Gorgan Resident Mohammad-Reza Shoghi Arrested

On September 8, 2023, Mohammad-Reza (Tahmuras) Shoghi, a resident of Gorgan, was apprehended by security forces and subsequently jailed in Amirabad Prison.

According to a source close to his family who provided information to HRANA, Shoghi was taken into custody at his residence on Friday, September 8, following a summons from security police received via phone a few days earlier.

As of now, the specific reason for Shoghi’s arrest, his current whereabouts, and the nature of the allegations against him remain shrouded in uncertainty.
Shoghi, aged 23, has previously encountered law enforcement and undergone prior arrests due to his involvement in activist endeavors.

Poet and Writer Habib Mousavi Arrested in Gorgan

On July 31, 2023, Habib Mousavi, a poet and writer, was arrested shortly after receiving a summons and visiting the IRGC’s intelligence office in Gorgan, Golestan Province.

A credible source, who is close to Mousavi’s family and spoke to HRANA, disclosed that the poet was called in by the IRGC Intelligence Unit and subsequently detained during the meeting. The precise reasons behind Mousavi’s arrest have not been made public.

Habib Mousavi, aged approximately 50, is a poet, writer, and resident of Gorgan.

Blogger Arrested in Gorgan for Allegedly Promoting Western Lifestyle

The IRGC Intelligence Public Relations has reported the arrest of a blogger in Gorgan province on charges of allegedly “promoting a Western lifestyle,” according to Basij News.

The arrest was carried out by judicial authorities, and the blogger’s Instagram page, which had amassed over 100 thousand followers, has been taken down.

As of now, the identity of the detained blogger, their location, and the specifics of the allegations remain undisclosed.

It’s important to note that imposing a certain lifestyle on citizens is a clear violation of Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which grants everyone the right to life, liberty, and security of person. Furthermore, Article 12 of the same declaration upholds the right to privacy, protection from arbitrary interference with personal matters, family, home, or correspondence, as well as protection from attacks on one’s honor and reputation. Every individual has the right to seek legal protection against such interference and attacks.

 

 

Three Inmates Executed in Ilam, Zanjan and Gorgan

On June 20, 2023, an inmate convicted of murder was executed in Ilam Province, according to Iran Human Rights Organization. This inmate has been identified as Aref Havasi. He reportedly killed someone in a group fight two years ago.

Furthermore, the Human Rights Organization disclosed that Ali Mula Shamsi, aged 40, was executed on June 18, 2023, in Zanjan Prison. Shamsi had been convicted of drug-related offenses.

Additionally, Iran Newspaper covered the execution of an inmate in Gorgan Prison. According to the publication, a man named Hamed, along with six others, including two brothers of the victim, was involved in the killing of Mahmood.

In 2022, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran registered 457 reports related to the death penalty. This included 92 death sentences, including the conviction of 6 people to public execution and 565 execution sentences were carried out, 2 of which have been carried out in public. Based on the announced identifications of some of the executed individuals, 501 were male and 11 were female. In addition, 5 juvenile offenders were executed in 2022, meaning they were under the age of 18 at the time they committed the crime.

Two Inmates Executed in Gorgan Prison

The Gorgan Prison officials carried out the execution of two inmates convicted of murder.

HRANA has identified these individuals as Sha’aban Yousefi and Bazi (first name unknown). A source informed HRANA that Yousefi, convicted of murder, was executed on May 16, 2023, in Gorgan Prison.

According to his source, Bazi, who received the death penalty for killing someone during an inheritance dispute, was executed on May 23, 2023.

As of the time of this report, there have been no official statements or reports from domestic media outlets regarding these executions.

In 2022, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran registered 457 reports related to the death penalty. This included 92 death sentences, including the conviction of 6 people to public execution and 565 execution sentences were carried out, 2 of which have been carried out in public. Based on the announced identifications of some of the executed individuals, 501 were male and 11 were female. In addition, 5 juvenile offenders were executed in 2022, meaning they were under the age of 18 at the time they committed the crime.

