May 7, 2010
HRA News Agency – Education rights activist, Navid Khanjani, was released after posting heavy bail.
Continue reading “Navid Khanjani Released on Heavy Bail”
Category: Prisoners
Two Kurdish Prisoners on Hunger Strike – Day 24
HRANA News Agency – Despite physical weakness and fatigue, two Kurdish prisoners continue their hunger strike while locked up in Bijar Prison.
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Hassan Akhtar Samand, Farshad Kamangar and two other prisoners who were transferred to Bijar Prison on July 25, 2011 began their hunger strike upon their arrival in protest to being exiled to Bijar.Hassan Akhtar Samand is a political prisoner.
Since their hunger strike began 24 days ago, these prisoners have been denied access to phone, and their families have not been able to see them.Consequently, concerns regarding their health and safety have increased.
Two Kurdish Political Prisoners Amongst Dangerous Criminals
HRANA News Agency – On August 11, 2011, Ramzan Saeedi and Hadi Amini were transferred to a ward housing some of the most dangerous criminals in Rajai-Shahr Prison.Ramzan Saeedi and Hadi Amini are two Kurdish political prisoners who have recently arrived at Rajai-Shahr Prison from Evin’s Ward 350.
According to a report by Kalame News, a few weeks ago, Ramzan Saeedi and Hadi Amini requested to be transferred to the ward housing political prisoners in Rajai-Shahr Prison.However, prison officials decided to house them in Ward 6 where some of the most dangerous criminals including murderers are kept.In Rajai-Shahr Prison, Ward 6 has some of the worst sanitary conditions; the majority of prisoners have no place to sleep and spent their nights slumbering in corridors.
Ramzan Saeedi and Hadi Amini have been sentenced to five years in prison, and during the last three years of their incarceration, they have been denied furlough.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, Ramzan Saeedi and Hadi Amini 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.
Mahdi Foroutan, a newly turned Christians, was temporarily released from Evin prison
Hrana – On the evening of Saturday 20 April, Mahdi Foroutan a new Christian was temporarily released on bail after 105 days of detention in Evin prison.
According to HRANA Reporters, Human Rights News Agency of Iran, Mahdi Foroutan, was released by providing his house ownership, worth 50 million Toman, as bail to the judiciary and thereafter the letter of his release to Evin prison authorities.
In the early hours of Sunday 5 Day 1389 Mahdi Foroutan had been arrested by four Militia men at his father’s house.
Meanwhile, while arresting him security forces had searched the house thoroughly and seized a number of his personal belongings such as computers, books, CD’s which none of them were returned after his release.
It is important to mention that another New Christian called “Farshid Fathi” who was arrested at the same time as Mahdi Foroutan along several other new Christians in Iran is still detained in Evin prison.
Apparently the judicial authorities have issued a very high bail for his release and based on his family’s inability to pay the bail; he has to stay in detention.
It should be mentioned that there are two people with similar names as “Mahdi Foroutan”, which one of them belongs to a Dissident religious groups (Non-Trinitarians), whose court was held along with some other people of his group in Shiraz during last few days.
Hossein Ronaghi From Hospital Back to Prison
HRANA News Agency – Political prisoner Hossein Ronaghi Maleki was hospitalized last night at 11:00pm for urethra bleeding but then taken back to Evin Prison from Hasheminejad Hospital immediately.
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), on August 8, 2011, Hossein Ronaghi Maleki experienced bleeding due to a kidney infection and had to be hospitalized.However, IRGC interrogators transferred him back to Evin Prison on the same night despite his critical condition and the attending physician’s advice.
IRGC interrogators have demanded a repentance letter from Hossein Ronaghi Maleki accepting the charges against him and have announced that only under such circumstances, he will be given sick leave from prison.
While the prosecutor’s office in Tehran has accepted the request for sick leave, IRGC interrogators continue to prevent Hossein Ronaghi Maleki from leaving the prison and insist on receiving his repentance letter first.
