Tag: Alborz province

Teachers’ Union Activist Masoud Farhikhteh Sentenced to Imprisonment by Court of Appeal

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Freedom of Expression, Labor and Guilds, News
Alborz province, Masoud Farhikhteh, Sanandaj, مسعود فرهیخته

HRANA – Branch 12 of the Alborz Province Court of Appeal has reduced the prison sentence of teachers’ union activist Masoud Farhikhteh to four years, one month, and 17 days, down from the six years previously handed down by the trial court.

According to the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations, the appellate court sentenced Farhikhteh to three years, six months, and one day in prison for “assembly and collusion to commit crimes against internal security,” and seven months and 16 days for “propaganda against the regime.”

Under Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, only the most severe sentence — three years, six months, and one day — will be enforceable.

Farhikhteh was originally sentenced in January 2025 by Branch 2 of the Karaj Revolutionary Court, following a trial held in July 2024.

In a separate case, the Sanandaj Revolutionary Court sentenced him in April 2024 to three months in prison for “propaganda against the regime,” later converting the sentence to an eight-million-toman fine. He was acquitted of this charge in August 2024 by the Kurdistan Province Court of Appeal.

A board member of the Islamshahr Teachers’ Union, Farhikhteh was arrested by security forces at his home in Karaj on May 1, 2023, and transferred to Ghezel Hesar Prison. He was released on bail in June of that year.

Execution of Three Prisoners in Karaj Central Prison

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Executions, News
Alborz province, Hamzeh Yari, HRANA, Karaj Central Prison, Karim Hemmati, Saman Khorrami

At dawn on Monday, June 9, officials at Karaj Central Prison executed three death row prisoners by hanging.

HRANA has identified the three individuals as Hamzeh (Yaghoub) Yari, Karim Hemmati, and Saman Khorrami. All three had been sentenced to death on drug-related charges.

One day prior, HRANA had reported that at least three prisoners had been transferred to solitary confinement in the prison in preparation for their executions.

As of the time of this report, the executions have not been officially announced by prison authorities or relevant institutions.
In 2024, a total of 191 inmates were executed in Alborz province alone — equivalent to 7 executions per 100,000 people in this small province.

Mashallah Karami’s Sentence Reduced to 3 Years and 7 Months After Sentence Consolidation

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News, Prisoners
Alborz province, Karaj, Mashallah Karami, Mohammad-Mehdi Karami, Ruhollah Ajamian

HRANA News Agency – Mashallah Karami, father of Mohammad Mehdi Karami, a protester executed in connection with the 2022 nationwide protests, has had his combined prison sentence reduced to three years and seven months following the approval of a request for sentence consolidation. He had previously been sentenced to a total of five years and three months across two separate cases.

His lawyer, Ali Sharifzadeh, announced that with the acceptance of this request, Karami’s prison term was officially reduced to three years and seven months. Given that he has already served more than half of this time, he is now eligible for conditional release. A request for his conditional release has been submitted to the judicial authorities.

Mr. Karami is currently held in Karaj Central Penitentiary. In the previous rulings, he had received a total of five years and three months in prison across two separate cases.

On January 22, 2025, the Alborz Province Court of Appeals sentenced him to one year in prison and confiscation of his house and vehicle on charges of money laundering and acquiring illicit property. This came after an earlier ruling in August 2024 by Branch 102 of the Nazarabad Criminal Court, which had sentenced him to eight years and ten months in prison, a fine of 1.9 billion tomans, and confiscation of his assets on the same charges.

In another part of his case, in September 2024, the Alborz Appeals Court sentenced Karami to three years and seven months for “assembly and collusion” and to eight months for “propaganda against the regime.” Previously, on May 21, 2024, the Karaj Revolutionary Court had sentenced him to five years for “assembly and collusion against national security” and one year for “propaganda against the regime.”

Karami was transferred from The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility to Karaj Central Penitentiary on October 28, 2023. After three months in quarantine, he was moved to Ward 15 of the prison. He was originally arrested by security forces on August 23, 2023. At the time of his arrest, security agents confiscated all electronic devices and blocked the family’s bank cards.

It is worth noting that at dawn on Saturday, January 7, 2023, Mohammad Mehdi Karami—Mashallah Karami’s son and one of the detainees from the nationwide protests—was executed in connection with the case known as the “killing of Basij member Ruhollah Ajamian.”

