Iran: Inside and Out

Letters from Iran - General - Al Jazeera English

2011-11-11T19:56:00.001-06:00

Letters from Iran - General - Al Jazeera English

This documentary shows that despite the brutal repression of the Iran's 2009 Green Movement, the opposition is still alive and kicking and just as eager for change as before. Letters from Iran paints a fascinating portrait of the aftermath of the Green Revolution and a country holding its breath.

Source: Al Jazeera English

FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS!

2011-09-02T08:13:00.000-05:00

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: WELCOME RELEASES MUST BE FOLLOWED BY FREEDOM FOR ALL PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

PUBLIC STATEMENT

Date: 31 August 2011

Amnesty International welcomes the reported release of around 70 prisoners of conscience and political prisoners, convicted of vaguely worded “security related” charges including involvement in the protests which followed the disputed presidential election of 2009. They were among 100 said to have been pardoned by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on 27 August 2011, ahead of the Eid al-Fitr celebrations at the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan.

Those freed included Dr Arash Alaei, Milad Asadi and Mohammad Pour Abdollah, whose release the organization had campaigned for. Most of those released had served over half their sentences and were eligible for parole. Official media also reported that 1,218 other prisoners had been pardoned in a separate decree.

However, many other prisoners of conscience remain held in poor conditions in Iran’s overcrowded prisons which often leads to them developing serious health problems. They include lawyers such as Nasrin Sotoudeh, Mohammad Seyfzadeh , Javid Houtan Kiyan and Mostafa Daneshju; journalists such as Ahmad Zeidabadi, Abdollah Momeni, Isa Saharkhiz, Bahman Ahmadi Amou’i , Mohammad Mourizad and Keyvan Samimi (who has recently developed a liver tumour for which he may not be receiving necessary medical treatment); and student activists such as Behareh Hedayat, Majid Tavakkoli, Zia Nabavi , Ashkan Zahabian and Mahdieh Golrou.

Human rights and minority rights activists are also still imprisoned, such as Abolfazl Abedini Nasr (previously the spokesperson for Human Rights Activists in Iran, a human rights organization), Mohammad Sadi q Kab udvand (a member of the Kurdish minority who founded the Human Rights Organization of Kurdistan), Ronak Safazadeh (also a member of the Kurdish minority) and Sa ’i d Metinpour (a member of the Azerbaijani minority who called for greater cultural and linguistic rights for his community). They are held alongside women’s rights activists such as Alieh Aghdam-Doust, Mahoubeh Karami, Maryam Bidgoli and Maryam Bahreman . Political activists are also held, such as Mohsen Mirdamadi , Behzad Nabavi, Abdollah Ramazanzadeh and Heshmatollah Tabarzadi , as well as trade union activists such as teacher Rasoul Bodaghi, and bus workers Ebrahim Madadi and Reza Shahabi.

Members of some of Iran’s religious minorities also remain held as prisoners of conscience, such as seven Baha’i leaders serving 20-year prison sentences imposed for alleged “espionage”, which they deny, and Pastor Yousef Naderkhani, a Christian whose death sentence for “apostasy” was overturned, but who remains in prison awaiting a review of his case, which could see the death sentence re-imposed.

In addition, arrests are continuing of individuals who appear to have been targeted for their political or other beliefs or activities. Sha hrokh Zamani, Nima Pour Yaghoub, Sassan Vahabi va sh, Mohammad Ja rahi and Sayed Boyuk Sayedlar, all labour rights activists, were all arrested in June 2011 and have been tried on various charges relating to their links to a workers’ group. Sassan Vahabivash and Sayed Boyuk Sayedlar were reportedly released on bail on 20 August 2011. Some of those arrested are held in conditions amounting to enforced disappearance. For example, Ali Reza Sepahi Laeen, a poet and member of the Kurdish minority who works in the Public Relations office of Ferdowsi University in Mashhad, was arrested on 30 July 2011 from his home in the city. As of 27 August 2011, his family had been unable to discover any information as to his whereabouts and are extremely worried about his health as he suffers from diabetes.

Additionally, dozens of environmental protesters calling for immediate action to halt the desiccation of Lake Oroumieh in West Azerbaijan province are reported to have been arrested in various towns and cities in north-west Iran following demonstrations on 27 August, with at least three reported to have been killed by security forces.

Amnesty International is calling for the immediate and unconditional release of anyone held in Iran solely for the peaceful exercise of their rights to freedom of expression, association or assembly, or on account of their religious beliefs. All others held should be granted immediate access to their families and lawyers, and should be released unless they are brought to trial in accordance with international standards for fair trial.

Background

Dr Arash Alaei, an internationally renowned expert in the prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS who was not politically active, had been held since his arrest in June 2008 was serving a six year prison term after conviction of “co-operating with an enemy government” after months in pre-trial detention without access to a lawyer and an unfair trial in which secret evidence was produced which he was not allowed to see or challenge. His brother Kamiar, arrested around the same time and sentenced to three years in prison, was released after serving two and a half years. Their arrest is believed to be related to their links with foreign academics and civil society organizations, including in the USA. Amnesty International regarded them as prisoners of conscience who should never have been imprisoned and campaigned for their release along with a wide range of health and human rights organizations.

Milad Asadi, aged about 24, was a student of electrical engineering at Khajeh Nasir University and also a leading member of the Office for the Consolidation of Unity, a national student body which has been prominent in demanding political reform and an end to human rights violations in recent years at the time of his arrest. He was arrested shortly before mass demonstrations against the government took place on university campuses on 7 December 2009 - Students’ Day in Iran - marking the anniversary of the killing of three students in 1953 by police. He was held for weeks in solitary confinement in a tiny cell of two square metres. He was initially sentenced to seven years in prison.

Mohammad Pour Abdollah, a Tehran University student linked to the left-wing Iranian students’ organization Students for Freedom and Equality, was arrested at his house on 12 February 2009. Held for over one month in solitary confinement at Evin Prison, he was transferred on 18 March 2009 to Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, west of Tehran. His six-year prison term, imposed after conviction of “gathering and colluding with the aim of harming national security, and “propaganda against the system” and membership of groups opposed to the system” was reduced to three years on appeal.

Others who are reported to have been among those released are Ehsan Abdoh Tabrizi, Laleh Hassanpour, Zahra Jabbari, Kayvan Farzin, Amir Aslani, Sourena Hashemi, Mohsen Ghamin, Arsalan Abadi, Nazanin Hassan Nia, Soussan Tebyanian, Akram Heydarian, Sama Shamlou, Fatemeh Darvish, Ali Behzadian Nejad, Hamid Reza Nojoumi, Abolfazl Ghassemi, Kourosh Ghassemi, Artin Ghazanfari, Gholamreza Azadi, Meysam Roudaki, Amir Hossein Ghanbari, Omid Sharifi Dana, Behnam Ansari, Rouhollah Mirzakhani, Massoud Yazdchi, Mohsen Mokhtari, Sajjad Moradi, Ali Malihi, Fatemeh Khorramjou, Kiarash Kamrani, Hamid Samiei, an Esfahan University professor identified as Mousavi, Omid Esmailzadeh, and Mojtaba Hashemi.

Public Document from Amnesty International

Amnesty International Issues Urgent Action for Kouhyar Goudarzi and His Mother

2011-09-02T07:50:00.000-05:00

Amnesty International Issues Urgent Action for Kouhyar Goudarzi and His Mother

URGENT ACTION

Kouhyar Goudarzi, a member of the Committee for Human Rights Reporters (CHRR), was arrested on 31 July 2011 in Tehran , Iran , by plainclothes individuals believed to be from the Ministry of Intelligence. His mother , Parvin Mokhtareh, was arrested the next day. They are at risk of torture or other ill treatment.

In the early hours of 1 August, shortly after Kouhyar Goudarzi was arrested, his mother Parvin Mokhtareh was also arrested in Kerman, in southern Iran. During her arrest, Parvin Mokhtareh was reportedly told that her son had been arrested and sent to Evin Prison. Parvin Mokhtareh has been accused of “insulting the Leader”, “propaganda against the system”, and “acting against national security”, stemming from interviews she gave when her son was imprisoned in 2010 in relation to his peaceful human rights activities.

Read the full report, and take action!

The Tree That Remembers

2011-08-04T06:20:00.001-05:00

The Tree That Remembers is a documentary by Masoud Raouf about experiences of some former political prisoners (like Masoud Raouf himself) who now live in Canada. These ex-prisoners share their memories of torture in Ayatollah's prisons, the memories that does not leave them alone even in their new safe home. The documentary was made after a young Iranian student hanged himself on the outskirts of a small Ontario town in 1992. Having escaped the Ayatollah's regime and found a new home in Canada, he could not escape his past.

Mourning Mothers ‘survivor’ Mansoureh Behkish has been arrested

2011-06-17T22:22:00.002-05:00

Persian2English – Iranian government agents have arrested Mansoureh Behkish along with other individuals on June 12th. According to eyewitness accounts, female intelligence agents recognized Mansoureh Behkish at the intersection of Youssef Abad and Fatemi streets and arrested her. After taking her to the security police they transferred her to Evin prison, [introducing her] as a ‘special case’. There has been no news on her condition or status so far.

WHO IS MANSOUREH BEHKISH?

Mansoureh Behkish is among the survivors of the renowned Behkish family [and a member of the Mothers for Peace and the Mourning Mothers]. Those who have been active [who are socially or politically aware] remember a large framed picture located at *Khavaran cemetery that contains the photos of mother Behkish’s [Mansoureh's mother] five sons, one daughter, and son-in-law. The frame adorns Khavaran cemetery.

Read the full report

Freedom and Human Rights Award for Drs. Kamiar and Arash Alaei

2011-06-17T20:15:00.005-05:00

IRAN: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL WELCOMES FREEDOM AND HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD FOR DRS KAMIAR AND ARASH ALAEI

Amnesty International welcomes freedom and human rights award for Drs Kamiar and Arash Alaei

Dr. Arash Alaei

Amnesty International welcomes the award to Drs Kamiar and Arash Alaei, who are brothers, of the Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights. The organization launched a campaign for their freedom after their arrest in Iran in June 2008.

Dr. Kamiar Alaei, and his brother, Dr Arash Alaei, who are both experts in the prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS, were sentenced in January 2009 to three and six years' imprisonment respectively, for “cooperating with an enemy government” after months in pre-trial detention without access to a lawyer and an unfair trial in which secret evidence was produced which they were not allowed to see or challenge. Their arrest is believed to be related to their links with foreign academics and civil society organizations, including in the USA. Both doctors were highly respected AIDS specialists who had not been politically active. Amnesty International, along with a wide range of health and human rights organizations, regarded them as prisoners of conscience who should never have been imprisoned. and called for their unconditional release.

Dr. Kamiar Alaei

In May 2009, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded that the detention of Drs Arash and Kamiar Alaei is “arbitrary, being in contravention of articles 9, 10, 25 and 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and articles 9, 14, 18, 19 and 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which the Islamic Republic of Iran is a State party.” The Group also concluded that “the detention of the above-mentioned physicians is also contrary to articles 12 and 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and to Principles 11-1, 17-2 and 18-1 of the Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment” and called on the Iranian authorities to immediately take the necessary steps to redress the situation.

Although Dr Kamiar Alaei is now free, with his sentence completed, Dr Arash Alaei remains in prison in Tehran and Amnesty International is urging that he be released immediately and unconditionally and allowed to return to his important work.

The Jonathan Mann prize recognizes the valuable work Kamiar Alaei and his brother Arash Alaei, have done to provide necessary care to people living with HIV in Iran, and both doctors should be free to put their knowledge to good use in the service of people living with HIV.

The continuing challenge of HIV as well as the persistent reports of prisoners in poor health in Iran being denied adequate medical care – in some cases contributing to their deaths, as in the case of Hoda Saber who died on 12 June 2011 after the prison authorities reportedly beat him and failed to provide adequate treatment following a hunger strike in protest at human rights violations - underline the need for doctors in Iran to be able to practise medicine rather than face imprisonment on spurious political charges.

Background

The Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights honours a key figure in the 20th century fight against global poverty, illness and social injustice. Dr Mann, who died in a plane crash in 1998, was the founding director of the World Health Organization's Special Program on AIDS (1986-1990) and a vocal advocate of both health and human rights.

