Tag: HRANA

Execution of Three Inmates in Ghezel Hesar Prison for Drug Offenses

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Executions, News
Bahman Fathollahzadeh, Bamyar Fathollahzadeh, Ghezel Hesar prison, HRANA, Iman Sha'abani

On January 17, 2024, Ghezel Hesar Prison executed three inmates convicted of drug-related crimes.

HRANA has identified two of them as Iman Sha’abani and Bahman Fathollahzadeh. The third inmate is an Afghan national whose name remains undisclosed.

Sha’abani and Fathollahzadeh received the death penalty in a legal case. Another co-defendant, Bamyar Fathollahzadeh, met the same fate last month.”

No official sources or domestic media outlets within the country have provided coverage of these executions at the time of writing. The lack of official information raises concerns about transparency and accountability in the execution process.

According to data gathered by the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists, Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj witnessed the highest number of executions in 2023, with Zahedan Prison following closely behind. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s report.

 

Arrests of Azerbaijani-Turk Activists in Jolfa Raise Concerns

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Ethnic Minorities, News
Ebrahim Asemani, Habib Negahban, Hamed Yeganeh Pour, HRANA, Mohsen Ganji, Mokhtar Ebrahimi, Seyed Mohammad-Reza Movahed, Siamak Kooshi, Younes Zareioun, Yourush Mehrali Baygloo, Yourush Mehrali Baygloo. Karim Esmaeilzadeh

On January 12, 2024, a group of Azerbaijani-Turk activists en route to Jolfa to visit the family of imprisoned Yourush Mehrali Baygloo were arrested. The detainees include Karim Esmaeilzadeh, Ebrahim Asemani, Seyed Mohammad-Reza Movahed, Younes Zareioun, Siamak Kooshi, Habib Negahban, Mohsen Ganji, Mokhtar Ebrahimi, and Hamed Yeganeh Pour, as reported by a source close to one of the detainee’s families.

The motive behind these arrests and the current location of the detainees remain unknown.

Notably, Esmaeilzadeh, Asemani, Zareioun, Kooshi, Negahban, Ebrahimi, and Yeganeh Pour have previously experienced arrests and legal challenges due to their activism.

On November 7, 2023, Azerbaijani-Turk activist Yourush Mehrali Baygloo was apprehended by security forces in Jolfa County and subsequently transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility in Tabriz. The situation is developing, and concerns over the well-being of the activists persist.

Navid-Reza Haratian Arrested by Security Forces in Mahshahr

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Freedom of Expression, News
HRANA, irgc, IRGC Intelligence, Mahshahr, Navid-Reza Haratian

Security forces detained Navid-Reza Haratian in Mahshahr and transported him to an undisclosed facility on December 31.

A source close to his family, confirming Haratian’s arrest, informed HRANA that IRGC Intelligence agents apprehended him at his residence. Haratian has not been granted permission to contact his family, heightening their anxieties.

The grounds for this arrest and Haratian’s current location remain unknown.

Data compiled by the Department of Statistics and Publications of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) reveals that IRGC Intelligence has been implicated in 392 cases of human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests.

Government Seizes Baha’i Lands in Sari County

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News, Religious Minorities
Ahmadabad Village, Bahais, HRANA, Ivel, Roshan Kouh, Sari

On January 1, 2024, police agents and forest rangers carried out the confiscation of approximately 60 hectares of Baha’i-owned land in the Ahmadabad Village, adjacent to Sari in Mazandaran Province.

Acting on the orders of the Sari Prosecutor, the agents blocked access to the village and took possession of the lands. Ahmadabad Village is predominantly inhabited by Baha’is, and according to a resident who spoke to HRANA, the police have cordoned off the confiscated lands with barbed wire. Of these lands, 25 are already under wheat cultivation, a practice maintained by Baha’is for decades.

In an interview with IRNA, the Representative of the Mazandaran governor attempted to justify the seizure, citing unauthorized use and construction on the lands. However, HRANA’s sources dispute this claim, asserting that there has been no illegal construction, and the landowners have been cultivating these plots since 1947.

A villager shared with HRANA that a few years ago, a dam construction plan near the village was approved, and the landowners were supposed to receive alternative plots in exchange for the lands submerged by the dam construction. Following this recent confiscation, it appears they will receive no compensation.

This incident is part of a pattern of the government confiscating Baha’i lands and properties. In a similar occurrence in 2021 and 2022, the government seized cultivating lands belonging to Baha’is in Ivel, Roshan Kouh, Sari County.

Nine Individuals Executed for Drug Offenses in Ardabil

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Executions, News
Ardabil, Ardabil Province, HRANA

Ardabil Province judicial authorities have confirmed the execution of nine inmates in separate legal cases, all charged with drug offenses, within Ardabil Prison, as reported by Fars News Agency.

Following the Supreme Court’s confirmation of their verdicts, three inmates were executed. Additionally, six individuals were hanged in the preceding days, with their identities remaining undisclosed in the report.

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.

 

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Mohammadi Brothers Detained in Sanandaj

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Freedom of Expression, News
Ebrahim Mohammadi, HRANA, Morteza Mohammadi, Sanandaj

On January 1, 2024, the Ministry of Intelligence apprehended Morteza and Ebrahim Mohammadi, residing in Sanandaj, and subsequently transported them to an undisclosed location.

Confirmation of their arrest came from a source closely connected to their family who disclosed to HRANA that on Monday, January 1, Ministry of Intelligence agents arrested Morteza Mohammadi at his residence in Hassan Abad village in Sanandaj County. Ebrahim Mohammadi faced arrest by security forces after presenting himself at the Investigation Office of Sanandaj Revolutionary Court to inquire about his brother.