Detention Order for Baha’i Citizen Nahid Behroozi Extended

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News, Prisoners, Religious Minorities
Alborz province, Baha'i citizen, HRANA, Kachooie Prison, Nahid Behroozi

Nahid Behroozi (Forouhari), a Baha’i citizen, remains in a state of uncertainty in Kachooie Prison, Karaj, 26 days after her arrest. Today, her detention order was extended for another week.

A source close to Behroozi’s family confirmed to HRANA: “Today, Ms. Behroozi’s detention order was extended for another week. Despite 25 days having passed since her arrest, she remains in a state of uncertainty in Kachooie Prison, Karaj.”
This Baha’i citizen was transferred to Kachooie Prison, Karaj, on August 15th after completing interrogation at The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility.

Behroozi was arrested by the Ministry of Intelligence agents at her home in Fardis, Alborz province, on Monday, July 29, 2024.

The reasons for Behroozi’s arrest and the charges against her remain unknown.

Criminal Court Sentences Mashallah Karami to Over 8 Years in Prison and Other Penalties

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Freedom of Expression, News
Alborz province, Karaj, Mashallah Karami, Mohammad-Mehdi Karami, Sharifzadeh Ardakani

Mashallah Karami, the father of Mohammad Mehdi Karami, an executed protester, has been sentenced by the Criminal Court of Nazarabad County, Alborz province, to eight years and ten months in prison, a fine, and the confiscation of his assets.

According to the ruling recently issued by Branch 102 of the Criminal Court Branch 2 of Nazarabad County and conveyed to this citizen currently imprisoned in Karaj Central Prison, he was sentenced to eight years and ten months in prison, a fine of 1.9 billion tomans (approximately 28000 dollars), and the confiscation of his assets on charges of “money laundering and acquiring illicit property.”

Earlier, in another part of his case, Mr. Karami was sentenced by the Revolutionary Court to five years in prison on the charge of “assembly and collusion to commit a crime against national security” and one year in prison on the charge of “propaganda against the regime.”

Ali Sharifzadeh, Karami’s attorney, previously stated that the security charges brought against his client are inconsistent with his actions. He added, “Mr. Karami only distributed free food, the funds for which were provided through public donations. This information was presented to the court but was not properly considered. Additionally, my client’s assets have no connection to the security charges against Mr. Karami.”

In March of 2024, Sharifzadeh Ardakani, Mr. Karami’s lawyer, stated that his client’s indictment included four charges: under Article 500 (propaganda against the regime) and Article 610 (assembly and collusion to commit a crime against national security) in the Revolutionary Court of Karaj, as well as charges under Article 2 of the Aggravated Punishment Law (acquiring illicit property) and Article 9 of the Anti-Money Laundering Law in the Criminal Court Branch 2 of Nazarabad County.

Karami was arrested by security forces on August 22, 2023. At the time of his arrest, security forces confiscated all electronic devices and froze the family’s bank accounts.

On October 28th of 2023, Mr. Karami was transferred from The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility to the Central Prison of Karaj. After three months in solitary confinement, he was eventually moved to Ward 15 of this prison.

It should be noted that at dawn on Saturday, January 7, 2023, the death sentence of Mohammad Mehdi Karami, who had been arrested during the nationwide protests in the case known as the “killing of Basij member Rouhollah Ajamian,” was carried out.

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Baha’i Citizen Nahid Behroozi Arrested

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News, Religious Minorities
Alborz province, Bahais, Fardis County, Nahid Behroozi, ناهید بهروزی

On July 29, the Ministry of Intelligence arrested Nahid Behroozi (Forouhari), a Baha’i citizen residing in Fardis County, Alborz Province. They also searched her residence and confiscated several of her personal belongings.

A source close to this citizen’s family confirmed the news to HRANA, saying: “Ms. Behroozi was arrested today, Monday, July 29, 2024, by Ministry of Intelligence agents at her home. The agents also searched her home and confiscated several items, including her mobile phone, laptop, and computer.”

So far, the reasons for her arrest and the charges against Ms. Behroozi have not been disclosed.

Baha’is are subjected to violations of their religious rights, comprising 82% of reports on infringements against religious minorities, according to HRA’s 2023 annual report.