**************************************
Source: English, Farsi

**************************************

In an amazing 2004 BBC documentary (Mohammad and the Matchmaker) which Maziar Bahari directed, you can see the caring approaches that Drs. Alaei had towards HIV/AIDS patients in Iran. They provided a lot of emotional support and social work for their patients. You can find up to date information about Drs. Alaei's latest status on this website: http://iranfreethedocs.org.

Mohammad and the Matchmaker:

Nasrin Sotoudeh's Letter to the Late Haleh Sahabi

2011-06-15T16:47:00.000-05:00

June 15th, 2011

The Feminist School - Nasrin Sotoudeh, human rights and women's right lawyer, incarcerated since September 4th, 2010, sentence to 11 years in prison and banned from practicing the law and leaving the country for 20 years, was transferred to the female ward at Evin prison, where she was cellmates with Haleh Sahabi, serving a 2 year prison sentence.

The following is a heartbreaking letter Nasrin Sotoudeh wrote to Haleh Sahabi 3 days after her tragic and sudden passing after being beaten at her father's funeral.

=======

My dearest Haleh,

Death is not the end of the road for a dove,

Though it has has been three days since your sudden departure, it is still so hard to believe that you are gone. Despite our grief when hearing this sad news, we continue to pray that it is untrue. In the past three days, your name has echoed across the female political prisoner ward at Evin alongside songs of love and freedom.

Your noble story spans from three generations that have endured suffering on the road to freedom and democracy to the night when we all escorted you with tears as you left prison so that your presence may give strength to your late father who had dedicated his life for the dignity and prosperity of our country.

... but alas, rather than consoling a late father, the nation of Iran also lost a daughter...

From the little news leaked to us in prison, it seems as though you gave your life while protecting the right of your family to morn the loss of your father; a right that has been repeatedly denied so many scorned Iranian families. Those of us who had the honor of becoming better acquainted with you while you were behind bars, witnessed that even while your father was in the hospital you were not willing to forgo your legal right to participate in demonstrations, for such was your commitment. We who know you, know that you were the kind of brave woman willing to give your life if necessary while defending your legal rights, standing firm against those who ignore the law.

You defended your rights with such simplicity and innocence that they finally released your from prison; as though they had finally recognized your rights...

You demanded your rights unequivocally and without any confrontation; a mindset that undoubtedly played a vital role in every steadfast step you took.

My dearest Haleh, you understood the predicament and heartache of the families of prisoners, for your family often had a loved one behind bars - in the end you too headed for prison... yes your family often had noble prisoners behind bars..

Do you recall with what patience, dignity and joy you endured your sentence; a sentence that you did not deserve?

Do you recall saying that prison is fun and a camp like experience? Do you recall how lovingly you cared about everyone and how much they loved you in return?

Though your serene life was short, the story of your nobility remains with us as a souvenir among the flowers of your chador.

The Gladiola flower you picked in the prison court yard on that last night when you returned from the prosecutor's office wilted this morning as though it had become aware of your departure before we had....

Nasrin Sotoudeh/ Female Political Prisoners Ward/ Evin Prison

June 2011

Source: The Feminist School: http://www.iranianfeministschool.info/english/spip.php?article459

نامه نسرین ستوده به هاله سحابی: گل زنبقی كه از حياط زندان چيده بودی، پژمرد

مدرسه فمینیستی: نسرین ستوده، وکیل و فعال جنبش زنان که از 13 شهریور 1389 بازداشت و سپس با حکم11 سال حبس تعزیری و 20 سال محرومیت از وکالت و خروج از کشور به بند زنان سیاسی زندان اوین منتقل شد و در همانجا با هاله سحابی که حکم 2 سال حبس اش را می گذراند هم سلول شد، نامه ای در غم فراق او به نگارش درآورده است. به گزارش مدرسه فمینیستی، نسرین ستوده این نامه را سه روز پس از مرگ دلخراش هاله سحابی که در پی درگیری و ضرب و شتم در تشیع جنازه پدرش رخ داد، نوشته است. متن کامل نامه نسرین ستوده را در زیر می خوانید:

هاله‌ي عزيزم !

مرگ پايان كبوتر نيست!

سه روز است ناباورانه، باور مي‌كنيم غم از دست دادن‌ات را. ناباورانه سوگواري مي‌كنيم براي خبري كه دعا مي‌كرديم دروغ باشد. سه روز بند زنان سياسي زندان اوين نام تو را با هر آواز مهر و محبت و آزادگي تكرار مي‌كنند.

حكايت آزادگي‌ات از رنجي كه سه نسل از شما در راه آزادي و دمكراسي تحمل كرد تا شبي كه همگي با اشك شوق بدرقه‌ات كرديم تا شايد حضورت قوت قلبي براي پدري باشد كه جز براي آباداني و سربلندي وطن قدمي برنداشت، ادامه داشت.

ولي افسوس كه ملت ايران به جاي بهبودي پدر، دختر را نيز از دست داد.

ما مطابق اخباري كه از اينجا و آنجا به گوشمان رسيده است اينطور دستگيرمان شد كه جان بر سردفاع از حق عزاداري خانوادگي‌ات نهادي. حقي كه بارها از خانواده‌هاي داغدار ايراني سلب شده است. ما كه اينجا از نزديك تو را شناختيم و ديديم كه حتي در زماني كه پدر در بيمارستان بود حاضر نشدي از حق قانوني حضور در تجمعات مردمي چشم‌پوشي كني و تعهدي اينچنين بسپري، مي‌دانيم كه تو چنين دلير زني بودي كه تا پاي جان بر سر حقوق قانوني‌ات در برابر كساني كه حقوق‌ات را ناديده مي‌گيرند، ايستادگي كني.

چنان با معصوميت و سادگي از حق‌ات دفاع كرده بودي كه بالاخره آزادت كردند. تو گويي حق‌ات را به رسميت شناخته بودند.

بي‌معارضه و بدون هيچ ترديدي حقوق‌ات را مي‌خواستي و اين خود در استواري قدم‌ات نقشي به سزا داشت.

هاله‌ي عزيزم!

تو حال خانواده‌هاي زنداني را بهتر از هركس مي‌دانستي چرا كه غالبا زنداني داشتيد. غالبا يكي از شما در زندان به‌سر مي‌برد و دست آخر خودت راهي زندان شدي . . . اينگونه بود كه خانه‌ي شما غالبا زنداني داشت. زندانيان آزاده.

يادت مي‌آيد با چه صبر و متانت و چه شادماني‌يي حكمي را تحمل مي‌كردي كه هيچ شايسته‌ي آن نبودي.

يادت مي‌آيد گفته بودي زندان براي تو تجربه‌اي مشابه اردوي آموزشي _ تفريحي است؟ يادت مي‌آيد عاشقانه همه را دوست داشتي و بچه‌ها تو را عاشقانه دوست داشتند؟

عمر با صفايت چه كوتاه بود، اما داستان آزادگي تو در لابلاي گل‌هاي چادرت باقي است كه به يادگار گذاشته‌اي.

گل زنبقي كه در آخرين شب در بازگشت از دادسرا، از حياط زندان چيده بودي، امروز صبح پژمرد. او زودتر از ما خبردار شده بود . . .

نسرين ستوده / بند زنان سياسي / زندان اوين /خرداد /90

A Week at Evin! (June 6- June 12)

2011-06-13T23:34:00.001-05:00

64 Prisoners testify: “Jailed activist Hoda Saber beaten up before death”

On Sunday, Kaleme reported that Hoda Saber, who had been arrested after the disputed 2009 presidential election, had died of cardiac complications after being transferred from Evin prison to Tehran’s Modarres hospital. The website had said that Saber’s heart complication had been induced by his hunger strike in prison.

Hoda Saber, along with fellow imprisoned activist Amir Khosro Dalir-Sani, had gone on hunger strike to protest the tragic murder of Iranian activist Haleh Sahabi at the funeral of her father Ezzatollah Sahabi.

Read the full text of the letter:

Paralyzed political prisoner returned to prison despite need for urgent treatment

political prisoner Hadi Abed Bakhoda who was on a medical leave from prison and was receiving treatment was once again returned to the Lakan Prison in Rasht despite the fact that his treatment was not yet finished.

This political prisoner is paralyzed and can only move with a wheelchair. A number of his body organs such as his bladder and kidneys no longer work. He has a urinary sack attached to his body which has to be changed on a daily basis but according to the head of the prison’s infirmary, these kinds of facilities do not exist in prison. It was for this reason that [during his last detention] his urinary sack was not changed for 40 days which led to a severe infection in his body.

This political prisoner was transferred back to prison which lacks minimum medical facilities even as the Medical Commission and Medical Examiner have announced in a written report to the Revolutionary Court that he cannot tolerate prison conditions and the prison infirmary has announced that it does not have the necessary facilities for Mr. Bakhoda and will not be held responsible [if anything were to happen].

Notably, the inhumane flogging sentence for this political prisoner was carried out in the 1st branch of the Rasht Revolutionary Court on May 23. Political prisoner Hadi Abed Bakhoda was sentenced to 51 lashes for not turning himself in on time. (Human Rights and Democracy Activists in Iran – Jun. 9, 2011)

Evin Political Prisoner Abdollah Momeni in Grave Health

There are grave concerns today for the health of Iranian political prisoner Abdollah Momeni, who is suffering cardiac complications and back problems. Momeni, a spokesman for the student organization Advar-e Takim-e Vahdat, was hospitalized twice in the past month for health complications, Jaras reports. Momeni is in critical condition, made worse by the lack of facilities at Ward 350 in Evin Prison, where he is being held with no chance of furlough.

Momeni was arrested in June 2009 in the aftermath of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s disputed re-election, which led to widespread protests and a violent government retaliation. Last September, Momeni wrote a letter to Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, claiming he had undergone “severe torture” and had been forced to sign a false confession for presentation at a “show trial.”

He was also part of a group of 25 political prisoners who wrote a letter describing their harsh torture at the hands of prison authorities. The Revolutionary Guards and the Prosecutor’s office put great pressure on the prisoners to recant their statements in the letter. Iranian authorities have not responded to allegations of torture in Iranian prisons.

Abdollah Momeni was sentenced to four years and 11 months in prison following the presidential elections. He was arrested on June 20, 2009 in the building of the Headquarters of Free Citizens, a group supporting Mehdi Karroubi, a Mahmoud Ahmadinejad opponent in the elections, who is now under house arrest as one of the two chief opposition leaders.

Post-Election Detainee Amir Aslani Still Held in Evin Prison

One of his charges includes sending emails regarding the ways to increase the use of electricity as a means of protesting the election results.

He was arrested in August of 2009 in front of his workplace and was transferred to an unknown location.

Aslani, 33, spent 185 days in solitary confinement of the IRGC run ward 2A and 70 days in the solitary confinement unit of Ward 209. He was then transferred to the ward 350 general ward. He has been sentenced to 4 years in prison.

Hossein Derakhshan’s 19.5 Year Prison Sentence Upheld

The 19.5 prison sentence has been upheld for blogger Hossein Derakhshan. Derakhshan who was a resident of Canada was detained after travelling to Tehran. He was sentenced for blasphemy, collaborating with anti-regime governments, anti-regime propaganda, administering pornographic sites, membership in groups and activities in media.

Human Rights Activist Abdolreza Ahmadi Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison

Blogger and human rights activist Abdolreza Ahmadi was detained in February of 2009 and spent 4 months in the solitary confinement units of the IRGC-run Ward 2A of Evin Prison. According to the Human Rights House of Iran, he has been sentenced to 3 years in prison for acting against national security and disturbing public opinion.

Journalist Farid Salavati Detained

RAHANA: Journalist and political activist Farid Salavati was detained after the security forces raided his residence in Isfahan.

According to the Human Rights House of Iran, he is the son of a prominent pre-revolution activist Fazollah Salavati

Iran Teacher’s Organization Member Ali Soleimanpour Arrested

There is no news as to the condition of Ali Soleimanpour, member of Iran Teacher’s Organization, who had been detained 4 days ago (June 1st, 2011). The security forces detained Soleimanpour with a warrant and confiscated his computer and notes after searching his house. They also confiscated his store’s computer the following day.

He had previously been sentenced to one year of suspended imprisonment and 35 lashes for his cultural activities.

Rasoul Bodaghi, Hashem Khastar, Mohammad Davari, Abdollah Momeni, Abdolreza Ghanbari and Nabiollah Bastan are all teachers who are currently serving their sentences in prison.