Hossein Ronaghi Maleki has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. He continues to deny all the charges against him.
Judge Peerabasi who presided over Hossein Ronaghi Maleki’s trial has also interfered with the process evaluating the request for sick leave and has played an important role to delay the order granting him time away from prison for medical care.
Four Kurdish Prisoners on Hunger Strike in Bijar Prison
HRANA News Agency – Four Kurdish prisoners who have been on hunger strike for nearly two weeks are in critical condition.Following a protest in Marivan Prison on July 25, 2011, four Kurdish activists were transferred to Bijar Prison.They began their hunger strike upon arrival.
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), on July 25, 2011, a number of ordinary and political prisoners in Marivan Prison staged a protest, and clashes broke out between intelligence officers and protestors on prison grounds.During these clashes, eight prisoners were beaten by Prison Special Forces.Following this protest, four prisoners were transferred to Bijar Prison, and a number of other prisoners were sent to Ghorveh Prison.
Although two weeks have passed since Hassan Akhtar-Samand, Zakria Khoda-Karam-Zadeh, Sivan Batoneh and Farshad Kamangar began their hunger strike, prison officials have blocked their access to phone and denied them the right to have visitors.
While the families of these political prisoners have no news of their loved ones, the officials have announced that the prisoners will be cut off from the rest of the world as long as they continue their hunger strike.
Political Prisoner Mashallah Haeri Hospitalized
HRANA News Agency – On Thursday, August 4, 2011, political prisoner Mashallah Haeri who has been locked up in Rajai-Shahr Prison, Ward 4, was hospitalized due to deteriorating health.
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Mashallah Haeri is one of the political prisoners from 1980’s.He suffers from heart and respiratory problems.Mashallah Haeri, 58, has had two heart attacks thus far and can’t bear prison conditions.
Judge Moghiseh presiding over the Revolutionary Court, Branch 28, sentenced Mashallah Haeri to 15 years in prison and also exiled him to serve this term at Rajai-Shahr Prison.
Baluchi Prisoner Mohammad Mandazahi Hanged in Kerman
HRANA News Agency – On Tuesday, July 26, 2011, Mohammad Mandazahi, son of Dadkha, was hanged in Kerman’s central prison.
According to a report by Baluchistan Human Rights Activists, Mohammad Mandazahi was charged with drug trafficking.Mohammad Mandazahi spent six years behind bars and was sentenced to death without the presence of an attorney or his family at the trail.
Nasar Khanizadeh, Kurdish Political Prisoners, Died in Urmia Prison
HRANA News Agency – On Sunday afternoon, July 24, 2011, Kurdish political prisoner Nasar Khanizadeh died while being treated for a digestive illness in Urmia Central Prison, West Azerbaijan Province.
According to a report by Murkrain News Agency, Nasar Khanizadeh was recently transferred from Bokan Prison to Urmia for medical reasons.He suffered from some sort of gastrointestinaldisease and at the time of his death, was under medical care in Urmia prison hospital.
Nasar Khanizadeh was sentenced to 18 months in prison by the Revolutionary Court on charges of being associated and cooperating with opposition parties.
Outbreak of Cholera in Tehran and Karaj Prisons
HRANA News Agency – In the recent weeks, an outbreak of Cholera has been reported in Ghezel Hesar, Rajai-Shahr and Pardis prisons.
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), the Ghezel Hesar prison hospital has diagnosed three cases of Cholera amongst the prisoners.Additionally, one prisoner in Rajai-Shahr Prison and another one in Pardis Prison have tested positive for Cholera.
Given the fact that the Cholera infection is caused by a bacterial toxin in contaminated food and water, and the drinking water is reported to be unsanitary especially in Ghezel Hesar and Rajai-Shahr prisons, an outbreak of Cholera in Tehran and Karaj’s prisons are highly probable.
Additionally, several times every week, debris and dirt are reported to be present in Rajai-Shahr Prison’s drinking water.Although prisoners have voiced their concerns and objected to this situation, nothing has been done so far to address the problem.