Amnesty International – Prisoner of conscience Mohammad Ali Taheri, who has spent over three years in solitary confinement in Section 2A of Evin Prison in Iran’s capital, Tehran, has been threatened with death by interrogators. He is serving a five-year prison sentence on a charge of “insulting Islamic sanctities”, in relation to his spiritual beliefs and practices.
Mohammad Ali Taheri, founder of a new spiritual group in Iran called Erfan-e-Halgheh, was arrested on 4 May 2011 by officials linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and held incommunicado for nine months in Section 2A of Evin Prison. Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran convicted him, on 30 October 2011, of “insulting Islamic sanctities” and sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment, but found that his offence did not involve, as the prosecution had argued, saab ul-nabi (deliberately denigrating Prophet Mohammad) which would have carried the death penalty under the Islamic Penal Code. Amnesty International understands that the authorities have, nevertheless, continued to threaten him with death, apparently based on religious fatwas that order the killing of apostates. Continue reading “prisoner of conscience faces death threats”
GENEVA (8 August 2014) – United Nations human rights experts* today expressed grave concern over the recent escalating trend of arrest and sentencing of individuals exercising their rights to freedom of expression and opinion, peaceful assembly and association.
Since 22 May 2014, at least 36 individuals that include journalists, bloggers, filmmakers and authors, many of whom are also human rights activists, have been arrested summoned or sentenced in connection with their journalistic activities or for simply expressing their opinion on social media websites. Some of them have also been charged for ‘gathering and colluding against national security’ following their participation in peaceful assemblies. Continue reading “UN experts condemn the wave of arrest of civil society actors”
HARANA News Agency – In a letter, eighty political prisoners in Rajai Shahr prison condemned the recent banning of Maulana Abdulhamid Esmailzehi, the Sunni Imam of Zahedan’s mosque. Maulana Abdulhamid was planning to participate in the international conference of “Islamic scholars to institutionalize peace, moderation and good sense” in Turkey.
The following is a full text of this letter, a copy of which has been submitted to HRANA: Continue reading “Condemnation of Maulana Abdulhamid’s Travel Ban”
The arrest on 22 July of two journalists and a photographer, including the Tehran correspondent of the Washington Post and his Iranian wife, brings to 65 the number of news providers behind bars in Iran. They include 10 women, of whom three are foreign nationals, making Iran the world’s leading jailer of female journalists and netizens. Continue reading “Iran: World’s Leading Jailer Of Female Journalists/Netizens”
Iranian journalist Saba Azarpeik has been detained in solitary confinement without access to her lawyer and family since 28 May. Her whereabouts are unknown, sparking fears that she may be at risk of torture and other ill-treatment. She is a prisoner of conscience. Continue reading “IRAN: JOURNALIST HELD INCOMMUNICADO: SABA AZARPEIK”
Millions of Iranians participated in presidential and local elections in June 2013. Executions, especially for drug-related offenses, continued at high rates. The judiciary released some political prisoners, but many civil society activists remained in prison on political charges. Continue reading “HRW WORLD REPORT 2014 – IRAN”
(Beirut) – Iranian authorities should immediately ensure the release of three journalists and a fourth person arrested in recent days, including the Tehran correspondent for The Washington Post, unless they plan to bring recognizable criminal charges against them and guarantee them fair trials. The arrests are the latest in a series of actions that Iran’s security and intelligence forces, supported by elements within the judiciary, have taken against at least 10 journalists in recent months. Continue reading “Iran: Free or Charge Journalists”
HARANA News Agency – Dozens of political prisoners in Rajai Shahr prison wrote: “While article 168 of the constitution has recognized some benefits to the political prisoners regarding their imprisonment conditions, maintaining the political prisoners in the ward of criminals is against the law and contrary to ethics. According to the policy of separating prisoners based on type of crime and considering the recent tyrannical attack on the political prisoners in ward 350 of Evin prison (Thursday, May 2014), authorities have deported many of the political prisoners to different cities of the country including Mashhad, Tabriz, Nideh, Borazjan and other prisons unknown to us. The prisoners are currently held in apolitical wards.”
The following is a full text of this letter, a copy of which has been submitted to HRANA: Continue reading “Political Prisoners Condemn Illegal Deportations”
HARANA News Agency – A group of civil and political activists in a statement called for the release of Said Shirzad, a children’s rights activist who was arrested 38 days ago.
The following is the full text of the statement, a copy of which has been submitted to HRANA: Continue reading “Statement opposing the arrest of Said Shirzad”
Founder/Secretary General of Pakistan Labour Federation (PLF), Haji Muhammad Saeed Arian, demanded to Release Iranian Trade Unionist Reza Shahabi, in a letter to Iranian Embassy in Islamabad.
Below, comes his letter published on Unionbook, the social network for trade unionists – a LabourStart project: Continue reading “PLF Founder/Secretary General: Release Reza Shahabi”