Arrest of Baha’i citizen, Anisa Dehghani

Anisa Dehghani, a Baha’i citizen, was apprehended by security agents on the eve of June 2, 2011 while a friend was giving her a ride to the bus terminal.

Human Rights House of Iran reported that this Baha’i citizen had traveled from Isfahan to Mashhad for a visit with her friends. Security forces in Mashhad arrested her and transferred her to the intelligence holding jail in this city.

To date she has been able to contact her family twice. Despite her family’s efforts, officials have given no explanation for Anisa’s arrest.

During the past few weeks many Baha’i citizens in Iran have been arrested and taken to prison. Instructors of the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education, which is an online Baha’i university, are among those recently incarcerated.

Baha’i Citizens Pejman Nikounejad and Sharareh Kashani Arrested

Baha’i citizen Pejman Nikounejad has been arrested along with his wife Sharareh Kashani. The officials who arrested them introduced themselves with a false identity and entered the house after the door was opened. According to the Human Rights House of Iran, they have been arrested for organizing a religious ceremony at their residence. The ten security agents who entered the house hit one of the individuals in the house and got the signature of the other people present promising that they would not participate in a religious ceremony. During the arrest, the faith related books, computers, satellite and some of the belongings were confiscated. The couple was arrested and there are no reports as to their whereabouts.

The Intelligence Ministry agents in Northern Iran had also arrested 3 Baha’i citizens by the names of Misagh Laghaei, Mahvand Laghaei and Nadia Farhadi who organized a religious ceremony, in the recent days.

Azerbaijan poet Saeed Moghanli arrested

Early Wednesday (June 8^th, 2011) morning intelligence agents raided the home of Saeed Moghanli’s father. Security agents arrested the journalist from Azerbaijan in a village in Ardebil and transferred him to an undisclosed location. Human Rights House of Iran reported that Mr. Moghanli’s personal belongings were confiscated during the time of arrest. This social activist from the province of Azerbaijan has been arrested on numerous occasions in the past years and has been subjected to many interrogations.

To date there is no information about his condition and no disclosure of his location.

Human Rights Activist Abdolreza Ahmadi Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison

Sixteen Secret Executions in Iranian prison

Sixteen prisoners were secretly hanged at Mashhad’s Vakilabad Prison on May 23 and 24, says the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, citing “reliable sources.”

It reports that on May 23, twelve prisoners were hanged for drug charges. The next day, three sisters were hanged for drug charges and a convicted rapist was executed.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran had earlier reported that over the past two and a half months, 70 prisoners have been hanged in Vakilabad Prison. The campaign contends that the executions were drug related and carried out secretly and en masse. The campaign maintains that the prisoners were executed without prior notification to the families and lawyers of the prisoners. The recent surge in the number of executions in Iran has set off alarm bells in international human rights communities.

In March, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed “international concern” regarding the rise in executions in Iran and the conditions of prisoners at Mashhad’s Vakilabad Prison in particular.

64 Prisoners testify: 'Jailed activist Hoda Saber beaten up before death'

2011-06-13T23:26:00.000-05:00

GVF — In a shocking new revelation, 64 political prisoners held in ward 350 of Iran’s notorious Evin prison have provided a more detailed account how inmate Reza Hoda Saber had been beaten up by state agents before his death on Sunday.

According to opposition website Kaleme, the prisoners were able to get their message across prison bars with the aid of Green Movement sympathisers inside Evin prison.

On Sunday, Kaleme reported that Hoda Saber, who had been arrested after the disputed 2009 presidential election, had died of cardiac complications after being transferred from Evin prison to Tehran’s Modarres hospital. The website had said that Saber’s heart complication had been induced by his hunger strike in prison.

Hoda Saber, along with fellow imprisoned activist Amir Khosro Dalir-Sani, had gone on hunger strike to protest the tragic murder of Iranian activist Haleh Sahabi at the funeral of her father Ezzatollah Sahabi.

The list of signatories to the letter includes the names of many prominent activists, journalist and political figures such as Feizollah Arabsorkhi, Ali Malihi, Arash Sadeghi, Ghorban Behzadian-Nejad, Bahmadn Ahmadi Amooei, Emad Bahavar, Javad Emam, Emadoddin Baghi and Ramin Parchami.

The full text of the letter is as follows:

Political prisoners Reza-Saber was martyred on 12 June 2011 after an indefinite hunger strike and as a result of the authorities’ negligence. As his fellow inmates, we, the signatories to this statement who had been with him throughout the past year, would like to inform the Iranian people and testify that:

On Thursday 2 June 2011 following news of the death of political prisoner Haleh Sahabi who had been on furlough, and while Mr Hoda Saber was still mourning the death of Chief of the Nationalist-Religious Council Ezzatollah Sahabi, he [Saber] and Mr Amir Khosro Dalirsani issued a statement in the courtyard of Evin prison’s ward 350 after noon, and afternoon prayers and declared their intention to begin an indefinite hunger strike to show their protest against this flagrant injustice and violation, while informing the public of the move.

We testify that in addition to his daily reading of books, recitation of the Quran and holding history lessons, Hoda Saber always dedicated significant time to sports and even took part in sporting competitions together with the youth at ward 350.

We testify that throughout the past year, Hoda Saber had ever suffered from any health condition or illness, something that his medical records in the prison medical facility attest to.

We testify that on the eighth day of his hunger strike, Hoda Saber developed chest pains as well as a digestive disorder, and at 4am on Friday 10 June, he was taken to the Evin prison clinic—situated next to ward 350—for the first time. However, two hours later, he was brought back to the ward while curling around himself in pain. His cellmates were awoken due to his cries [of pain] and encircled him. Saber then said “they not only didn’t treat me for my condition, but beat me up and insulted me, ad I was thrown out of the room by agents wearing uniforms of clinic staff.”

We testify that as Hoda Saber was shivering intensely and curling around himself in room 1 of ward 350, he said in a loud voice, “I will sue them.”

At this point and following protests by inmates, a prison guard once more arranged for him to be transferred to the medical facility, but this time, Saber repeated his disapproval of the way he had been treated and the behaviour of agents at the clinic and said “I don’t trust them,” after which the guard promised to make an effort to admit him to a hospital outside Evin [prison].

We testify that at this point, Saber who could not even stand on his own two feet, was taken outside the ward on a stretcher. In his last hour at the ward, his digestive system was in a very critical condition and he said many times that he had severe diarrhoea and nausea.

Dear people of Iran

What’s been said is an account of martyr Hoda Saber’s last hours in Evin’s ward 350. But at a point in time when the regime has responded with crime to a protest against crime, we firmly state that the current [political] establishment is directly responsible for the death of martyr Saber. This heart-breaking incident is not the first of its kind, and as things stand, it will not be the last either.

Even though a thorough examination of the cases of most political prisoners would reveal widespread injustice and disregard for their rights during legal proceedings, Hoda Saber had been held in prison without any legal verdict or sentence, and was imprisoned in a completely unsystematic fashion due to the pressure and force exerted by certain intelligence bodies and with full knowledge of responsible organisations; Yet no one provided answers to why and with what legal justification he was held behind bars. And of course, his indictment had expired long before his recent arrest. The unmethodical and illegal arrest of Saber alone is enough to delegitimise the legal system and to prove their lack of independence and their vulnerability to the intelligence bodies. Under the status quo, citizens outside the confines of prisons, and more than anyone else, prisoners, will not be able to enjoy legal, medical and life security.

We would like to express our deep condolences to the patient family of martyr Hoda Saber, especially Mrs. Farideh Saber and her mourning children Hanif and Sharif.

As a first step, we condemn this inhumane norms within the legal system and this type of treatment of prisoners, and hold the ruling establishment responsible. Henceforth, we shall take further action based on how officials follow-up on the issue [death of Saber] and we will stand till the very end to uphold the people’s rights and [to ensure] the regime respects the law.

Signatories to the letter:

1. Ghorban Behzadian Nejad
2. Mohammad Davari
3. Bahman Ahmadi Amooei
4. Abdollah Momeni
5. Hasan Asadi Zeidabadi
6. Ali Jamali
7. Mohammad Reza Moghiseh
8. Ali Malihi
9. Babak Dashab
10. Hamid Reza Mohammadi
11. Ghasel Sholeh-Sadi
12. Kiarash Kamrani
13. Mohammad Javad Mozaffar
14. Ehsan Mehrabi
15. Emad Bahavar
16. Mojtaba Tehrani
17. Javad Emam
18. Feizollah Arabsorkhi
19. Emadoddin Baghi
20. Abolfazl Ghadyani
21. Mohammad Hossein Khorbak
22. Esmail Sahabeh
23. Amir Khosro Dalirsani
24. Seyed Mohammad Seifzadeh
25. Siamak Ghaderi
26. Sam Mahmoudi Sarabi
27. Akbar Amini Armaki
28. Houshang Farzin
29. Hamed Mirzaei Gorji
30. Arash Segher
31. Ahmad Shah Rezaei
32. Arash Sadeghi
33. Navid Kamran
34. Ramin Parchami
35. Alireza Sohrab-Pour
36. Mahdi Hosseinzadeh
37. Mohammad Sedigh Kaboudvand
38. Mahdi Khodaei
39. Siamak Rahmani
40. Saeid Matin-Pour
41. Masoud Lavasani
42. Mohsen Ghamin
43. Mohammad Pour-Abdollah
44. Hossein Mofidi
45. Mahdi Nowzar
46. Abolfazl Ghasemi
47. Ebrahim Madadi
48. Abbas Nami
49. Ali Behzadian-Nejad
50. Hossein Zarrini
51. Amir-Hossein Ghanbari
52. Gholam-Reza Azadi
53. Majid Tamjidi
54. Yousef Mehr
55. Shahin Zeinali
56. Peyman Aref
57. Javad Alikhani
58. Ramtin Ghaffari
59. Mahdi Vatankhah
60. Fereydoun Seidi-Rad
61. Saeid Malmirian
62. Javad Alikhani
63. Mohsen Ghali
64. Meysam Roudaki

Source: http://en.irangreenvoice.com/article/2011/jun/13/3175

Freedom: 16 Secret Executions took place by the iranian gov...

2011-06-12T13:27:00.000-05:00

16 prisoners were secretly hanged at Mashhad’s Vakilabad Prison. Sixteen prisoners were secretly hanged at Mashhad’s Vakilabad Prison on May 23 and 24, says the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, citing “reliable sources.”
It reports that on May 23, twelve prisoners were hanged for drug charges. The next day, three sisters were hanged for drug charges and a convicted rapist was executed.
The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran had earlier reported that over the past two and a half months, 70 prisoners have been hanged in Vakilabad Prison. The campaign contends that the executions were drug related and carried out secretly and en masse.
The campaign maintains that the prisoners were executed without prior notification to the families and lawyers of the prisoners.
The recent surge in the number of executions in Iran has set off alarm bells in international human rights communities.
In March, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed “international concern” regarding the rise in executions in Iran and the conditions of prisoners at Mashhad’s Vakilabad Prison in particular.
Source: Human Rights House of IRAN (http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/100477.html)

Iranian Woman's Testimony of Rape and Torture

2011-06-11T11:42:00.000-05:00

Iranian Woman's Testimony of Rape and Torture

A Week at Evin! (May 30- June 5)

2011-06-07T01:01:00.003-05:00

Haleh Sahabi dies at funeral of Ezatollah Sahabi

Ezatollah Sahabi passed away on May 31 2011. Haleh Sahabi died on June 1, 2011 at her father's funeral. During the funeral, Haeleh Sahabi reportedly got into an argument with several members of the Basij militia. According to her son Yahya Shamekhi,
"When we took the body of my grandfather out for the funeral ceremony, officials tried to stop the ceremony - that made the atmosphere very agitated, ... Finally they forcefully grabbed the body and took it away. Then my mother fell down and became unconscious. The doctor told us she died because of a heart attack."
Eye witnesses confirming that Sahabi was beaten by security forces including Ahmad Montazeri and Hamed Montazeri (son and grandson of Ayatollah Montazeri), and an unnamed journalist quoted by International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. In an interview with the same radio, Hamed Montazeri said that
"I did witness a member of the forces hitting Ms. Sahabi on her upper body, and I testify that she fainted immediately after the strike. The offender hid in the crowd soon after that."
Her body was seized and buried by the authorities immediately after death, and the authorities forced the family to attend the burial during at night.

