Tag: Tehran

Civil Activist Sepideh Gholiyan Arrested by Security Forces in Ahvaz

Posted on by A MN
News, Prisoners, Women
ahvaz, Assembly of Representatives, Bushehr, Bushehr prison, Evin, Evin Prison, Gholiyan, Ismail-Bakhshi, NAJA, Sepideh Gholiyan, Shush, Shush city, Tehran

Civil activist Sepideh Gholiyan, who has been on leave from Bushehr Prison since August 19, was recently arrested by security forces in Ahvaz from her sister’s home to serve the rest of her sentence.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, security police confiscated the cell phones of all family members during the arrest.

Confirming Gholiyan’s arrest, an informed source told HRANA, “Thirty male and female security forces entered her sister’s home, arrested Mrs. Gholiyan, and confiscated the cell phones of all family members.”

Before this arrest, on her personal page on social media, Gholiyan had informed that she had been summoned to Bushehr prison and commented “Ten days ago, they called me from Bushehr Prison that I have to return to there. I told them that I am supposed to go to Tehran where the Executive Branch of the Department of Justice would decide to which prison I had to be sent. Seemingly, they are searching to find somewhere worse than Bushehr Prison.”

On November 18, 2018, Sepideh Gholiyan was arrested along with at least 19 others, including members of the Assembly of Representatives of Haft-Tappeh’s workers, several workers’ activists and company personnel and managers by security police of NAJA in Shush city. She was released on bail on December 18, 2018.

After broadcasting her forced confession as well as some other workers’ activists, including Ismail-Bakhshi on national TV channel, they announced that the “confessions” were extracted under torture by security forces. Soon after this announcement, the security police arrested them.

On October 26, 2019, she was released on bail until the end of legal proceedings. On December 14, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment by Tehran appellate court.

On June 21, 2020, she began serving her prison term in Evin prison. On March 10, 2021, she was exiled to Bushehr Prison, where she was held until being granted leave, and to where she is now being transferred back.

HRANA Recap: This Week’s Protests in Iran

Posted on by Editor
Freedom of Expression, Labor and Guilds, News
ahvaz, Bandar Imam Khomenei, Bandar-Abbas, Fulad, Isfahan, Khoram Abad, khorramshahr, Khuzestan, Mashhad, Pabdana, Qazvin, Rasht, Shiraz, South Zagros Oil and Gas Production Company, Tabriz, Tehran, zanjan
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, October 2

This Saturday and Sunday, a group of environmental activists of Sanandaj in the vicinity of Vahdat Dam gathered to protest against the years-long negligence from local authorities in addressing the area’s unsafe drinking water. Because of the city water is contaminated, residents are forced to carry water from the springs surrounding the city.

Sunday, October 3

Employees of coal mining company Pabdana in Kerman Province assembled this Sunday at their workplace entrance gate and protested the company’s low wages, arguing that, compared to state-owned mining companies, private companies such as Pabdana pay employees less for longer hours.

About 400 drivers of the transport unit of South Zagros Oil and Gas Production Company, for a second consecutive day, assembled to protest the company’s decision to change their contracts. The new agreements are set up so that that workers will  be employed by a contractor rather than the company, meaning lower wages and fewer benefits.

In Bandar Imam Khomeini, a number of workers working for subsidiary companies of Persian Gulf Holding in the petrochemical special zone assembled to protest against wage discrimination. They asked for a direct contract with the company rather than contractors who enforce lower wages and harder work.

The retirees of the Social Security Organization assembled in front of this organization’s buildings in cities of Ahvaz, Rasht, Kermanshah, KHORAM-Abad, Tehran, Mashhad, Tabriz, and Qazvin, to ask for their demands. Their demands included levelling up pensions in proportion with the poverty line, enforcing the equating wages act, enforcing Article 96 of Social Security Act, addressing the issues regarding supplementary insurance, receiving end-of-year bonuses and taking work records in difficult-dirty-and-dangerous jobs into pension calculations.

A number of teachers and educators protested in front of the Parliament building in Tehran and the Ministry of Education’s buildings in the cities of Ahvaz, Shiraz, Zanjan, Darab, Bandar-Abbas and Isfahan. They asked for better enforcement of the Equating Wages Act for retirees and the Ranking Plan Act.

Personnel of the Municipality of Khorramshahr assembled in front of the government building to protest against a 6-month payment delay and a 10-month-unpaid insurance premium.

