A reliable source close to Naghavi’s family confirmed to HRANA that the arrest took place at one of his friends’ residences in Karaj. The reasons behind his arrest, the location of his confinement, and the charges against him are currently unknown.
These six individuals, along with six others—Abdolbaset Avarsan, Mohammad-Reza Sheikh Ahmadi, Morteza Fakoori, Hamid Rast Bala, Kabir Saadat Jahani, and Mohammad-Ali Arayesh—were detained by the Ministry of Intelligence in 2015 and imprisoned in Vakilabad Prison after one year. Except for Fadaie-Nasab, all these prisoners are members of the Sunni minority in Iran.
In 2019, the Mashhad Revolutionary Court sentenced Ahmadi, Avarsan, and Fakoori to 15 years in prison for “armed rebellion (Baghi) through membership in a Salafi-ISIS group.” The remaining 9 defendants were sentenced to death for “armed rebellion through membership in the Salafi group known as Al-Furqan and the Iranian Sunni front known as Hambastegi Melli.”
Rast-Bala, Saadat Jahani, and Arayesh were executed in this prison on December 31, 2020. The case of the six other defendants was overturned by the Supreme Court, and it was forwarded to another court branch for a retrial. In July 2023, Branch 4 of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Ahmadian Salami, sentenced these six prisoners to death again. The verdict is currently under review by branch 39 of the Supreme Court.
A source close to one of their families informed HRANA that after the issuance of the death sentence, Shakeri and Abdolrahman Gorgij initiated a hunger strike that lasted for a while.
“The case has many flaws, and there is no substantial evidence to support the charges,” the source clarified. The source also confirmed that the prisoners have been subjected to torture during their detention.
According to the verdict, Hooshmand has been convicted of “acting against national security.” During the court session held on November 14, 2023, Hooshmand’s social media and internet posts were cited as evidence supporting the charge.
Sources close to his family revealed to HRANA that the case has now been forwarded to the Executive Unit.
Having been arrested on October 25, 2023, Hooshmand spent 16 days in detention before being released on bail.
This isn’t Hooshmand’s first encounter with legal troubles, as the 29-year-old activist had previously faced arrest and conviction for his involvement in activism.
According to a source close to Azadani’s family, the Supreme Court, on January 24, 2024, upheld the 16-year prison term following an appeal for “assisting in enmity against God (Moharebeh).” Subsequently, the executive unit of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court executed the verdict.
In January 2023, the Revolutionary Court of Isfahan initially sentenced Azadani to five years for “membership in illegal groups to act against national security,” another five years for “assembly and collusion against national security,” and sixteen years for “enmity against God (Moharebeh).” Upon appeal to the Supreme Court, he was acquitted of the first two charges, leaving the prison term for the third charge intact.
During nationwide protests on November 17, 2022, security forces arrested Azadani in connection to the “Khaneh e Isfahan” case. Notably, three co-defendants in the same case, Saleh Mir Hashemi (36), Majid Kazemi (30), and Saeed Yaghoubi (37), were executed on May 19, 2023, on charges of enmity against God (Moharebeh).
A source close to one of the families confirmed this development to HRANA, disclosing that these individuals, aged between 18 to 20, were taken into custody by Ministry of Intelligence agents and are currently held in a detention facility.
As of now, the specific reasons for their arrest and the charges against them remain undisclosed.
A source close to his family confirmed to HRANA that Tavakoli was sentenced to six years in prison, along with internet and social media usage restrictions for two years, a two-year ban from residing in Tehran, and a travel ban for two years.
Tavakoli received notification of this verdict on January 29.
Previously, the Supreme Court accepted Tavakoli’s request for a retrial, transferring the case to another court branch. Notably, Tavakoli, a student activist and former political detainee, was arrested by security forces in Tehran on September 23, 2022, during the Mahsa Amini Protests. He was released on bail on December 19, 2022.
Subsequently, Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court imposed a six-year sentence, which was upheld on appeal. On October 7, 2023, Tavakoli commenced serving his sentence in Evin Prison.
Tavakoli’s history of arrests and convictions is rooted in his activism.
In March 2023, the Criminal Court of Zahedan sentenced Zeineddine and Narui to the death penalty for “enmity against God (Moharebeh) through armed action.” On November 20, 2023, this verdict was upheld by the Supreme Court.
Security forces apprehended Zeineddine in September-October 2020 and Narui on May 25, 2021, in Lashar, Sistan and Baluchestan Province. After completing the interrogation process in a security detention facility, they were transferred to Zahedan Prison and are currently held in Ward 9.
Subsequently, they were accused of killing three security forces, an allegation they consistently denied throughout the trial.
A reliable source close to the family of one of the prisoners has confirmed to HRANA: “Mohammad and Adham are innocent, and the charges against them are unfounded. Earlier, during a confrontation with security forces in the Sirchah region, several relatives of Mohammad were killed, resulting in the death of three security personnel. In this confrontation, the individual who had shot at these three officers was also killed. However, these two individuals, who had no involvement in this incident, were arrested.”
The source further added that the families of these prisoners have been subjected to verbal insults by judicial officials during their inquiries about the well-being and condition of their sons.
HRANA has identified the individuals as Salman Salimi from Kermanshah and Ahmad Haeri.
As of the current writing, there have been no reports on these executions from official sources or domestic media outlets within the country.
The reports from the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists for the year 2023 reveal a concerning prevalence of executions for drug offenses in Iran, constituting 56.4% of the total executions. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s report.
The executed individual has been identified as Mohsen Mehri, originally from Ilam County.
As of the time of writing, there have been no reports from official sources or domestic media outlets within the country regarding this execution.
In 2023, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran registered the execution of 746 individuals. Out of these, 6 were carried out in public. Among the executed individuals whose genders were identified, 597 were male and 20 were female. Additionally, 2 juvenile offenders, defined as individuals under the age of 18 at the time of their alleged crimes, were also executed. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s annual report.
Confirming the arrest, a source close to Chaman-Ara’s family informed HRANA that three agents from the Ministry of Intelligence detained him on a street in Ilam. Subsequently, they conducted comprehensive searches at his family members’ homes, seizing some belongings. Eventually, he was taken to the Ministry of Intelligence’s office.
“Since then, Chaman-Ara has been denied the opportunity to make a phone call to his family,” the source added.
Chaman-Ara’s initial arrest by security forces occurred in September-October 2022, and he was released on bail from Great Tehran Penitentiary in January 2023.
Following this, the Tehran Revolutionary Court issued a five-year prison sentence for “assembly and collusion against national security and propaganda against the regime,” a verdict upheld on appeal.