 

 

 

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Behrooz Izadi Rad Arrested in Gorgan

Behrooz Izadi Rad was arrested by security forces in Gorgan on May 15, 2023, according to HRANA, the Human Rights Activists News Agency.

Izadi Rad was reportedly arrested at his residence in Gorgan. The exact location of his detention remains undisclosed, and the reason for his arrest has not been disclosed either.

In September 2022, amid nationwide protests, security forces arrested Izadi Rad in Golestan Prison and, after a while, jailed him in Amirabad Prison in Gorgan.

On December 19, 2022, the Revolutionary Court sentenced Izadi Rad to four years and one month in prison. However, due to his no-contest plea, his sentence was reduced to nine months for “propaganda against the regime” and 25 months for “inciting people to unrest,” totaling two years and ten months, including the time already served.

Following five months of imprisonment, Izadi Rad was released in February 2023 under the “pardon and commutation” directive. It’s worth noting that he has a history of previous arrests and convictions related to his activism.

 

 

Seyed Ali Mousavi Arrested in Gorgan

On January 22, 2023, security forces arrested Seyed Ali Mousavi, a graduate of the Sharif University of Technology, in Gorgan, Golestan Province. The agents took him to an undisclosed location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on January 22, 2023, quoting the Iranian Students’ union, Seyed Ali Mousavi was arrested by security forces in Gorgan.

The reasons for this arrest, his whereabouts and the allegation are still unknown.

Five Inmates Executed in Gorgan and Rasht

Recently, five prisoners convicted of murder were executed in Gorgan and Rasht Prisons.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Iran Human Rights Organization, on December 13, 2022, Payam Nourollahi, age 33, was executed in Gorgan Prison.

About three years ago, Nourollahi was accused and convicted of killing a Basij Militia force’s son over personal issues.

Also, the execution of two men in Rasht on November 17, 2021, has been reported. These individuals, identified as Abbas Abdollahi and Fariborz Shahbazi, were previously convicted of murder.

On December 1, 2022, two other inmates, Majid Mehdi-Pour and Masoud Effati were executed in Rasht.

None of the official sources and media outlets inside the country has reported these executions at the time of writing.

Citizen Sentenced to Ten Months for Sheltering a Protestor from Prosecution

Recently, the Criminal Court of Gorgan sentenced Mohammad Abarian to ten months for sheltering a protestor who was under prosecution.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Mohammad Abarian, age 34, a resident of Gorgan, was sentenced to ten months in prison.

According to the verdict issued on November 8, 2022, Abarian was accused of assisting a woman to flee or sheltering her. The woman was under prosecution for participating in protests.

Abarian was arrested on September 20, 2022, and then was released on bail on October 12.

HRANA Recap: This Week’s Protests in Iran

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, a number of protests took place this week in Iran, many of which were continuations of ongoing movements.  Read our recap below for details, photos, and videos from the demonstrations.

Saturday, November 6

Several workers working on the Shafa Rud dam assembled at their workplace to protest against job uncertainty and a months-long delay in payment. As one of these workers stated, they have not received wages in six months.  About 900 workers who are working on this dam have been suspended from work due to the company’s financial problems.

A group of personnel of the Islamic Azad University in Mahshahr City protested their wages
by spreading empty tablecloths as a sign of their hard livelihood conditions. One
stated that they have long been denied payment under the pretext of a funding shortage.

A group of retirees of Haft-Tappeh Complex protested in front of the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare Office in Shush city. They stated that their pension income has not been fully paid in accordance with Social Security Act.

A number of farmers in Bavi County assembled in front of the building of the company Karun-e-Bozorg, an operation and maintenance of Irrigation and Drainage Networks, to ask for their water portion for wheat cultivation. They also protested against the cut in the water supply for their gardens.

A group of workers of Kerman Coal Mining Company went on strike and assembled at their workplace to protest against assigning the stock management to the company Dalahu Tejarat. They will oppose any changes in stock management until they have taken formal employment with the company.

The workers of Iran-Khodro in Tabriz went on strike at work to demand delayed payments and benefits.