Bahareh Hedayat’s Husband Arrested for Speaking to Media at Funeral Ceremony

Eye witnesses have told the Daneshjoo News website that Amin Ahmadiyan, a member of the Tahkim Vahdat student organization was beaten and arrested during the memorial ceremony for Ezzatollah Sahabi, the Iranian scholar, humanitarian, pro-democracy activist, politician, and former parliament member.

Ahmadiyan is the husband of Bahareh Hedayat, the incarcerated spokesperson for Tahkim Vahdat. Hedayat has been behind bars for nearly two years. Following yesterday’s killing of Haleh Sahabi [Ezzatollah Sahabi's daughter] at her father’s funeral service, Ahmadiyan gave interviews to media outlets as an eyewitness to how Haleh Sahabi had been beaten by security and plainclothes forces.

According to reports by Mizan-e-Khabar, members of Mothers for Peace and the Mourning Mothers of Laleh Park were among the people savagely beaten during the funeral. The same report indicates that plainclothes agents brutally attacked citizens who had come to the Hojat-Ben-al-Hassan mosque to pay their respects.

Women’s Rights Activist, Rahil Ashnagar, Arrested

Rahil Ashnagar, blogger and women’s rights activist, was arrested by security agents in Bandar-e Anzali, [Gilan Province], on Tuesday, May 31, 2011. According to a report by the website of Fair Family Law, security agents raided Rahil Ashnagar’s house and confiscated her personal belongings. She has been allowed to contact her family twice since she was detained. Rahil Ashnagar has been charged with acting against national security. Rahil Ashnagar was first transferred to Anzali Prison and then taken to Lakan Prison in Rasht where she is currently locked up with the general prison population.

Labour Activist Mansour Osanloo Released from Prison

Mansour Osanloo, the Tehran bus workers’ leader, was finally freed on June 2^nd after nearly four years in the notorious Evin jail. He was released due to international pressures, according to the Committee for Defense of Political Prisoners website.

Mansour Osanloo was arrested on July 10, 2007 and sentenced to five years in prison. He was sentenced to an additional year in prison in August 2010 under the charge, “Propaganda against the regime”. He has been arrested numerous times in the past decade, each time enduring much physical and psychological torture including spending long periods of time in solitary confinement.

Another young Kurdish Iranian is in imminent danger of execution

Habibollah Latifi, a young Kurdish Iranian, is in imminent danger of execution. Latifi is a student of engineering at Azad University. He was arrested in October 2007 in Sanandaj, the capital of Kordistan province, and has spent more than three and half years in prison. Politically active at his university, he too was convicted of moharebeh. The regime claims he was a member of an armed opposition group – a charge he and his family vehemently deny. His conviction followed a trial behind closed doors with no lawyer present to defend him. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reports that the only evidence presented against Mr. Latifi was a confession obtained under torture, which he later renounced. He has been sentenced to death and could be executed at any time. Read more.

Kurdish Cleric Sentenced to 14 years in prison

The first branch of the Saqez Revolutionary Court sentenced Mamousta Sediq Hassani to 14 years of prison. His lawyer Khalil Bahramian said, “Mamoustan Hassani who was arrested in Saqez some time before was sentenced to 14 years of prison on charges of cooperating with a dissident group and hiding guns”. “We have appealed the sentence and it has been referred to the Kurdistan court of review”, he added. (Mukrian News Agency – Jun. 1, 2011)

Activists Mohsen Barazvan and Fatemeh Karamad Imprisoned

The security forces have arrested Fatameh Karamad, member of the Islamic Student Association of Azad University. Previously, Mohsen Barzavan, another member of the Association, had been arrested. There have been no reports as to their charges.

Iran Teacher’s Organization Member Ali Soleimanpour Arrested

RAHAN: The security forces detained Soleimanpour with a warrant and confiscated his computer and notes after searching his house. They also confiscated his store’s computer the following day. He had previously been sentenced to one year of suspended imprisonment and 35 lashes for his cultural activities.

Rasoul Bodaghi, Hashem Khastar, Mohammad Davari, Abdollah Momeni, Abdolreza Ghanbari and Nabiollah Bastan are all teachers who are currently serving their sentences in prison.

Christian Priest, Behnam Irani, Arrested

On Tuesday, May 31, 2011, security forces raided Behnam Irani’s house in Karaj and arrested him. Behnam Irani is a Christian priest. During the arrest, security forces assaulted and insulted Behnam Irani in front of his wife and two young children and placed him in handcuffs before taking him away. Previously, Behnam Irani had been summoned to report to Rajai-Shahr Prison in Karaj within twenty days in order to begin serving his one year sentence. It is not clear why this Christian priest was beaten and arrested before his deadline was reached. According to a report by Rahsa News, judicial authorities have informed Behnam Irani that after he spends one year in prison, his five year suspended sentence will begin. Behnam Irani is a Christian priest who was initially arrested in 2006 and sentenced to a five-year suspended prison term. Four years later, in 2010, he was detained again and released after posting a bail approximately equivalent to $9,500. Subsequently, Behnam Irani was sentenced to a year in prison, but this sentence was reduced by two months as a result of an objection filed by his attorney.

The Editor of Andisheh Arrested

Rahman Boozari, a journalist and translator, was arrested Sunday morning on May 29, 2011, after being summoned to the court in Evin Prison. Since he was detained, Rahman Boozari has not contacted his family. According to a report by Saham News, on Saturday, May 28, 2011, security forces raided Rahman Boozari’s house and after searching the house, confiscated his laptop. Rahman Boozari is a journalist who has worked for Hammihan, Kargozaran and a few other reformist newspapers. Recently, he has been the editor of Andisheh at Shargh Newspaper and has been translating philosophy books.

Student Activist Sina Mehdinia Sentenced to Six Months in Prison

Sina Mehdinia, a student at Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, has been sentenced by Babol’s Revolutionary Court to six months in prison.  According to a report by Daneshjoo News, local sources have stated that last March, police forces summoned Sina Mehdinia to serve his prison term. However, since his sentence was preliminary and had not been formally communicated to him, his attorney’s appeal was granted. Currently, Sina Mehdinia’s case is pending a decision by the appeals court.  Sina Mehdinia was arrested during Ashura protests organized by Babol’s Green Movement in 2009. After spending eleven days in solitary confinement, he was released on bail approximately equivalent to $30,000.

No Information on the Condition of College Professor Reza Sefri

Reza Sefri is held in solitary confinement in the Isfahan Dastgerd Prison and his family has not been informed of his condition. According to the Human Rights House of Iran, his charges include organizing Quran meetings and ignoring the suggestions and pressures by the security forces.

The security forces who entered his house insulted him and his wife. He had followed up on the conditions of detained teachers in Isfahan and had assisted their families. He has been deprived of the basic rights of a prisoner and has not been able to contact his family.

Baha’i Citizen Houshang Fanaian Sentenced to 4.5 Years in Prison

Houshang Fananian, a Baha’i resident of Amol was sentenced to four and a half years of prison on charges of being a member of anti-government groups and organizations, propagating against the government and insulting the leader.

This 48 year old resident of Amol was arrested on March 13, 2011 by agents of the Sari Intelligence Agency in his place of work and was transferred to the Sari Kachouyi Prison. He was sentenced to 3 years of prison for membership in anti-government groups and organizations, one year of prison for propagating against the government in favor of these groups and six months of prison for insulting the leader. (Student Committee in Defense of Political Prisoners – May 24, 2011)

Iran sentences two clerics to prison for disclosing Kahrizak death camp atrocities

According to reports from Qom, Seyed Mohammad Salehi and Hossein Goudarzi who are members of the Moussavi’s Clerical Staff in Qom were sentenced to three years of prison each on charges of acting against national security and publishing lies. They were tried in the Special Clerical Court for making a documentary called, ‘By the Name of Kahrizak’.

According to this report, these two seminary students were arrested in March along with a large number of CD’s and were released after about two weeks on a 50 million toman (about 50,000 dollar) bail. (Tahavole Sabz website– Jun. 6, 2011)

Torture at Evin Prison: Journalist’s Own Experiences and His Interviews with 19 Political Prisoners

2011-06-06T21:03:00.001-05:00

International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran – Torture at Evin Prison: Journalist’s Own Experiences and His Interviews with 19 Political Prisoners

In an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, journalist Saeed Pourheydar, who was arrested twice after the 2009 election and eventually sentenced to five years in prison, described his prison abuse, charges, his detention conditions inside Evin Prison, and the torture of other political prisoners.

... “Many of my prisoner friends inside Evin’s Ward 350, who had prior experience in solitary cells inside Wards 209, 240, and IRGC’s Ward 2-A, had been exposed to some type of psychological, mental, or physical torture. During my time in Ward 350, I was able to talk to 19 friends who had been tortured. Most of the torture took place inside the ward affiliated with the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), and depending on what the security forces decided for the prisoner, the type and intensity of the torture differed. For example, if they were set on extracting confessions out of someone, they would force him to confess and accept his charges in whatever way they could. During the talks I had with my friends, they gave me a complete description of what they went through in solitary cells. The stories I heard about the horrible psychological and physical torture provided me with new insight about how brutally the regime treats its political prisoners,” he added.

“Beatings, urinating on the prisoner’s head and face, hanging the prisoner by his feet, flogging, using electric shockers, hitting sensitive spots on one’s body, and one case of horrible rape using glue, were parts of the physical torture my friends told me about. Fake executions, insults and degradation, arrests of family members, threats of arresting and raping the prisoner’s wife or daughter, threatening the prisoner with the death sentence, forcing the prisoner to take psychedelics, etc., were only a small part of the psychological and mental tortures used inside the Islamic Republic prisons that these 19 prisoners experienced. Though the number of prisoners who were tortured was far more than this number, when I was inside Ward 250, I was only able to talk to 19 individuals, some of whom were unfortunately executed later and some others who continue to serve their time there.” ... Read the complete article....

Blogger Refuses to Defend Himself in Court in Protest of Unjust Proceedings

2011-05-25T00:13:00.000-05:00

Blogger Refuses to Defend Himself in Court in Protest of Unjust Proceedings
From: http://iranbriefing.net/

At his court session held at the Revolutionary Court on Saturday, 14 May, blogger Payman Roshan Zamir did not present a defense for himself in protest to the unjust proceedings of the judicial review. “According to requirements expressed in the law for a political suspect’s trial court, there should have been an open court, a jury, and a Representative from the Prosecutor; none of these were present. What is happening inside the Judiciary is that all laws are interpreted against the legislator’s intentions and against the suspect. I was entitled to an open court, whereas even my father was not allowed to attend, and when the lawyer brought him into the court after a lot of hardship, the Judge did not let him be present,” Roshan Zamir told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran about his court proceedings.

“Other than writing a few articles, typing them, and giving one or two interviews, I have not done anything else and all of this is visible in my blogs. I wrote articles such as “Legal Ways For Changing The Leader” for Radio Zamaneh, or “We are Sohrab and Neda, not the Mujahedin-e Khalgh Organization,” but when my lawyer asked the Judge during my court proceedings to present the evidence, 90% of the evidence used by the Judge were articles I had not written at all, and had not even heard about during my interrogations. The most interesting point was when, suddenly, at the end of my court session, my interrogator entered the courtroom and showed a cartoon, saying that it was printed off of Payman’s laptop computer–a 100% false statement. He has had my laptop for the past five months. How come this cartoon was never discussed or shown to me during my interrogations, in prison, or at the court before?” said Roshan Zamir.

“When the Constitution states that the court has to be open, it is for this purpose, so that false things are not entered into the suspect’s case without shame or reservation, and so that what comes up during the case’s course is based on minimum logic. But when the court is closed, because they feel relaxed that no one can hear the suspect’s defense, they make any false accusation against him. If they are angry with one of my articles or analysis, when they know that my article does not contain any insults of illegal material, it is very unethical of them to accuse me of ridiculous things about which I know nothing and which I have never published on any websites, so that they can convict me,” continued Roshan Zamir.

“My court session was not only closed and without a jury, it even lacked a representative from the Prosecutor’s Office. [By Prosecutor's Representative], I mean the person who should read the indictment against me, and the judge played the role of the Prosecutor, too. According to the law, if there is no representative from the Prosecutor’s Office, the court lacks validity. There was no jury and not even a representative from the Prosecutor.”