Retirees of the steel company Fulad protested in front of the company’s headquarters in Isfahan and Khuzestan provinces. They asked for levelling up their pension in proportion with the poverty line and enforcing the Equating Wages Act and addressing the problems of supplementary insurance.

A number of Haft-Tappeh’s workers continued to protest on the sixth day of their strike.

Monday, October 4

A number of students and alumni of pharmacology assembled in front of the building of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education in Tehran to protest against the monopoly on establishing pharmacies. They asked for the acceleration in enforcing the new regulations thereby the establishment of pharmacies in deprived areas would be facilitated.

On the seventh day, the workers of Haft-Tappeh company went out on strike. They assembled in front of the governorate building in Shush city.

Several workers for private coal mining companies in Kuhbanan county went on strike for the sixth consecutive day at their place of work. The workers said that, despite higher productivity and better quality of coal, they have been paid 4 to 5 million tomans less than workers of state-owned companies. Reportedly, in Kuhbanan County, more than 3000 workers are working for these private coal mining companies.

A group of personnel of social emergency workers of state welfare organization assembled in front of the parliament in Tehran and demanded changing work contract party from private to state section as well as the approval of the social emergency bill by parliament.

A group of retirees and working personnel of airline company Homa assembled in front of the building of Planning and Budget Organization. The retirees said that, despite promises from their supervisors, pensionsv for last month have not  been paid.

Tuesday, October 4

On the eighth day of their strike, Haft-Tappeh’s workers assembled in front of the governorate building in Shush city and then marched through the streets.

More than 500 workers of private companies, who are working on copper mining Sungun Varzaghan, assembled and went out on strike against low wages and hard work conditions.

Workers of the petrochemical special zone, including Persian Gulf Holding, assembled and demanded equal wage for equal work according to article 38 of Iran’s labour code and ILO Convention No. 100.

Wednesday, October 5

In response to recent violence against women (such as Faezeh Maleki-Nia who was burned to death by her father) and the negligence of the police and judiciary to prosecute and punish the offenders, a group of civil activists assembled in front of the Building of the Ministry of Justice in Sanandaj.

On the ninth day of the strike, in Shush city, Haft-Tappeh workers assemble again in front of the governorate building and then marched toward the building of the ministry of the judiciary.

For the second day, workers of private companies working on copper mining Sungun Varzaghan, refused to work and assembled at their workplace. These workers had spent last night in their tents in the same place of assembly.

 

Thursday, October 6

Following the protest of women in Sanandaj on previous day, several women protested in Marivan and asked that the case of Faezeh Maleki-Nia (who was burned by her father) be addressed, and called for an end to violence against women.

In Khorramshahr, a number of citizens assembled to protest against negligence and shortcomings of the municipality in collecting garbage. As a demonstration of protest, they piled up garbage bags in front of the municipality building.

In their tenth days of strike, Haft-Tappeh workers continued to protest in front of the governorate building in Shush.

A number of workers of Non-Industrial Operations Company Pazargad in Pardis Jam Town went out on strike at the workplace.

 

 

 

Khosro Sadeghi Boroujeni Being Denied Medical Treatment in Evin Prison

Posted on by A MN
News, Prisoners
Boroujeni, Branch 2, Evin, Evin Prison, Khosro Sadeghi Boroujeni, medical negligence, Mohammad Moghiseh, Morujeni, Porsesh Publishing Company, Tehran

Imprisoned writer and journalist Khosro Sadeghi Boroujeni has been denied access to medical treatment by prison authorities despite his poor health condition.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Boroujeni is currently enduring a five-year sentence in Evin Prison in Tehran.

“It is been over a month that he (has been) experiencing a poor health condition,” an informed source told HRANA. “He went several times to prison healthcare (for treatment), but he has not received any adequate treatment despite having body aches, insomnia, dizziness and nausea.”

Khosro Sadeghi Boroujeni was arrested and interrogated after being summoned to the Branch 2 of Evin’s prosecutor’s office on May 8, 2019. He was later temporarily released from Evin Prison on a bail of 300 million tomans.

Boroujeni’s trial was on July 28, 2019. According to the verdict ordered by the Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, which was presided over by judge Mohammad Moghiseh, Boroujeni was sentenced to five years imprisonment on a charge of “assembly and collusion with an intention to commit a crime against the national security”, one year of prison for the charge of “propaganda against the regime”,  and to two years imprisonment on a charge of “insulting the founder of the Islamic Republic”, adding up to a total of eight years imprisonment. This sentence was later reduced to seven years after the charge of “propaganda against the regime” was dropped upon appeal.