“The agents forcibly entered the house, breaking doors and windows, and seized some family belongings.”

As of now, the reasons behind these arrests and the current whereabouts of the Mohammadi brothers remain unknown.

Morteza Mohammadi had previously been arrested during the 2022 nationwide protests and was later released on bail.

According to data collected by the Department of Statistics and Publication of HRA in 2023, Kurdistan Province accounted for a disproportionate 8.3% of reported human rights violations, including instances of arbitrary detentions.

Execution of Three Inmates at Qezel Hesar Prison

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Executions, News
Ehsan Hamedi, Ghezel Hesar prison, HRANA, kbar Qara Gozlu, Qezel Hesar Prison

Qezel (Ghezel) Hesar Prison in Karaj recently executed three inmates who had been convicted of murder and rape.

HRANA has identified two of the executed individuals as Akbar Qara Gozlu and Ehsan Hamedi, both previously convicted of murder. The third inmate subjected to capital punishment was convicted of rape.

As of the time of this report, no official statements from authorities or coverage by domestic media outlets within the country have confirmed these executions.

According to data gathered by the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists, Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj witnessed the highest number of executions in 2023, with Zahedan Prison following behind. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s report.

Political Prisoner Zeynab Jalalian Denied Vital Medical Care, Faces Risk of Blindness

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News
HRANA, Yazd Prison, Zeynab Jalalian

Zeynab Jalalian, a political prisoner, is currently enduring her sixteenth year of a life sentence at Yazd Prison, where she is housed alongside inmates convicted of violent crimes. Despite grappling with health issues, she continues to be deprived of proper medical attention within the prison.

A credible source disclosed to HRANA that due to pterygium, Jalalian’s eyesight has significantly deteriorated. Information from additional sources further affirms that she is now at a heightened risk of blindness. Additionally, she is suffering from kidney and digestive diseases, yet she remains without adequate medical care.

Jalalian is confined to a ward with inmates convicted of violent crimes, and her location in an exiled city results in infrequent family visits.

In 2007, Iranian intelligence arrested Zeynab Jalalian, leading to a death sentence by the Revolutionary Court on charges of “enmity against God through membership in an anti-regime group” and an additional year for illegal departure from the country. The sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment on appeal.

Throughout her detention, Jalalian has undertaken hunger strikes on multiple occasions. She has endured torture, including flogging on her feet, physical beatings, and threats of sexual violence. The denial of essential medical care adds to the urgent concerns for her well-being.

Supreme Court of Iran Upholds Death Sentence for Reza Rasaei

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Executions, News
diya, Gholamreza Rasaei, HRANA, irgc, Kermanshah province, Nader Beyrami, Reza Rasaei, Reza Rasaie, Sahneh County, Yarsan follower, رضا رسایی

The Supreme Court of Iran has recently affirmed the death sentence for Reza Rasaei (Rasaie), arrested in connection with the 2022 nationwide protests.

In October of this year, Rasaei was condemned to death for his alleged involvement in the killing of Nader Beyrami, the head of IRGC Intelligence, during the protests in Sahneh County, Kermanshah province.

A family member of Rasaei, who spoke to HRANA, confirmed that Judge Barani presided over the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the death sentence. Notably, the court’s ruling appears to have been influenced by a confession obtained under duress during Rasaei’s detention.

In addition to the capital punishment, Rasaei faces other charges, including non-fatal injury, threatening with a knife, and disturbing public order by causing unrest. Initially, he received additional penalties such as Diya (wergild), a year sentence, and 74 lashes.

Rasaei was apprehended on November 24, 2022, by the police and subsequently detained in Sahneh County. Following the completion of the interrogation process, he was transferred to Dizel-Abad prison in Kermanshah.

Several other protesters involved in the November 18, 2022 demonstration are also confronting charges related to their alleged role in the death of the IRGC’s intelligence officer. This protest resulted in the deaths of several protestors at the hands of police and security forces.

Reza (Gholamreza) Rasaei, aged 34, is known as a Yarsan follower and resides in Sahneh County.

Gonabadi Dervish Arash Moradi Faces Eight-Year Prison Term

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News, Religious Minorities
Arash Moradi, Evin Prison, Gonabadi Dervish, HRANA, Kashan

Arash Moradi, a Gonabadi Dervish currently held in Evin Prison, has been handed an eight-year prison sentence by the Tehran Revolutionary Court.

Presiding over Branch 29 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, Judge Ali Mazloum detailed Moradi’s sentencing as follows: two years for “disturbing public opinions,” one year for “propaganda against the regime,” three years for “blasphemy,” and two years for “insulting the former and current Supreme Court of Iran.” The cumulative punishment amounts to eight years of imprisonment.

Citing Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, which stipulates that the most severe penalty should be applied in cases involving multiple charges, Moradi is slated to serve three years in prison.

A reliable source close to Moradi’s family informed HRANA of a notable development during the legal proceedings, where the charge of “disseminating false information” was altered to “disturbing public opinions.”

Furthermore, the court had previously dismissed charges of “assembly and collusion against national security” and “inciting people to violence.”

Moradi was apprehended on October 17 by security forces at his workplace in Kashan and subsequently confined to Ward 4 of Evin Prison.

This is not Moradi’s first encounter with the legal system, as he was previously detained during the 2018 Dervish protests, resulting in a one-year prison sentence. Following the completion of his sentence, Moradi was released from the Great Tehran Penitentiary.