“Because of my objections to the court, I did not present any defense. I only said that I do not accept the charges. My lawyer defended me a little. I had two charges. One of them was ‘insulting the Supreme Leader,’ and I said that I have not insulted the Leader in any of my articles, and the other was ‘propagating against the regime,’ and I didn’t accept that one, either,” added Roshan Zamir.

“Our political suspects have attended so many closed court sessions, they are now used to it. But this is a very abnormal thing. The suspect should worry about his reputation. When someone files a complaint against another, it means that [they believe] he is guilty and the plaintiff has evidence against him, so he should not worry. But why do they close the court doors? This action is the best evidence for finding the court at fault. Anything could happen behind closed doors.”

Payman Roshan Zamir, who blogs on “Oos Peyman,” and is Editor-in-Chief of “Talar-e Haft-e Tir,” is currently out of prison on bail. He was arrested at his home on 20 January and was released on 29 February after being detained inside the Intelligence Office and Karoon Prison. His charges are “propagating against the regime,” and “insulting the leader”–neither of which the political activist accepts. Roshan Zamir currently awaits the results of his lower court ruling.

Karun Prison, where line between humanity & barbarity are blurred

2011-05-17T07:28:00.001-05:00

From IranGreenVoice:

In a heart breaking, open letter written to Mohammad Javad Ardeshir Larijani, the Head of the Human Rights Council for Iran's Judiciary and top adviser to the Supreme Leader, Ziya Nabavi incarcerated student, deprived of the right to an education, paints a gut wrenching picture of the inhumane and unbearable conditions at Karun prison in the city of Ahvaz, stating that never before in his life had he heard about, read about or experienced anything quite like it.

Zia Nabavi was arrested on the night of June 14th, 2009, protesting the rigged presidential elections. He was sentenced to 15 years prison and sent to exile at Karun prison in January 2010 by the 26th branch of the Revolutionary Court presided over by Judge Pir Abbasi. His sentence was later reduced to 11 years by the Appeals Court; a sentence that is shocking given Ziya's calm and rational nature and given that his only crime was to stand up for students deprived of the right to an education. Ziya was also charged with collaboration with the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO - a terrorist organization in exile) and as a result sent to exile in Karun, a charge that he has vehemently and repeatedly denied to date. Zia has also expressed his aversion for the MKO on numerous occasions.

Zia Nabavi, incarcerated student deprived of an education is only 26 years old. He is enduring one of the most inhumane prisons in Iran. Though we continue to hope and dream that the prison conditions for all prisoners in Iran improve, we cannot turn our back on the great injustice endured by Zia Nabavi, one of the elite engineering students in Iran. If nothing else, we must demand that at minimum the terms of his incarceration be fair and the conditions humane.

The complete content of Seyed Zia Nabavi's letter to the head of the Human Rights Council for Iran's Judiciary is as follows:

To Mr. Mohammad Javad Ardeshir Larijani, Head of the Human Rights Council for Iran's Judiciary,

The letter you find before you has a long and detailed history. When I look back to the past, to October 2010 when I was first exiled to Karun prison, I realize how many moments I spent contemplate about writing such a letter. Of course it goes without saying that there is a significant difference between contemplating something and actually doing it - a state of uncertainty characteristic of human behavior, one that often creates doubt, suspicion and apprehension, rendering us ineffective. On a personal level, writing this letter was far from easy, for every time I took pen to paper with the intent to write a few lines of criticism, I kept questioning myself and whether it was the right thing to do. I kept wondering what the purpose of writing such a letter was and if the conditions could indeed ever change. I kept ruminating over what my role should be. Who was I to criticize? Was I capable of expressing my thoughts on paper? Did anything I have to say carry any weight?

Believe me when I say that in the months since my exile to Karun prison, I have often struggled with what I should do and how I should react in the face of the inhumane, unbearable and disastrous conditions at this prison. Of course, since my arrival, I have discussed the prison conditions with the Karun prison officials and judicial authorities, an act that has led to some positive results. The conditions in this prison are however, so utterly out of the realm of what is considered appropriate, that I doubt that things will be resolved even with the determination of the entire prison authority. We need a new approach and higher levels of authority in order to bring about the sorely needed changes.

I am fully aware that when reading this letter, your impression of the motives of the author will strongly determine your reaction. If I were to dare and put my hope in this letter having any positive effect, it would be with the knowledge that you would read this letter with an empathetic point of view; though I realize that your reaction to this letter is out of my hands, for frankly any effort on my part to defend my motives (motives that are unclear even to me), would be immoral and incorrect to say the least.

Perhaps it's best if you ignore my intentions altogether and look at it from a more objective point of view. I can guarantee if nothing else, that I have not exaggerated my account of the conditions at Karun prison and when describing the shortcomings, though I may have inadvertently omitted something, I have not added anything that does not exist. For exactly this reason, I have chosen to limit the content of this letter to my personal experiences of the conditions at ward 6 in Karun prison where I am currently incarcerated. It goes without saying that in addition to the general challenges associated with this ward, I am dealing with my own unique set of problems related to the shortcomings of my legal case. Since discussing my case is beyond the scope of this letter, I will not delve into that matter here.

The most significant challenge facing Karun prison in Ahvaz is the intense overcrowding and population density in for example ward 6, where I am currently incarcerated. Based on the number of beds available, this ward has a maximum capacity of 110 prisoners, but on average more than 300 prisoners are held in this ward at all times; in other words three times the maximum capacity allowed! Obviously, such a large population has a hard time fitting in the rooms even when standing, and as a result of the overcrowding many sleep on the floors ( I myself slept without a bed for six months) and a third of the prisoners sleep outside in the courtyard. This means that the entire area allocated to prisoners seeking fresh air is covered with prison blankets and large number of prisoners are forced to spend day and night outdoors regardless of the weather conditions - and when it rains at night, with nowhere else to sleep, many of these prisoners are forced to take refuge in the prison kitchen, bathroom or showers. Believe me when I say that even witnessing such an event is horrific. These days the only thing that makes me happy is knowing that I am alive and being grateful that I have never had to endure sleeping outside in the courtyard or in the bathroom like so many other prisoners.

The overcrowding at the prison has resulted in the commingling of prisoners and although ward 6 is referred to as a "security" ward, only 1/6 of the inmates are charged with political or security related crimes, the rest of the inmates are there on drug related charges or theft. Of course one of the three rooms at the prison has been assigned to political prisoners and prisoners incarcerated on security charges. However, with the exception of the sleeping quarters, all prisoners share the courtyard, kitchen, bathrooms and showers.

The prisoners charged with theft and drug related crimes have their own specific set of problems such as addiction, dangerous illnesses and other hygienic challenges, generally not witnessed with political prisoners, making proximately with these prisoners very difficult and problematic for political prisoners sharing the same space. It is worth mentioning that Ahvaz has a second prison dedicated to prisoners charged with financial crimes. This prison has much better hygienic conditions and would without a doubt have been a more logical location for the incarceration of political prisoners and prisoners charged with security crimes.

The courtyard where prisoners can take advantage of fresh air in ward 6 measures 8 x 15 meters and given the overcrowding in this ward this translates into 3 prisoners per square meter of area assigned for fresh air. As previously mentioned, as a result of lack of space and the over population, this area has been converted into living quarters for many prisoners. Only someone who has experience prison life understands what a torture it is to be deprived of fresh air and a small area for walking a few steps and stretching your legs. In addition, the outside courtyard is covered with a ceiling joist made of round iron bars that form a melded mesh. Though designed to prevent prisoners from escaping, it limits the amount of fresh air, resulting in extreme heat during the hellish summers in Ahvaz, converting the courtyard into an oven. Sadly there is also no shaded area, leaving many prisoners exposed to the strong sunlight. The mesh ceiling also deprives all prisoners of the one limited pleasure of peering into the blue sky, making them feel like caged animals.

The hygienic conditions at this prison are non existent. One can honestly not expect much more from such an old prison given the overcrowding and the types of prisoners it holds. Some of the prisoners who lived simple lives outside of prison, are used to these conditions and have easily adapted to their surroundings. These individuals never shower, do not change their clothes, do not use any kind of soap and walk around bare foot even when entering the bathrooms and other areas. Given their presence, I am sure you can begin to get a picture of the hygienic conditions in this ward. The bathrooms at ward 6 are also very dirty and sub par. In order to use the bathrooms or take a shower, one is forced to queue for hours on end. The running water in the shower is often cold. The bathroom sinks consist of 6 old, cold water taps in a row that drain into a highly contaminated waterway. Oddly enough this small area is used for multiple purposes. Just try and imagine a two meter area where someone is washing their hands, another drinking water, someone brushing their teeth, another washing dishes, someone cleaning himself for prayer, another shaving, someone washing and draining their rice, while another blows his nose - though a nauseating thought, for those who experience it, there is sadly no escape.

Another significant challenge at ward 6 is the sewage system. As a result of the inadequate sewage system, living with mice and cockroaches has become common place for prisoner at ward 6. A much more serious problem, however, is that the sewage system clogs once every so often and pours out into the courtyard covering the area where prisoners are sleeping; it's smell filling the entire outside area and lingering for hours on end. In all honesty, at times the contamination and stench is maddening, rendering a whiff of fresh air into an unattainable dream.

Although breathing the same air as so many other prisoners, filled with cigarette smoke in such a confined and limited environment is torture in itself, when mixed with the stench of sewage it becomes even more unbearable, particularly if it begins to rain heavily, turning the courtyard into a swimming pool and making it impossible to move back and forth to the bathrooms and toilets without a handcart. What is even more heart breaking is that despite the sewage covering the entire outside area, the prisoners are forced to once again lay out their belongings and sleep and eat in this area day in and out.

I won't speak of the food in prison as my observations may be interpreted as based on my personal preferences. Suffice to say that the honorable prison cook will not even bother himself with peeling the potatoes used in the food. The prison store rarely provides fresh fruit and on average after much conflict, at best, each prisoner is left with a kilo of fruit every six weeks, making illnesses caused by vitamin deficiency common place in prison.

Cooking in prison has its own set of challenges. Firstly, there are no refrigerators for storing fresh food, making it very challenging to cook, particularly during the warmer months. Although this problem did not exist in the past and apparently all prison refrigerators were removed after inspectors found drugs in one of them. Though the rationale is very similar to removing all cars from the street as a result of finding drugs in only one of them! The kitchen provided for cooking, apart from being dirty, is very small, approximately 3 square meters, making cooking in it questionable at best.

There are also many hardships when it comes to communication. For one thing, the prisoners have no access to newspapers or magazines and they are banned from receiving any from the outside world. The prison authorities also impose many restrictions on books. I personally have not been able to receive books that are of interest to me; books that are not controversial in any way as they are in the area of philosophy, physics and literature. When it comes to access to telephones, each prisoner in ward 6 has access to phones for only 3 minutes a week. It goes without saying that 3 minutes is insignificant for someone who is thousands of miles away from their loved ones. Even this insignificant amount of time, is taken away from all prisoners as a result of unforeseen circumstances, rendering prisoners incommunicado. I was been deprived of all telephone privileges at Karun prison for a long period of time and banned from leaving my sleep area and using the library at prison.

What occurs behind these prison walls is "indescribable" and impossible to convey! Until I was forced to live it, I had never in my life experienced such a thing, read about it or heard about anything quite like it. Such a prison has never been depicted in any movie or any book. It was inconceivable to me that such a place cold even exist! I suppose this tragedy stems from individuals being forced to spend every single living moment under such unbearable conditions, in a small, confined and contaminated environment, overcrowded with conflicting prisoners of all kinds. I have a hard time describing a place that lacks even fresh air or a small area where prisoners can take a few steps.

In the past months I have spent in this prison, I have sometimes spend night and day pondering on my thoughts and behavior; a process that has made me come to surprising conclusions. I feel as though my life is slowly drifting from one in which I live like a human to one in which I am being treated like an animal; the instinct for self preservation and the desire to survive having become my main drive and concern. It feels as though there is nothing else to worry about except to stay alive. When I leave my room, for example, I try very hard not to look at anyone, to avoid making eye contact. If anyone sleeping in the courtyard addresses me, I pretend as always not to hear their request and ignore them rudely. When in line for the showers or the use of toilets, I find myself fighting like prehistoric humans, while trying at all times to limit contact as much as possible. Believe me when I say that though I am not a picky person in the least bit, here I feel as though one must be fearful of even breathing the air. On winter nights, when I would stare at the prisoners sleeping exposed to the piercingly cold winter air, two or three squirming under one damp, dirty blanket, I was left shocked at my lack of pity and compassion for others. It felt as though I had completely accepted that this is and will always be the fate of the world and humanity at large. How can one be ethical in a place where humans don't have the courage, if only for one moment, to put themselves in the place of others?

