Category: Students

Summoning of Tehran University Student Activist, Mahdi Tajik

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Freedom of Expression, Students
Mahdi Tajik

HRANA News Agency –Mahdi Tajik, a graduate student at University of Tehran, was summoned by Evin Court Enforcement Office in order to start his two-year prison term.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), this journalist and student activist was arrested in his home following the mass protests on Ashura in 2009.Mahdi Tajik was convicted and sentenced by the lower court in 2010 to 27 months in prison and banned from political activity and journalism for 30 years.Last year, this ruling was changed and reduced by the Appeals Court to 24 months in prison and a 15 year ban from political activity and journalism.

As a result of the ruling by the Appeals Court, Mehdi Tajik will be denied work as a professional journalist and will not be able to conduct any speeches or interviews, write articles or become a member of any political groups and parties for a period of 15 years.

Mahdi Tajik is an expert nuclear physicist and a graduate student at Tehran University Law School.In 2006, he was also arrested and charged by the security forces for founding a student activist organization.Subsequently, Majdi Tajik was locked up for several months in the Revolutionary Guard Detention Center, Number 59. In the same year, the Revolutionary Court sentenced him to two and a half years in prison.

Two Student Activists Arrested

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Freedom of Expression, Students
Khatereh Danesh Tavakol, Malina Bakhtiarnejad

HRANA News Agency – During last week, one student from Tehran University and another one from Azad University were arrested by Iranian security agents and taken to an unknown location.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), on Thursday, August 11, 2011, following the receipt of a summon to the Intelligence Agency’s Investigation Unit, Khatereh Danesh Tavakol was arrested.On the same day, she contacted her family briefly and informed them that she was in temporary custody.Khatereh Danesh Tavakol is a student at Azad University.

On Saturday, August 13, 2011, security agents raided Malina Bakhtiarnejad’s family home and took her to an unknown location.During the raid, a computer, various documents, books, and personal belongings were seized. Malina Bakhtiarnejad is a student at Tehran University.

The reasons for both arrests as announced by security agents are publication and distribution of films and pamphlets covering Color Revolutions and non violent resistance and also connections with activists abroad.

 

Another Student Arrested in Tabriz

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Freedom of Expression, Students
Nimapur Yaqoob, Sassan Vahibivash

HRANA News Agency – Sassan Vahibivash, a student activist at Tabriz Azad University, was arrested on Friday, June 10, 2011.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Sassan Vahibivash has contacted his family by phone and confirmed his arrest.Sassan Vahibivash is a medical student at Tabriz Azad University and is currently locked up together with another student, Nimapur Yaqoob, at a detention center in Tabriz.

Nimapur Yaqoob was arrested by Iran’s intelligence agents on June 9, 2011.

 

Student Activist Hadi Hamidi Shafiq Arrested; His Wedding Not Permitted

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Freedom of Expression, Students
Hadi Hamidi Shafiq

HRANA News Agency – In an unprecedented move, Tabriz Intelligence Agency prevented Hadi Hamidi Shafiq to have a wedding.

According to a report by South Azerbaijan Student Movement (AZOH), Hadi Hamidi Shafiq’s wedding was to take place in Tabriz with political and social activists from all over Azerbaijan attending the event.Yesterday morning, on July 20, 2011, Tabriz Intelligence Agency summoned the wedding banquet hall director and interrogated him about the scheduled event.

Additionally, this morning, Tabriz Intelligence Agency contacted the bride and the groom’s families by phone, summoning them for questioning and threatening to arrest all the guests.The intelligence agents also contacted Hadi Hamidi Shafiq, forbidding him from going ahead with his wedding plans.When faced with his opposition, the agents told him that the wedding ceremony would be held by them and all the guests without any exception would be detained.

The intelligence agents from Tehran and Urmia offices have also phoned some of the activists invited to the wedding in order to warn them not to attend the ceremony or be arrested.

According to the last reliable news, Hadi Hamidi Shafiq has been arrested by Tabriz Intelligence Agency, and his whereabouts is still unknown.

Recently, Hadi Hamidi Shafiq was sentenced to six months in prison and 60 lashes on charges of propaganda against the regime.In May 2006, Hadi Hamidi Shafiq was arrested for attending demonstrations and spent 17 months behind bars.

 

Student Activist Sina Mehdinia Sentenced to Six Months in Prison

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Freedom of Expression, Students
Sina Mehdinia

HRANA News Agency – Sina Mehdinia, a student at Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, has been sentenced by Babol’s Revolutionary Court to six months in prison.

According to a report by Daneshjoo News, local sources have stated that last March, police forces summoned Sina Mehdinia to serve his prison term.However, since his sentence was preliminary and had not been formally communicated to him, his attorney’s appeal was granted.Currently, Sina Mehdinia’s case is pending a decision by the appeals court.

Sina Mehdinia was arrested during Ashura protests organized by Babol’s Green Movement in 2009.After spending eleven days in solitary confinement, he was released on bail approximately equivalent to $30,000.

 

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Two Urmia University Student Publications Banned

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Freedom of Expression, Students
Urmia

HRANA News Agency – The Supervising Committee of Student Publications has banned two Kurdish student newspapers in Urmia University after two issues were released by these periodicals.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), on Tuesday, June 9, 2011, the officials at Urmia University Student Affairs summoned the editors of two Kurdish newspapers and informed them that their periodicals have been banned by the Supervising Committee of Student Publications.These two student publications, Herewez and Bojan, were the only Urmia University student newspapers published in Kurdish.

Last year, two other student publications named Rwanga and Jino were also banned.These periodicals were published in Kurdish and Farsi.

