Lawsuit Filed Against 9 Civil Activists Including Narges Mohammadi After Protests in Tehran

New cases have been opened against civil activists Arash Sadeghi, Arash Keykhosravi, Ruhollah Mardani, Narges Mohammadi, Jafar Azimzadeh, Rasoul Bodaghi, Pouran Nazemi, Hamid Asefi, and Behzad Homayouni in Branch 2 of Evin Court.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the lawsuits have been filed in the aftermath of the activists’ demonstration of solidarity with the people of Khuzestan in Tehran.

On July 20, these civil activists were beaten and arrested during a rally in support of the people of Khuzestan in Tehran and were released hours later.

The activists were informed of the opening of a new case against them via text message. The text message states that the reason for filing a case is “participation in an illegal gathering in front of the Ministry of Interior”.

Public rallies began on the night of Thursday, July 15, in Khuzestan province to protest the frequent water cut and mismanagement of officials in the Khuzestan Province. The protests have spread to at least 41 cities in two weeks. HRANA has previously reported on these protests.

Revolutionary Court of Tehran Reverses Supreme Court’s Ruling and Sentences Davoodi to 30 Years Once Again

Although the supreme court overturned the sentence of 30-year imprisonment and 111 lashes issued by Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran against lawyer-turned-defendant Amirsalar Davoodi, Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court later reaffirmed the previous verdict.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Davoodi’s defense attorney Amir Raisian has said he will appeal the verdict.

Raisian wrote in a note on his social media page, “Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, believing that the ruling of the Supreme Court was wrong, confirmed the original ruling (of Branch 15).”

Amirsalar Davoodi a lawyer, has represented many cases of prisoners and political defendants, including Soheil Arabi and Saeed Shirzad.

After applying Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, Davoodi could be sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Baha’i Citizen Sanaz Notghi Sentenced to 5 years and 8 Months in Prison

Baha’i citizen Sanaz Notghi was sentenced to 5 years and 8 months in prison by the Ahvaz Revolutionary Court on a charge of “membership in an illegal Baha’i organization” and to eight months in prison on a charge of “propaganda against the regime”.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, if  the sentence is upheld at the appeal court, with the application of Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code,  5 years of imprisonment will be applicable as the most severe punishment for Ms. Notghi.

According to unofficial sources, more than 300,000 Baha’is live in Iran, but the Iranian constitution recognizes only Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism. Because their faith is not considered legitimate by authorities, the rights of Baha’is in Iran have been systematically violated for years.

This deprivation of the freedom to practice their religion is a violation of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The United Nations covenant holds that every person has the right to freedom of religion, freedom of converting religion, as well as freedom of expression, individually or collectively; openly or secretly.

Several Arrested After Protest Rally in Front of Tehran City Theater

On Saturday, July 31, many artists and citizens protested in front of the Tehran City theater in support of the people of Khuzestan, and to protest the critical condition of the country. An unknown number of the protesters in attendance were arrested by security forces.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the rallies turned violent after the arrival of military and security forces.

Protesting citizens chanted slogans against supreme leader Seyed Ali Khamenei upon the arrival of military forces.

During the rally, people chanted, “Police force, support us”, “Death to Khamenei”, “Death to the Islamic Republic”, “The country has no water, pressure continues” , “From Khuzestan to Tehran, unity” , “Death to the dictator”, and “Iranians will die but will not accept humiliation.”

In an interview with HRANA, a citizen reported that several citizens were arrested by security forces during the protest around the Daneshju park. The identities and total number of detainees are not yet known and are under investigation. The protest took place following a call by the artists.

 

Two Defendants Sentenced to Death in Tehran

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Rokna, two defendants were recently sentenced to death in Tehran.

A defendant named Jalil was sentenced to death by the Second Branch of the Criminal Court of Tehran Province for murder. Another defendant, Kamran, was sentenced to death by the Eighth Branch of the Criminal Court of Tehran Province for murder.

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.

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Several Citizens Including Javad Laleh Mohammadi and Fatemeh Sepehri Arrested During Protest in Mashhad

On Sunday, August 1, during a protest rally in support of the people of Khuzestan a number of citizens, including civil activists Javad La’l Mohammadi and Fatemeh Sepehri, were arrested and taken to an unknown location by security forces in Mashhad.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the rally, which was held in Mashhad’s Mellat Park, faced violence after the arrival of military and security forces.

The protesting citizens gathered in another park in the city of Mashhad and chanted slogans in support of the people of Khuzestan, and demanded the release of political prisoners after being violently confronted by security forces at Mellat Park.

The detained civil activists have not contacted their families as of this writing, which has raised concerns about the condition of detainees. The exact number and identities of other detained citizens during the rally are unknown, and HRANA is still investigating to find names and information about other detainees.

Fatemeh Sepehri and Javad La’l Mohammadi, who were signatories of  the Supreme Leader’s resignation request letter in 2019, had been arrested and convicted for signing that letter.

 

Three Prisoners Executed in Urmia Prison on Drug-Related Charges

At dawn on Monday, August 2, three prisoners were executed  in Urmia Prison in West Azerbaijan Province.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the three prisoners had previously been sentenced to death on drug-related charges.