Perhaps I have said enough... there is so much left to say, but given my fear that expressing them will only render this letter less effective, I will refrain from saying more... My hope in writing this letter is to bring the attention of the authorities to this catastrophic situation and in doing so improve the unbearable conditions at Karun prison; conditions so unfortunate that they can only be explained as "bordering between humanity and barbarity", living like a human versus living like an animal.

Zia Nabavi
Karun prison, Ahvaz (South of Iran)

Translation by Banooye Sabz
.

The Fathi Brothers Executed in Isfahan Prison Today

2011-05-17T07:20:00.002-05:00

Mohammad (left) and Abdullah (right) Fathi

The International Campaign for Abolishing the Death Penalty in Iran – Moments ago, Bijan Fathi told the International Campaign for Abolishing the Death Penalty in Iran that his two sons Abdollah and Mohammad Fathi were executed after meeting for the last time with their mother. The efforts of, the victims’ family members, the activists, and the human rights organizations to halt or postpone the execution continued until the last moment, but were unsuccessful. The two brothers were hanged early morning on may 17th in Isfahan prison.

Mohammad Fathi, 27, and Abdollah Fathi, 29, were arrested on March 2010 and transferred to Isfahan prison. According to the family they endured severe physical and psychological torture to accept the false charges against them. The charges include, “Involvement with anti-revolutionary groups”, “Taking action for arms struggle”, “Enmity against God”, and “Armed robbery”. They were sentenced to death by Judge Moghiseh from branch 24 of the Revolutionary Court on the charge of Moharebeh (enmity against God).

Bijan Fathi, the father of the two political prisoners awaiting execution told the International Campaign for Abolishing the Death Penalty in Iran that “the sentence was confirmed a month ago in the Supreme Court, and today, the officials told their mother that the executions will be carried out [on May 17th].”

Bijan Fatthi added, “The confessions that the sentences were based on were obtained under severe torture. Throughout the entire judicial process, my sons were deprived of all of their basic lawful rights, like the right to have an attorney and the right to defend themselves.”

Here is the video of their funeral.

A Week at Evin! (May 9- May 15)

2011-05-16T22:23:00.003-05:00

Two Brothers Sentenced to hang Today

The Islamic Republic’s judicial officials have reached a decision to hang two brothers, Mohammad and Abdullah Fathi, in Esfahan prison in a few hours at dawn on Tuesday, May 17, 2011. These two brothers have been charged with the crime known as Moharebeh [Waging War Against God] through armed robbery and organizing an illegal group against the Islamic Republic regime.

Beijan Fathi, the father of two brothers on death row, in an interview with a HRANA reporter said, “Moharebeh means fighting against God and the Islamic regime. My sons have nothing to fight over with God or the Islamic regime.”

On March 28, 2010, seven individuals were arrested by law enforcement officers in Chalus (Mazandaran Province) and were subsequently transferred to Esfahan. These seven individuals have been identified to be Mohammad and Abdullah Fathi (son of Bijan), Davood Jamshidian (son of Mohammad Reza), Saied Javanmardi (son of Yadollah), Mohsen Goudarzi (son of Lotfollah), Daniel Amiryavary (son of Mohammad Reza), and Ibrahim Javanmardi (son of Reza).

Judge Moghazi presided over Esfahan’s Revolutionary Court, Branch 24, in a trial which lasted two hours and sentenced the aforementioned individuals to death. After the cases were referred to the higher court, the Supreme Court judges announced that the maximum penalty for each individual should have been seven to fifteen years in prison. Accordingly, the death sentences for five of these individuals were repealed. However, Mohammad and Abdullah Fathi’s punishment was not reversed and their family was notified by the officials who said, “The order has come from the above that these two must be executed.”

Mentioning that he was politically active and his sons’ uncle was sentenced to die in the 80’s, Bijan Fathi called his sons’ death sentences settling a personal account and told HRANA, “My sons’ fate is similar to that of those individuals who were executed because they visited Camp Ashraf in Iraq.”

Bijan Fathi pointed out that their home was near the front lines during the Iran-Iraq war in the 80’s and mentioned, “My sons suffered from neurological disorders because of bombings and explosions. Mohammed developed stuttering, and Abdullah didn’t begin talking until he was three years old. From 1986, they were receiving psychological counseling and treatment, and four years ago, their treatment began again. The records are still kept by their doctor. Consequently, they either aren’t capable of committing such crimes or are not in control of their actions. My sons’ medical records have been sent to the court, but unfortunately, no one has bothered to conduct an investigation by referring the records to the medical examiner. They have just said that they want to execute these two individuals.”

Bijan Fathi in reply to the question asked by HRANA reporter to find out why his sons’ arrests and execution sentences were not publicized said, “Since the officials and the attorney had promised my wife that the sentences would be reversed, my wife didn’t agree to let everyone know. My hands were tied. As a matter of face, after the Supreme Court’s ruling which was issued a month ago, we were going to do just that, but this morning, we were notified that the sentence will be carried out tomorrow.”

Bijan Fathi at the end added that similar to all other young people, his sons were politically active in election campaigns and participated in observing traditional Persian holidays and celebrations including Chaharshanbe Suri [ancient Iranian festival of fire]. Bijan Fathi again explained that regardless of all of such things, the sentences were issued to settle an old, personal account.

In an interview with Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Mohammad and Abdullah Fathi’s mother answered our questions despite her mental distress and anguish. Read complete text of the interview.

**************************

Maryam Bahrman, human rights advocate, was arrested on May 11, 2011 in Shiraz. The security agents also took many personal items, including her books and computer.

**************************

Mahboubeh Karami, women’s rights activists and One Million Campaign activist, has returned to Evin Prison in order to serve her three year prison sentence. Karami has been charged with membership in the organization known as Human Rights Activists in Iran, propaganda against the regime, and “involvement and conspiracy with the intent to commit crimes against national security.” On March 2, 2010, Karami was arrested in her house during a raid by the IRGC Intelligence Unit. Mahboubeh Karami suffered physically and mentally during her incarceration but was eventually released on August 14, 2010, after posting a bail approximately equivalent to $500,000. On Sunday, May 15, 2011, Mahboubeh Karami was summoned to prison to begin serving her sentence.

**************************

Mohsen Ghalei, journalist, was also arrested after being summoned to the court. No reason has been given for his arrest.

**************************

Vahid Lalipour, husband of university student activist Mahdieh Golroo, has been sentenced to two years imprisonment. One year of the sentence must be served, and the second year will be suspended for four years. Lalipour, arrested with his wife in November 2009, had been free after posting $50,000 bail.

**************************

Iranian-born Al Jazeera journalist Dorothy Parvaz, who was detained by Syrian authorities on her arrival in Damascus on April 29, was extradited to the Islamic Republic of Iran two days later, according to a statement issued by the Syrian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Parvaz is a citizen of Iran, Canada -- where her family moved when she was ten years old -- and the United States -- where she received her graduate degree in journalism and worked for many years. According to the embassy's statement, she used an expired Iranian visa in an attempt to enter Syria illegally. On May 1, she was "escorted by the Iranian consul to Caspian Airlines flight 7905 heading to Tehran," the statement said.

**************************

Massacre of Prisoners in Ghezel Hesar Prison

Reports indicate that at least 34 inmates were killed in the March 15 confrontation between prisoners and security forces Ghezel Hesar Prison. Previously, government-controlled mass media had put the number of dead at between ten and 14. Most of those killed had been convicted of common crimes and narcotic trafficking. Prison officials claim the event was sparked when some prisoners tried to escape. In contrast, the prisoners and their families say that the prisoners were protesting the large number of executions at the facility and the terrible conditions there.

**************************

26 Iranian Political Prisoners Send Letter of Complaint Against Ministry of Intelligence

26 political prisoners have submitted a letter of complaint against the Ministry of Intelligence and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, accusing them of torture and other crimes. The letter has been sent to the Majles Article 90 Commission, which is supposed to investigate citizens’ complaints and forward them to the judiciary. The letter has been submitted on the first anniversary of the approval by the Majles of a law called “Respect for Legitimate Freedom and Rights of Citizens.” A copy of the letter has also been sent to the commission set up to monitor implementation of that law.The letter details multiple violations of the law by the Ministry of Intelligence, the Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence unit, and the police, including:(1) arrests without warrants, or with warrants lacking any authority’s signature, or with dozens of names, and the fact that some warrants were signed several days before the June 12, 2009, presidential elections to which the charges supposedly related;
(2) conviction of political prisoners based on suspicion, rather than on proper legal cases;
(3) absence of attorneys during prisoners’ interrogations, though several laws explicitly state that the presence of an attorney is necessary;
(4) inhumane and un-Islamic treatment of prisoners by their interrogators;
(5) procedures for arresting, interrogating, and trying the accused that completely violate the procedures specified by the law;
(6) covering the eyes of the accused and other forms of mistreatment during interrogation;
(7) the fact that the interrogators hide themselves during interrogation, a violation of the law that says the accused must be able to see the interrogator;
(8) destroying or confiscating personal items of the accused at work or at home;
(9) torturing the accused;
(10) use of inexperienced and extremist interrogators who consistently violate the laws;
(11) improperly delving into the private lives of the accused;
(12) changing the responses of the accused to interrogators’ questions so that they conform to preconceived judgments.

Among the letter’s signatories are some of the best-known reformist figures, university activists, and journalists imprisoned in the Islamic Republic, such as Mostafa Tajzadeh, Mohsen Mirdamadi, Keyvan Samimi, Bahman Ahmadi Amooei, Abdollah Momemi, Zia Nabavi, Abdollah Ramazanzadeh, Behzad Nabavi, Feyzollah Arab Sorkhi, Abolfazl Ghadyani, Ali Malihi, and Hassan Asadi Zeidabadi.

**************************

Amnesty International 2011 Report on Iran

2011-05-14T19:14:00.000-05:00

This is Amnesty International 2011 Report on Iran:

The authorities maintained severe restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly. Sweeping controls on domestic and international media aimed at reducing Iranians’ contact with the outside world were imposed. Individuals and groups risked arrest, torture and imprisonment if perceived as co-operating with human rights and foreign-based Persian-language media organizations. Political dissidents, women’s and minority rights activists and other human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists and students were rounded up in mass and other arrests and hundreds were imprisoned. Torture and other ill-treatment of detainees were routine and committed with impunity. Women continued to face discrimination under the law and in practice. The authorities acknowledged 252 executions, but there were credible reports of more than 300 other executions. The true total could be even higher. At least one juvenile offender was executed. Sentences of death by stoning continued to be passed, but no stonings were known to have been carried out. Floggings and an increased number of amputations were carried out.

Background

Iran’s human rights record was assessed under the UN Universal Periodic Review in February; the government subsequently accepted all general recommendations but rejected those calling for specific reforms to end religious and gender discrimination and the application of the death penalty, especially against juvenile offenders. The government also rejected recommendations that it co-operate with certain UN human rights bodies.

In April, Iran was elected to the UN Commission on the Status of Women. In August, the CERD Committee expressed concern at the “limited enjoyment of political, economic, social and cultural rights” by various minority communities, in particular with regard to housing, education, freedom of expression and religion, health and employment. In September, the UN Secretary-General highlighted “many areas of continuing concern with respect to human rights” in a report to the General Assembly. In December, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution expressing concern about human rights in Iran and called for government action to end violations.

Scores if not hundreds of Iranians continued to flee the country in fear for their safety because of the high levels of repression by the authorities.

International tension persisted over Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme. In June, the UN Security Council imposed further sanctions on Iran over concerns that it was developing nuclear weapons.

Armed groups killed civilians in bomb attacks. For example, an attack in July on a mosque at Zahedan killed 21 people, including worshippers, and injured hundreds of others. Another, near a mosque in Chabahar, killed at least 38 people and injured over 50. The People’s Resistance Movement of Iran (PRMI), an armed group also known as Jondallah, claimed responsibility for both. In September, a bomb attack in Mahabad killed at least 10 people and injured over 80, including children, following which Iranian security forces were reported to have crossed into Iraq and killed at least 30 people. Kurdish groups denied responsibility for the attack.