Boroujeni has been conducting research on neoliberalism and the political economy of Iran and has written several articles on these subjects in recent years. His essay “Critique of Neoliberalism” was published by H&S Media Publishing Company in the UK. His other book “Globalization and Inequality” was published by Porsesh Publishing Company in 2011.

Mojgan Keshavarz Granted Leave on Bail from Qarchak Prison in Varamin

Posted on by A MN
News, Prisoners
Branch 38, Evin Prison, Mojgan, Mojgan Keshavarz, Qarchak, Qarchak Prison, Section 2A, Tehran, Varamin, Women's Ward of Evin Prison

On Wednesday, October 6, civil activist Mojgan Keshavarz was granted a five-day leave on bail from prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Keshavarz is serving out her five-and-a-half-year prison sentence in Qarchak Prison in Varamin.

On April 25, 2019, intelligence forces raided Keshavarz’s home and arrested her. She was under interrogation in the detention facility of the intelligence unit of the Revolutionary Guards, known as the 2A section of Evin Prison, until May 1, and then transferred to Qarchak Prison in Varamin. She was relocated to Evin prison on August 12, 2020, and sent back again to Qarchak Prison on December 5, 2020.

Branch 28 of the revolutionary court in Tehran sentenced the civil activist to a total of 22 years in prison. She received 5 years on a charge of “assembly and collusion in the purpose of acting against national security”, 10 years on a charge of “provoking and provision of impurity and indecency”, and 7 years and six months on a charge of ” blasphemy”.  Later the sentence was reduced to 12 years and 7 months on appeal.

According to Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, the severest enforceable punishment for the charge of ” provoking and provision of impurity and indecency ” is five and half years imprisonment.

Mojgan Keshavarz is 38 years old and a mother of a ten-year-old daughter.

Journalists at Tehran-Municipality-Owned Newspaper Asked Probing Personal Questions by New Management

Posted on by A MN
Cultural, News
freedom of the press, Hamshahri, Hamshahri newspaper, Journalists' Guild Association, Mohsen Zohuri, Quran, Tehran, Tehran Municipality, Tehran Province

Following turnover in the Tehran-Municipality-owned Hamshahri newspaper’s managerial board, the extension of staff members’ contracts is being influenced by answers they give to a set of probing personal questions about their lifestyle and beliefs.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Fararu, employees are being asked questions such as “Why haven’t you married?” and “Why didn’t you vote in the election?”.

“It seems to be very serious,” journalist Mohsen Zohuri, commented. “They held an inquisition meeting for the journalists of Hamshahri and asked the question like ‘Why don’t you go to Congregational prayer?’, ‘Did you vote on such and such election?’, ‘How many chapters of Quran have you memorized?’, “Why did you get divorced?’ or ‘Why haven’t you married?’ ”

Changes in management in Tehran Municipality led to the appointment of a new director at Hamshahri newspaper. The new director has reportedly spearheaded this new procedure for extending contracts, and it is being applied to even the publication’s most tenured reporters.

“The new management in Hamshahri newspaper has set an inquisition meeting for its well-experienced and professional journalists,” a member of the Board of Directors of the Journalists’ Guild Association wrote on his personal page on social media. “They have to answer the irrelevant questions which means nothing but spying on personal lives and has nothing whatsoever to do with their occupation. I hope someone comes forward to explain that.”

 

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Eight Street Booksellers Arrested by Security Police of NAJA

Posted on by A MN
Cultural, Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners
booksellers detained, Citizen arrests, Citizen detention, Citizens arrested, Citizens detained, IBNA, NAJA, NAJA police, Security police of NAJA, Tehran, Tehran Province

On Saturday, October 2, Tehran’s Security Police of NAJA arrested eight street booksellers for allegedly selling illegal books.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting IBNA, the police confiscated some of the books.

One of the members of the Workgroup for Protecting the Rights of Publishers and Booksellers called these detained booksellers “distributors of illegal and smuggled books”.

The member claimed that part of these confiscated books is the works of the supporters of the restoration of the monarchy in Iran as well as illegal books and unpermitted hard copies of bestselling books.