Sunday, November 7

A number of retirees and pensioners of the Khuzestan Social Security Organization protested in front of the building of the organization in Ahvaz city. They asked for levelling up pensions to stand above the poverty line, closing the disparity in pension incomes, enforcing article 96 of the Social Security Act, solving issues regarding supplementary insurance, paying end-of-year bonuses and factoring in employment history in hazardous jobs for calculating pension income.

A group of designers and supervising engineers assembled in front of the Iran Ministry of Roads & Urban Development to protest the enactment of new regulations and procedures which, as the protestors claim, would be devastating for companies in this sector.

Retirees and pensioners of Fulad Steel Company assembled in front of the company’s pension fund departments in Isfahan and Ahvaz. They asked that their pensions be raised above the poverty line, closing the disparity in pension incomes and addressing supplementary insurance issues.

A group of personnel of the Social Security Organization assembled in front of the parliament in Tehran. They demanded implementation of the Hard and Hazardous Jobs Act, which requires that military service periods and job hardship records be taken into account when raising wages.

A number of victims of the financial fraud of the cryptocurrency exchange “Cryptoland” assembled in front of the Judiciary Building and demanded their lost money.

A number of depositors who has lost their investment through Caspian institution assembled and protested in front of the building of the Central Bank in Tehran.

Monday, November 8

A number of retirees of Haft-Tappeh Company who went into a pension in 2020 assembled in front of the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social welfare office in Shush city. They claimed that their pension income has been accounted for less than what the social security act requires.

In Tehran, a group of citizens who had pre-ordered cars from Ramak Khodro Company assembled in front of the Tehran Courthouse to ask for a demand accountability from the company, which has failed to deliver their cars after four years.

Dozens of citizens from Lorestan County in Fars province traveled to Tehran and assembled in front of the building of the Iran Ministry of Roads & Urban Development. They asked for maintenance of the unsafe and poor conditions of the road connecting Jahrom to Bandar-e Abbas. This road is still not two-lane, which has caused many fatal car accidents in recent weeks.

In Isfahan, a group of farmers assembled in front of the headquarter of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. Moreover, several other farmers marched in the streets of this city. They protested against not receiving their water portion for the fall wheat crop planting.

In Tabriz, the workers of SEMET Company assembled in protest in front of the company manager’s office.

In Kerman, a number of workers of Kerman coal company assembled in front of the office of the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labour, and Social Welfare to protest against the privatization of the company.

Tuesday, November 9

Dozens of retired teachers and educators who have been on pension since 2020 assembled in front of the building of the Planning and Budget Organization in Tehran. They demanded payment of their pension bonuses. The protest turned violent by police interference.

A group of livestock farmers in the Toroq area in Mashhad assembled to protest against the demolition of several animal farms.

For the second consecutive day, in Isfahan, farmers assembled in front of the building of the Regional Water Company and marched in the streets.

Wednesday, November 10

For the third consecutive day, in Isfahan, a number of farmers assembled in the dried up stretches of the river Zayandeh-rud to ask for their water portion. In response, the member parliament Abas Moghtadai promised that to address their issue, along with other Isfahan members of parliament, he would have a meeting with the president.

A number of landowners in Astalak Pardis protested in front of the building of the Tehran Ministry of Roads & Urban Development. They claimed that their lands have been confiscated by the company Omran-Pardis.

In Khorasan province, a group of Iran-Khodro workers went on a strike to protest against forced overwork and ask for raising wages.

For the second consecutive day, to ask for addressing their work issues, a group of preschool educators assembled and spent the night in front of the building governorate building.

Thursday, November 11

In response to the call of the Coordinating Council of Iranian teacher Unions, both retired and working teachers in 67 cities across the country assembled and protested. As their most important demand, they asked for the implementation of the Ranking Income Bill, whereby the salaries of teachers should be raised to at least 80% of university board members’ salaries.

On the same day of nationwide teachers’ protest, in Isfahan, the school concierges and service workers assembled in the front of the building of the Department of Education to ask for their demands.

For the third consecutive day, in Isfahan, the farmers assembled in the dried up stretches of the river Zayandeh-rud.