The Baha’i faith is not recognized as a legitimate religion by Iranian authorities, leading to systematic and longstanding violations of the rights of Baha’is in the country. This includes the denial of their fundamental right to practice their religion, which constitutes a clear breach of both 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.

Political Prisoner Mehdi Sabeti Sentenced to Three Years in Prison

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Freedom of Expression, News
Alborz province, Mehdi Sabeti, Meshkin Dasht, مهدی ثابتی

Mehdi Sabeti, a political prisoner held in the Central Prison of Karaj, has been sentenced to three years in prison by the Revolutionary Court of Karaj.

According to a verdict recently issued by Branch 4 of the Revolutionary Court of Karaj and delivered to Mr. Sabeti on Saturday, June 22, he has been sentenced to two years in prison for “insulting the Supreme Leader” and one year in prison for “propaganda against the regime.”

Sabeti was arrested by agents of the IRGC Intelligence in Meshkin Dasht, Alborz province, on September 17, 2023. He was subsequently transferred to the Central Prison of Karaj.

Previously, a source close to the family of this political detainee told HRANA: “A few days after his arrest, Sabeti was also charged with blasphemy and disseminating falsehoods during his interrogation.”

Sabeti, aged around 34, resides in Fardis County, Alborz province.

Political Prisoner Siamak Nasiri Sentenced to Imprisonment and Exile

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News, Prisoners
Alborz province, HRANA, Karaj, Musa Asef-Al-Hosseini, Siamak Nasiri

The Appellate Court of Alborz province has reduced political prisoner Siamak Nasiri’s sentence from six years to three years and one month.

Branch 12 of the Appellate Court of Alborz province issued the verdict, sentencing Nasiri to three years and one month in prison, plus two years of exile in Ahvaz County, following his appeal.

Initially, the Karaj Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Musa Asef Al-Hosseini, had sentenced Nasiri to five years in prison for “inciting people to violence and waging war against national security,” along with an additional year for “propaganda against the regime.” He was also required to reside in Ahvaz for two years.

Nasiri was arrested by IRGC Intelligence in Karaj on August 28, 2023, and is currently being held in the Central Prison of Karaj.

Previously, a source informed HRANA that Nasiri was detained in December 2022 in Karaj, where he was held in the Ministry of Intelligence’s facility. He was later transferred to the Central Prison of Karaj and subsequently released under a general pardon and commutation directive.

Taher Asgharpour Sentenced to Four Months in Prison

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Freedom of Expression, News
Alborz province, Taher Asgharpour

The Court of Appeals in Alborz Province has handed down a four-month prison sentence to Taher Asgharpour, a teacher and translator, on charges of “propaganda against the regime.”

Originally, Asgharpour faced a six-month prison term, coupled with a prohibition on engaging in political activities and restrictions on Internet and social media use.

On September 30, 2023, security forces apprehended Asgharpour, detaining him at the Central Prison of Karaj until his release on bail the following day.

As HRA’s annual report reveals, in 2023, Iranian judicial institutions collectively imposed sentences totaling 25,124 months on citizens for exercising their rights of expression.

Execution of Five Inmates for Armed Robbery in Karaj Central Prison

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Executions, News
Alborz province, Hossein Fazeli Harikandi, ISNA, The Central Prison of Karaj

On January 1, 2024, the Central Prison of Karaj carried out the execution of five death-row inmates convicted of armed robbery, as reported by ISNA.

The Chief Justice of Alborz Province, Hossein Fazeli Harikandi, confirmed their identities were withheld due to their conviction of “gang armed robbery, making roads unsafe, instilling fear in the public, and causing significant damage to people’s property.”

According to Harikandi, the Karaj Revolutionary Court had sentenced them to death, although the exact date of the conviction was not disclosed. The executions took place after multiple confirmations of the death sentences by the Supreme Court.

In 2023, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran documented a total of 746 executions, with 6 taking place in public. Among the executed individuals with identified genders, 597 were male, and 20 were female. Notably, 2 juvenile offenders, defined as individuals under the age of 18 at the time of their alleged crimes, were also executed. For a thorough analysis of the particulars and statistical breakdown of the executions in Iran, please consult HRANA’s annual report.