Freedom of expression, association and assembly

The government entrenched the severe curbs on freedom of expression, association and assembly it had imposed in 2009. The security forces were deployed in force to deter or disperse further public protests. Scores if not hundreds of people arrested in connection with the mass protests in 2009 continued to be held, most of them serving prison terms, although others were released. Scores more were arrested throughout 2010.

Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, who had stood against President Ahmadinejad in the June 2009 presidential election, continued to face severe restrictions on their freedom of movement. Government supporters attacked them or their families, and newspapers were instructed not to report about them or about former president Mohammad Khatami. Two major political parties opposed to the government were banned while others remained prohibited.

The government purged universities of “secular” teaching staff and imposed education bans on students engaged in campus protests.

The authorities continued to restrict access to outside sources of information such as the internet. International radio and television broadcasts were jammed. In January, the authorities banned contact by Iranians with some 60 news outlets and foreign-based organizations. Those willing to speak to the few large Persian-language media outlets on human rights issues were threatened or harassed by security officials. Many Iranians turned to social networking websites to express their views.

The authorities banned newspapers and student journals and prosecuted journalists whose reporting they deemed “against the system”. Wiretapping and intercepting of SMS and email communications were routine. A shadowy “cyber army”, reportedly linked to the Revolutionary Guards, organized attacks on domestic and foreign internet sites deemed to be anti-government, while other sites, including some associated with religious leaders, were filtered.

Arbitrary arrests and detentions

Security officials, generally in plain clothes and without showing identification or arrest warrants, continued to arrest arbitrarily government opponents and people seen to be dissenting from officially approved values on account of their views or lifestyle. Among those arrested were human rights activists, independent trade unionists, students and political dissidents.

Those arrested were often held for long periods during which they were denied contact with their lawyers or families, tortured or otherwise ill-treated, and denied access to medical care. Some were sentenced to prison terms after unfair trials. Others sentenced after unfair trials in previous years remained in jail.

· In February, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention declared that three US nationals detained in July 2009 while hiking near the Iraq-Iran border were held arbitrarily. In August, it concluded that Isa Saharkhiz, a journalist and member of Iran’s Committee to Protect Freedom of the Press, held since July 2009 and sentenced in September 2010 to three years’ imprisonment for “insulting the country’s leadership” and “propaganda against the system”, was also being arbitrarily detained and should be released.

· Human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh was arrested on 4 September. She remained held at the end of 2010, on trial on security charges relating to her peaceful human rights activities and defence of her clients.

Unfair trials

The year saw a further degradation of the criminal justice system, which offered little protection of human rights. Political suspects received grossly unfair trials in which they often faced vaguely worded charges that did not amount to recognizably criminal offences. Frequently, they were convicted in the absence of defence lawyers on the basis of “confessions” or other information allegedly obtained under torture in pre-trial detention. Courts accepted such “confessions” as evidence without investigating how they were obtained.

· Blogger Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki, arrested in December 2009, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on national security charges. When he complained that he had been tortured, the judge told him he “deserved it”.

Torture and other ill-treatment

Torture and other ill-treatment in pre-trial detention remained common, facilitated by the routine denial of access to lawyers and continuing impunity for perpetrators. Methods reported included severe beatings; forcing detainees’ heads into toilets to make them ingest human excrement; mock executions; confinement in very small, cramped spaces; deprivation of light, food and water; and denial of medical treatment. In one case, a male detainee was reported to have been raped; others were threatened with rape.

· In August, Gholam-Reza Bayat, a Kurdish youth, was reported to have died from internal bleeding after he was beaten in custody in Kamyaran.

Details of torture in 2009 continued to emerge. In February, a former member of the volunteer paramilitary Basij force described how tens of boys had been rounded up in Shiraz, thrown into shipping containers and systematically raped. After expressing concerns to a Basij leader, he and others were detained for 100 days without access to their families and beaten. He also alleged that he faced a mock execution.

Impunity

Members of the security forces continued to violate human rights with near-total impunity.

The prosecution of 12 men, including 11 officials accused of committing serious abuses at Kahrizak prison before it was closed in July 2009, appeared to scapegoat low-ranking officials for only some of the serious abuses that took place after the June 2009 election, which in several cases had led to the death of detainees. Two of the 12 were sentenced to death but then pardoned by their victims’ families, as permitted under Iranian law. Nine others received prison terms.

Judicial proceedings were initiated during 2010 against at least 50 individuals in relation to abuses at a Tehran University dormitory immediately after the 2009 election.

Human rights defenders

Human rights defenders were subject to serious human rights violations as they continued to press for greater respect for the rights of women and ethnic minorities and for an end to executions of juvenile offenders and stoning executions. Women’s rights activists, lawyers, trade unionists, ethnic minority rights activists, students and others campaigning for human rights, unfairly tried and imprisoned in previous years, continued to be held. Others faced arbitrary arrest, harassment, prosecution and unfair trials. Some were prisoners of conscience; others were banned from travelling abroad. The ban on independent trade unions was maintained.

· Emadeddin Baghi, a journalist, author and head of a banned NGO that advocated prisoners’ rights who was detained between December 2009 and June 2010, began serving a seven-year prison sentence in December; he had been prosecuted for his peaceful human rights and journalistic activities.

The authorities harassed and, in some cases, arrested members of grassroots human rights organizations, including the Committee of Human Rights Reporters (CHRR) and Human Rights Activists of Iran (HRAI).

· Shiva Nazar Ahari, a CHRR member arrested in December 2009, was released on bail in September, just before receiving a six-year prison term. She remained free pending the outcome of her appeal against the sentence, more than half of which is to be served in “exile”.

Discrimination against women

Women faced continuing discrimination in law and practice; those campaigning for women’s rights were targeted for state repression. Parliament debated draft legislation on family protection whose controversial provisions, if enacted, would further erode women’s rights. Women’s rights activists, including those mounting the One Million Signatures Campaign to demand legal equality for women, continued to face pressure.

· Mahboubeh Karami, a member of the One Million Signatures Campaign, was detained for the fifth time in March and held until 18 August. In September, she was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment for membership of the HRAI, “propaganda against the state” and “conspiring against the state”. She remained free pending appeal.

· Two women, Fatemeh Masjedi and Maryam Bigdeli, who had been convicted on charges relating to their peaceful collection of signatures for the One Million Signatures Campaign, were facing six months’ imprisonment at the end of the year after an appeal court upheld the convictions.

In April, the Supreme Leader called for renewed attention to enforcing the state-imposed obligatory dress code. In May, a “chastity and modesty” campaign based on a 2005 law was launched, targeting those who do not comply with the dress code in public, including on university campuses. In September, reports suggested that women’s enrolment in universities had dropped substantially.

Discrimination – ethnic minorities

Iran’s ethnic minority communities, including Ahwazi Arabs, Azerbaijanis, Baluch, Kurds and Turkmen, suffered ongoing systematic discrimination in law and practice. The use of minority languages in schools and government offices continued to be prohibited. Those who campaigned for greater political participation or recognition of minorities’ economic, social and cultural rights faced systematic threats, arrest and imprisonment.

· In September, four Ahwazi Arabs held since June 2009 were reported to have been sentenced to death on charges including “enmity against God and corruption on earth”.

· Around 20 Azerbaijani activists arrested in May around the anniversary of mass demonstrations in 2006 against a cartoon in a state-run newspaper which many Azerbaijanis found insulting were released in November. Akbar Azad, a writer, remained held as his family could not meet the high bail set.

· Mohammad Saber Malek Raisi, a Baluch youth aged 15 from Sarbaz, was reported in July to have been held without charge or trial since September 2009, possibly to force his elder brother to surrender to the authorities. In December, 11 Baluch men convicted after unfair trials were executed in Zahedan, apparently in retaliation for the PRMI bomb attack five days earlier.

· Kaveh Ghasemi Kermanshahi, a Kurdish human rights activist and member of the One Million Signatures Campaign, was held between February and May, including 80 days in solitary confinement. His trial on national security charges began in October.

· In October, Arash Saghar, a Turkmen activist in the election campaign of Mir Hossein Mousavi, was sentenced to eight years in prison after being convicted of “spying for Turkmenistan”.

Freedom of religion

Members of religious minorities, including Christian converts, Sunni Muslims, dissident Shi’a clerics, and the Ahl-e Haq and Dervish communities, continued to suffer discrimination, harassment, arbitrary detention, and attacks on community property. Members of the Baha’i community, who remained unable to access higher education, faced increased persecution.

· Dissident Shi’a cleric Ayatollah Kazemeyni Boroujerdi remained imprisoned following an unfair trial in 2007. Seven of his followers were arrested in December.

· Seven Baha’i leaders arrested in 2008 were sentenced in August to 20 years’ imprisonment following grossly unfair proceedings. They were convicted of espionage and engaging in propaganda against Islam. In September, the sentences were reportedly halved on appeal.

· In May, 24 Dervishes were sentenced to prison terms, internal exile and flogging for taking part in a 2009 demonstration in Gonabad, north-eastern Iran.

· Yousef Naderkhani, a Christian convert and member of the Church of Iran in Rasht, was sentenced to death in October after being convicted of apostasy.

Cruel, inhuman and degrading punishments

Sentences of flogging and amputation continued to be imposed and increasingly carried out, although it was not possible to ascertain the real total. Speaking before the UN Human Rights Council in April and June, Mohammad Javad Larijani, head of Iran’s official human rights body, insisted that the government did not consider such punishments as forms of torture.

· In April, journalist and filmmaker Mohammad Nourizad was sentenced to three and a half years in prison and 50 lashes for “propaganda against the system” and “insulting officials”. He said in November that he and others had been tortured. He began a hunger strike in December.

Death penalty

The authorities acknowledged 252 executions, including of five women and one juvenile offender. There were also credible reports of more than 300 other executions that were not officially acknowledged, mostly in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad. At least 143 juvenile offenders remained on death row. The actual totals were likely to have been higher as the authorities restricted reporting on the death penalty.

Death sentences were imposed for drug smuggling, armed robbery, murder, espionage, political violence and sexual offences. The authorities imposed the death penalty and used execution as a political tool.

· In January, two men sentenced to death for their alleged membership in a monarchist organization in connection with the post-election unrest were hanged without warning.

· In May, four Kurds convicted for their alleged links with Kurdish opposition groups were executed.

No stonings were reported, but at least 15 prisoners, mostly women, remained at risk of stoning.

· Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a woman whose 2006 sentence of death by stoning was under review, attracted global attention when it appeared likely that she would be executed. Those campaigning on her behalf faced harassment or arrest.

In December, an amended anti-narcotics law was published, extending the death penalty to offences involving synthetic drugs. The same month, Iran was one of the minority of states that voted against a UN General Assembly resolution calling for a worldwide moratorium on executions.

A Week at Evin! (May 2 - May 8)

2011-05-10T08:30:00.000-05:00

Shirko Moarefi’s Life in Danger

The International Campaign for Abolishing the Death Penalty in Iran – Shirko Moarefi’s death sentence has been upheld for the second time by branch 27 of the Supreme Court. The case file was sent to the Execution of Sentences Circuit in Kurdistan, according to Shirko Moarefi’s lawyer, Ahmad Saeed Sheikhi who confirmed the news on April 27th to the International Campaign for Abolishing the Death Penalty in Iran.

“Contrary to the ruling of the Chief of the Supreme Court stating that the ‘execution’ of Shirko is against the religion and the law [of the country], branch 27 of the Supreme Court has again upheld the lower court ruling,” Ahmad Saeed Sheikhi said.

Shirko Moarefi’s other lawyer, Khalil Bahramian told Radio Neda, “I am anxious that Shirko Moarefi’s death sentence can be carried out any moment.” According to Khalil Bahramian, one of his lawyers in Iran, Moarefi's conviction has been upheld by the supreme court and he was scheduled to be hanged on Sunday morning but his execution was delayed for a possible judicial review.

A letter attributed to Shirko Moarefi that was published on April 15th addressed human rights activists and civil institutions about his imminent execution. The letter was signed by Shirko Moarefi on behaf of other political prisoner as well. An excerpt reads, “Our only hope lies in the people and the resistance and struggle of you, the human rights activists and civil and popular institutions. We consider you our voice in continuing the resistance.”