HRANA has verified the identities of the executed prisoners as Sepehr Abbasnejad (Beigzadeh), son of Bahman, Eskandar Zar’e, son of Ebrahim, and Hamzeh Rezaei, son of Reza.

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 citizens has not yet been announced by Iranian media or official sources as of this writing.

Two Prisoners Executed in Mashhad Prison on Charges of Murder

On Sunday, August 1, two prisoners who were previously sentenced to death in separate cases on murder charges were executed in Mashhad Prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Rokna, the report identifies the executed prisoners as 57-year-old Hassan and 61-year-old Ali.

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.

HRANA Recap: This Week’s Protests in Iran

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the Khuzestan Water Crisis once again dominated this week’s protests in Iran. Since their start on June 15, citizens in over 41 cities have held rallies in protest of the mismanagement from officials that has led to water shortages throughout the province and the drying of the Karun river. A number of labor protests took place as well, and in some areas the ongoing oil protests continued. Workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company also continued their strike into a third week. Below is a recap of this week’s protests in Iran, along with footage from the demonstrations.

 

Saturday, July 24

A number of protests took place this Saturday, July 24. A group of farmers in Shoaibiyeh district of Shushtar protested in Ahvaz, several telecommunication workers of East Azerbaijan province, some telecommunication workers of Chaharmahal Bakhtiari province, and employees of Abadan Petrochemical Complex held protests. A group of workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company protested for the eleventh day in a row. A group of Shiraz city bus drivers went on strike and refused to work after their demands were not addressed. Citizens living in Tabriz also rallied and marched in support of the Khuzestan protests.

 

People of Tabriz:

 

Shiraz city bus drivers:

Farmers of Shoaibiyeh:

Telecommunication workers of East Azarbaijan:

Workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company:

 

 

Workers of Abadan’s Petrochemical Complex:

 

 

Sunday, July 25

A group of retirees of the Steel Companies of Isfahan and Khuzestan Provinces, several rural area telecom workers in the Hamadan region, and a group of workers from the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Co. for the thirteenth day in a row held protest rallies and called on their demands to be met.

 

Retirees of the Steel company in Isfahan and Khuzestan provinces:

 

 

Workers of rural area telecom in Hamadan:

 

 

Monday, July 26

A number of workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company for the fourteenth day in a row, several employees of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Karaj, a group of poultry farmers in Ilam, urban and rural water supply workers in Baghmalek and Izeh, a group of Isfahani citizens, a group of the retirees of IRIB in Tehran, and candidate students for the master’s degree entrance exam in Tehran all held protest rallies and called on their demands to be addressed. Also, in Tehran and Karaj people protested the current situation in the country by holding rallies and marches and chanting slogans.

 

Protesting people in Tehran:

 

 

Workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company:

 

 

Poultry farmers in Ilam:

 

 

Workers of rural water supply in Baghmalek and Izeh:

 

 

Students in Tehran:

 

 

Tuesday, July 27

Workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company protested for the 15th consecutive day this Tuesday. Additionally, a group of workers of Rudbar municipality in Gilan province, a number of cattle breeders of Yazd and Isfahan cities, several workers of natural gas fuel gas stations in Urmia, and many people in Abdanan in Ilam province held protest rallies. Also, a group of retirees in Tehran and Karaj rallied in support of the protests of the people of Khuzestan.

 

Workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company:

 

 

Workers of Rudbar Municipality:

 

 

Cattle breeders of Yazd and Isfahan:

 

 

Workers of gas stations in Urmia:

 

Citizens of Abdanan:

Retirees in Tehran and Karaj:

Wednesday, July 28

For the 16th day in a row, workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company protested. A group of workers from the Varamin Railway, a group of workers from the Rudbar Municipality for the second day in a row, and a number of truck drivers in Ahvaz all went on strike and called on their demands to be addressed.

 

 

Truck drivers in Ahvaz:

Workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Co:

 

Workers from the Varamin Railway:

Workers of the Rudbar Municipality:

Thursday, July 29

On their 17th day of protesting, a group of workers of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company in the yard of the company and another group near the site’s alcohol factory called on their demands be addressed in protest rallies.

 

Friday, July 30

Workers of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company continued their strike for an 18th day in a row and gathered on the company’s site. The Haft Tappeh workers stated that their main demands are the payment of arrears, the return of fired colleagues, and access to Covid-19 vaccines. They also chanted slogans protesting the Islamic Parliament’s decision to block the Internet in Iran. Also, A number of mothers of those killed during the nationwide protest in November 2019 protests held a protest rally in Tehran’s Azadi Square.

 

Workers of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company:

Gathering in Tehran of mothers of those killed in the protests of November 2019:

 

Three Citizens from Salas-e Babajani County Arrested and Transferred to Detention Center in Kermanshah

Three citizens from Salas-e Babajani County were recently arrested by security forces and transferred to a detention center in Kermanshah for interrogation.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Kurdpa, the citizens have been identified as Arkan Bahrami, Khalil Ramezani and Khaled Mirzaei from the county of Salas-e Babajani.

As of this writing, the reasons for the arrests and the charges against Bahrami, Ramezani, and Mirzaei are not known. The report does state, however, that the security forces detained the three citizens in relation to “propaganda against the regime in cyberspace”.

An informed source said that Khalil Ramezani was released on bail two days ago. Bahrami and Mirzaei are still in detention.