Nine Fatal Work Accidents in Recent Days Due to Unsafe Work Conditions

Posted on by A MN
Labor and Guilds, News
Afghanistan, Ghaem Shahr, Kashmar City, Labor regulations, Mazandaran province, Neyshabur, Rajaei Port, Razavi Khorasan, Razavi Khorasan Province, Rokna, Shaban, Tehran, unsafe conditions, workplace safety

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, nine workers have recently lost their lives in separate accidents due to unsafe workplace conditions.

Last Wednesday, September 29, a labor source reports that in Alborz Province, a gas leak caused the suffocation of three workers led to their death before emergency forces arrived. Reportedly, these workers were hired to illegally branch off the gas pipe for a villa house.

In another accident, on Friday, October 1, in Kashmar City located in Razavi Khorasan, a worker fell into a hundred-meter-deep well and died before reaching the hospital.

That same day in Tehran, a 26-year-old worker of Afghanistan nationality died in a fire accident.

According to Rokna, on Friday, October 1, in Rajaei Port, an operator lost his life due to a rupture of wire rope of a 140-ton crane.

In Isfahan, a construction worker died due to falling debris. He later died in the hospital from severe injuries.

In a similar accident, on Saturday, October 2, in Neyshabur a city in Razavi Khorasan Province, a construction worker died due to the fall from the wall of an old building.

On that day, in Ghaem Shahr in Mazandaran province, a work accident at a construction site took another victim. Reportedly, the victim, Hassan Shaban, 32 years old, was working without having any safety equipment and died after falling from the fourth floor.

Two Men Spared from Execution, One Sentenced to Death

Posted on by A MN
Executions, News
Capital Punishment, Death Penalty, Death row, death sentences, Dideban, Karaj, Mahmoud, Meysam, Tehran, Urmia

Recently, two men facing death sentences were spared from conviction while a third was sentenced to death.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Dideban,  one man in Tehran was sentenced to death on a charge of murder on Wednesday, 29 September.

Two men were spared from execution in separate criminal lawsuits, in Urmia and Karaj respectively. Both cases were ruled upon exacting satisfaction from the “avenger of blood”, meaning that the victim’s relative or closest acquaintance agreed to refrain from demanding the perpetrators’ execution.

A man indicted for murder was sentenced to the death penalty. He was detained after one man was stabbed to death in a street fight that took place in a park in Islamshahr, July 2018. This 30-year-old man, named Mahmoud, has denied the charge of first-degree murder and claimed that his actions were self-defense.

According to IRNA, a death-row inmate in Urmia Prison, after 11 years imprisonment, could exact the satisfaction of ‘blood avengers’ with the mediation of elders of the community.

The second spared inmate was a 20-year-old Meysam, who was sentenced to death on a charge of killing a 21-year-old man in a fight. After 5 years, he could exact the satisfaction of the victim’s parent by paying 2.5 billion tomans as reparation.

Nine Citizens Arrested in Qom, Alborz, and Tehran Provinces for Supporting Erfan-e-Halgheh

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News, Prisoners, Religious Minorities
Alborz, Alborz province, Erfan-e-Halgheh, Qom, Qom Province, Tehran

The IRGC in Qom recently announced the arrest of nine supporters of Erfan-e-Halgheh (Circle of Mysticism).

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Fars, the arrests took pace in the three provinces of Qom, Alborz, and Tehran.

According to Fars, nine “main members of Erfan-e-Halgheh” were arrested and sent to prison with a court order. The report does not mention the identities or whereabouts of these citizens.

Inter-universalism is known  as Erfan–e Halgheh (Circle of Mysticism) in Iran.

Death Sentence Issued to Man in Tehran

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Executions, News
Capital Punishment, Citizen death sentence, citizen executions per-capita, Citizen sentenced to death, Death Penalty, Death row, Sattar, Supreme Court, Tehran, Tehran Province

An Afghan man named Sattar was recently sentenced to death by the Second Branch of the Criminal Court of Tehran Province on charges of murder.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Rokna, the verdict was later upheld by the Supreme Court.

Iran ranks first in the world in citizen executions per capita, according to international organizations. The Statistics and Publication Center of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) reported that between January 1 and December 20 of 2020, at least 236 citizens were executed.

One of these citizens was executed publicly, and two were juvenile offenders. An additional 95 citizens were sentenced to death. According to the same report, more than 72% of executions in Iran are not reported by the government or the judiciary, which human rights organizations call “secret” executions.