 

Siamak Sohrabi, Student Activist, Received Five Years Suspended Sentence

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Freedom of Expression, Students
Reza Rosta Azad, Saleh Nikbakht, Siamak Sohrabi, Yosef Molahi

HRANA News Agency – Siamak Sohrabi, a student activist at Sharif Polytechnic University, has been sentenced by the Revolutionary Court, Branch 26, to serve five years in prison on charges of planning gatherings and conspiring to act against national security.  According to this verdict, his five-year prison sentence is suspended.

 

On Wednesday, April 13, 2011, Siamak Sohrabi was released on bail after spending 45 days in prison.  On April 25, 2011, the Revolutionary Court, Branch 26, was convened with the presence of Siamak Sohrabi’s attorneys, Dr. Yosef Molahi and Saleh Nikbakht.  Judge Pierabasi presided over the trial.  Amongst those arrested during the demonstrations on February 14, 2011 in Sharif Polytechnic University, Siamak Sohrabi is the first college student who has been tried and convicted.

 

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Siamak Sohrabi is the chairman of the board for the General Council of Islamic Students’ Association, the representative of the Islamic Association in the university’s Civil Council and a Civil Engineering graduate student.  Siamak Sohrabi was arrested on February 28, 2011 while attempting to leave the university and then transferred to Evin prison.

 

Siamak Sohrabi has also served as a member of the University Guild Council and the Civil Engineering Guild Council.  Prior to his arrest, he had written a letter to the Interim President of the Sharif University, Reza Rosta Azad, criticizing his policies and pressures placed on students and demanded the release of all arrested students.

 

On February 14, 2011, eighteen students were arrested during a gathering held in the Sharif University.  Ali Akbar Mohammad Zade, the Secretary of Islamic Students Council, is the only student who is still in prison after being in custody for over three months.  In the last few weeks, after spending nearly two months in the solitary confinement, Ali Akbar Mohammad Zade was transferred to ward 209 and then to the high-security ward 350 in Evin prison.

 

Ten-Year Imprisonment for Students Objecting to University Attacks

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Freedom of Expression, Students
Habib Farhzadi

 

HRANA News Agency – Following the investigations and trials to determine what happened during a state-sponsored attack on the dormitories of Tehran University on June 14, 2009, various verdicts ranging from prison term to fines have been issued.  However, these verdicts are all against students objecting to these attacks.  So far, several students of Tehran University have been sentenced to a total of ten years in prison in relation to the on-going trails.

 

According to a report by Daneshjoo News Agency, Judge Farati presided over a military court held by Armed Forces Judicial Organization in order to try and punish the perpetrators of attacks on the dormitories of Tehran University.  During these proceedings, four students have been sentenced to serve time in prison and also pay a fine.  On May 9, 2011, Iran’s Attorney General also announced that verdicts against 40 individuals in relation to these trials have been issued.  So far, only student activists and victims of these attacks have faced punishment and were arrested by Armed Forces Judicial Organization.

 

Daneshjoo News Agency has reported that Avat Rezenia, a Kurdish PhD student in Communications Studies, has been charged with disturbing the peace and public order and sentenced to three months suspended prison term and also 74 lashes which may be substituted by $3,000 fine.  Additionally, Habib Farhzadi has been sentenced to ten months in prison with five months suspended term for a period of four years and 74 lashes which may be substituted by $500 fine. These rulings are preliminary and may be appealed and overturned within 21 days.

 

Meanwhile, there has been no report of verdicts against the perpetrators of dormitory attacks, and only students who objected to these raids have been punished.

 

On June 14, 2009, after the presidential elections in Iran, plainclothes agents together with the riot police and the Special Units of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked the dormitories of Tehran University and arrested more than 100 students.  Additionally, during the last two years while a military court of Armed Forces Judicial Organization has been conducting formal investigations into these attacks, students have been summoned and arrested numerous times.

 

Tehran University PHD Student Sentenced to Prison

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Freedom of Expression, Students
Avat Rezania

HRANA News Agency – Avat Rezania, a student in Tehran University’s doctorate program in Communication Studies, have been sentenced to prison and fined by Judge Farati in the Revolutionary Court, Branch 2.

 

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), On Monday, May 9, 2011, in a news conference, Iranian Judiciary spokesman released the news of verdicts issued against those who had attacked Tehran University dormitories.  Immediately following the news conference, Avat Rezania, a Kurdish student in Tehran University, was convicted of offenses against public order and sentenced to three months suspended prison term and also 74 lashes which may be substituted by $3,000 fine.  The ruling is preliminary and may be appealed and overturned within 21 days.

 

Avat Rezania was previously a Sociology professor in Sanandaj Azad University but was banned from teaching by the Ministry of Intelligence.

 

 

 

Tehran University Student Mojtaba Hashemi Convicted

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Freedom of Expression, Students
Mojtaba Hashemi

HRANA News Agency – Mojtaba Hashemi, a student activist in Tehran University School of Law, has been suspended from school for 3 years and sentenced to one year imprisonment and 74 lashes.

According to a report by the Center to Defend Families of Those Slain and Detained in Iran, Mojtaba Hashemi, a key member of student council during the protests on December 7, 2009, was convicted by Tehran Revolutionary Court.

This report also indicates that Mojtaba Hashemi was preparing a program to commemorate Student’s Day and during a gathering for this occasion, his efforts were hindered by the university’s Basij militia and Herasat, [Iran’s semi-secret police tasked to monitor all educational institutes].At the end, Mojtaba Hashemi was expelled from the university because of pressures from these security forces.

Mojtaba Hashemi is waiting to serve his one year prison term.In addition to imposing suspension and imprisonment, security forces are preventing him from journalistic and civic activities.Mojtaba Hashemi is also under pressure and has been threatened.