Shirko Moarefi is one of the Kurdish activists who was arrested on October 1, 2008, in the village of Dowlat Ghaleh near Saghez, and was sentenced to death by the lower court. The sentence was later upheld by the Appeals Court.

Shirko Moarefi was at risk of execution another time in fall 2009; although the execution was delayed due to efforts made by human rights activists and the stay of execution request Amnesty International sent to the Iranian authorities on March 30, 2009.

Both human rights organisations have expressed alarm over the increase in capital punishment in Iran, which last year executed more people than any other country, apart from China.

ALSO READ The Guardian: Kurdish activist Sherko Moarefi facing execution in Iran

TAKE ACTION: Sign the petition to halt the execution of Shirko Moarefi

Mansour Osanloo Transferred to Hospital for Critical Decline in Health

Mansour Osanloo, the head of Vahed Transit Drivers Union, was taken to a hospital outside the prison for treatment of his heart condition. In March, Osanloo’s sister, Fereshteh Osanloo reported that her brother had three blocked arteries in his heart and required immediate medical treatment. She added that her family had repeatedly urged authorities to allow Osanloo to leave prison for the necessary medical treatment but they were turned down every time. Osnaloo had recently participated in the collective hunger strike at Rejai Shahr Prison in Karaj to protest poor prison conditions.

Osanloo is a leading trade union activist in Iran where he has been imprisoned several times from 2005 to 2008. Osanloo is currently held in Evin Prison, serving a five-year prison sentence. He is a founding member of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, an independent union that has been campaigning vigorously for workers’ rights.

Rajai Shahr Political Prisoners Continue Hunger Strike in Protest to Dictatorship

The hunger strikers initially launched their protest in solidarity with Fakhrolsadat Mohtashamipour, a member of the Iran Islamic Participation Front who was on hunger strike at that time before being transferred to a hospital a few days later. Two weeks ago, the hunger striking prisoners wrote an open letter to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. They called upon the UN Secretary General to send a Special Rapporteur to Iran to address prisoner conditions and to investigate the human rights violations.

An excerpt from the open letter written by Rajai Shahr hunger striking prisoners to the UN Secretary General:

“Following [our] hunger strike experience on April 10th, we, a number of political prisoners and civil and political activists, will fast for one day on April 17th. In the second week, we will fast for two days on April 24th and April 25th. In the third week, in honour of International Workers’ Day, Teachers’ Day, and World Press Freedom Day, we will fast for three days on May 1st, May 2nd, and May 3rd. We announce our solidarity with workers, teachers, and journalists and protest the oppression and the great pressures exerted on them.”

The political prisoners at Rajai Shahr prison, held under dire conditions and deprived of all telephone contact, also stated, “In the event that the current regime does not cease its authoritarian rule and continues to deny the implementation of the nation’s legal provisions based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, this protest movement will resume in the form of an unlimited hunger strike on May 22nd and will continue until we have achieved our demands.”
(English Translation of Daneshjoo News report by Banooye Sabz)

List of political prisoners on hunger strike in Rajai Shahr prison:

Heshmatollah Tabarzadi, Mansour Osanloo (On May 6th, Mansour Osanloo was transferred to a hospital), Isa Saharkhiz, Khaled Hardani, Seyed Mehdi Mahmoudian, Keyvan Samimi, Rasoul Bedaghi, Majid Tavakoli, Behrouz Javid Tehrani, Reza Sharifi Boukani, Hassan Taffah, Ali Ajami, Jafar Aghdami

Researcher Omid Kokabi from the University of Texas was arrested

Omid Kokabi, an Iranian post doctoral researcher at the University of Texas, was detained while visiting his family in Iran, on charges of "relationships with enemy states”. Kokabi belongs to Sunni minority and was among the top performers in Iran's Science Olympiad. He is reportedly kept more than one month in solitary confinement and now has been transferred to Iran's notorious Evin prison (ward 350). Kokabi received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Spain in the field of applied physics. His B.Sc. was from Sharif University of Technology on 2005. This is the link to his website at the University of Texas. http://www.ph.utexas.edu/~kokabee/

Azeri Student Activist Farzin Rahimi Sentenced to Prison

Farzin Rahimi, a software engineering student, was arrested in 2009 during a student gathering and was later released on bail. He has been sentenced to a year in prison for founding an illegal student group and 4 months in prison for insulting the Supreme Leader. His trial was held along with the trial of two reformist activists Mousa Saket and Ata Alizadeh.

Student Activist Ashkan Zahabian Summoned to Serve Prison Sentence

Ashkan Zahabian, a student activist at Babol Noshirvani University of Technology was detained on May 2^nd, at noon after he had turned himself in to the Shahid Kachooie prison in Sari (the provincial capital city of the Mazandaran province), according to the Committee of Human Rights Reporters.

Zahabian is a member of the General Branch of the Daftar-e Tahkim Vahdat (student alumni) organization. In February 2010, Ashkan Zahabian, without his presence, was sentenced to six months in prison by Judge Rezaieian in the Babol Revolutionary Court.

The charge against the student activist is, “Acting against national security through the formation of Islamic Associations in the north of the country”. On June 16, 2009, Ashkan Zahabian was arrested after he was beaten by members of the regime force known as Ansar. He was held for one month in solitary confinement at the Sari Ministry of Intelligence and the Mati Kola prisons.

Ashkan Zahabian has been sent to prison twice on the same charge. Recently, he was officially expelled from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, following two years of suspension. Ashkan Zahabian was 20 credits shy of receiving his Bachelor’s degree.

Malekpour, an Iranian-Canadian dual national and web developer, accused of establishing

Saeed Malekpour, an Iranian-Canadian dual national and web developer, accused of establishing “pornographic websites.” He has been reportedly tortured to confess to these charges.

Previously, in a letter to the Head of the Judiciary, his wife had stated that she had found out that Malekpour will be sentenced to death after a conversation Malekpour’s lawyer has had with Judge Moghiseh. She had mentioned that he has made false confessions under torture after being held in solitary confinement for a year. She had also stated that the trial was only 15 minutes long which shows that the verdict had been issued without an opportunity for Malekpour to present his defense. You can watch Malekpour’s wife message on YouTube.

Iranian officials should base convictions on reliable evidence and due process instead of televised confessions and dramatic re-enactments, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said today.

The Campaign added that coerced confessions are being used to convict criminal and political defendants alike, while state media is used to sell dubious death sentences and verdicts to the Iranian and international public.

Iran executed at least 350 persons in 2008; at least 388 in 2009; and over 442 in 2010, including 242 officially announced, and over 200 secret executions reported to the Campaign at Vakilabad Prison. On a per capita basis, Iran executes more people than any other country.

Another year has been added to the 11-year prison term handed to journalist and human rights activist Abolfazl Abedini

Abolfazl Abedini Nasr, a 28-year-old human rights activist and a former member of the Human Rights Activists in Iran and recently sentenced to 11 years of imprisonment has been transferred to Evin Prison’s clinic. The Iranian Human Rights News Agency (RHANA) reports that an extra year was added to Abedini's sentence for "propaganda against the regime." Abedini was arrested in the summer of 2009 and released on bail that November. He was arrested again in December of 2009 and transferred to the notorious section 2A of Evin Prison.

He was later transferred to Ahvaz prison in Southwestern Iran where he was denied any visiting or telephone privileges. According to several reports by human rights activists, Abedini has been subjected to beatings in jail.

Abolfazl Abedini Nasr is a former public relations officer of the non-governmental organization Human Rights Activists in Iran, which investigates and publicizes human rights violations, and a member of the Pan-Iranist party, a banned political opposition party.

Asareh Eyvazi, Abolfazl Abedini Nasr’s mother, in a letter to Iran’s Head of the Judiciary on April 2010 wrote: “What crime has he committed that he deserves to be tortured? Is defending the rights of Haft Tapeh factory workers, drivers’ union workers, and other organizations a crime?” Abolfazl Abedini Nasr has a heart defect that requires medication and frequent check-ups.

Watch the video “Free Abolfazl Abedini Nasr jailed journalist in Iran” on YouTube.

Nationalist-Religious Activist Alireza Rajaei Arrested

Alireza Rajaei , political activist, has been arrested for committing security crimes. Security forces have arrested Alireza Rajaei, a member of the Nationalist- Religious faction. Rajaei was arrested once more during the protests that erupted following the rigged 2009 presidential election. Rajari has been an editor in a number of reformist publications including Irane Farda, Jame’e, Tous, Khordad, Neshat and Asre Azadegan.

Iranian-Canadian Web Developer in Danger of Imminent Execution, Based on a Forced Confession

Saeed Malekpour, an Iranian-Canadian dual national and web developer, accused of establishing “pornographic websites.” He has been reportedly tortured to confess to these charges.

A Week at Evin! (April 24 -May1)

2011-05-02T20:05:00.007-05:00

Reza Khandan, Nasrin Sotoudeh’s husband recently announced that his wife has lost a considerable amount of weight in prison. He said that her weight has dropped from 58 kilograms ( 128 lbs) to 44 kilograms (97 lbs). He also said that, despite her vision problems, officials have refused to allow her to see an optometrist.The Daneshjoo News website reported on April 30th that Nasrin Sotoudeh, a jailed lawyer and human rights activist has been transferred from ward 209 in Evin prison to the methadone ward, the current location of the other female political prisoners.

The methadone ward is an enclosed hall no bigger than 30 to 35 meters. The ward is normally reserved for prisoners who are addicts and use methadone as treatment to battle addiction to narcotics. The prisoners are only allowed access outside for fresh air less than one hour per day. The prisoners are also banned from using facilities like the library and the phone. They are allowed cabin visits, but prohibited from face-to-face meetings.

***********

Mohammad Seifzadeh, prominent human rights lawyer and founding member of the Defenders of Human Rights Centre (DHRC) is reported that is not in a good health. On October 29, 2010, Seifzadeh had been sentenced to 9 years imprisonment and to a 10 years ban to practice as lawyer on charges of “acting against national security” through founding the DHRC, and “propaganda against the regime” through interviews with foreign media. He had appealed his sentence. Following a recent visit by his son, which lasted about two minutes, his son declared that his father was not in good health, had lost weight, and was limping. His lawyer was however not allowed to visit him.

***********

According to the latest reports from Evin prison, Mostafa Tajzadeh’s physical condition is “worrisome”. According to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Mostafa Tajzadeh had a disc surgery before imprisonment. He currently suffers from arthritis in his neck and requires surgery.

See the Report on the Detention of Political Prisoner Mostafa Tajzadeh | Take Action!

***********

Haleh Sahabi was arrested in 2009 during a demonstration in front of the parliament that was protesting the inauguration of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was announced winner of the presidential race amidst allegations of vote fraud.

Haleh Sahabi was charged with “propaganda against the regime by [her] repeated presence at illegal gatherings and disturbing public order.” She was sentenced to two years in prison and a monetary fine. She began serving her sentence three months ago, after it was confirmed by the appellate court.

**************

Tehran’s prosecutor has refused to allow detained Iranian activist Haleh Sahabi to visit her father in hospital.

Ezatollah Sahabi

Ezatollah Sahabi has served time as a political prisoner both before and after the Revolution in Iran.

Dr. Maleki at Haleh Sahabi's House

***********

After receiving a written court summons order on April 17th, Laleh Hassanpour went to Evin prison on Saturday for the execution of her five year prison sentence, according to the HRANA group.
Laleh Hassanpour is a human rights and women’s rights activist. Her sentence was upheld by branch 36 of the Tehran Appeals Court. She was tried in branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court by Judge Pir Abbasi and charged with, “Membership in the Human Rights Activists [in Iran] group and activism in HRA News Agency”, “Gathering and collusion”, “Engaging in propaganda activities against the government system”, “Insulting what is sacred”, and “Insulting the Presidential rule”. Judge Pir Abbasi sentenced her to one year in prison and four years of suspended imprisonment.

Laleh Hassanpour was arrested on March 16, 2010 by Sepah (IRGC) Intelligence agents and taken to ward 2A (solitary confinement) of Evin prison (IRGC-run ward). She was released on bail on June 2, 2010. According to HRANA, Laleh Hassanpour was under intense pressure during her incarceration to give false televised confessions.

***********

Akbar Amini, the heroic protester who climbed atop of a crane holding a poster of Green Movement martyrs during demonstrations on February 14th, 2011, was transferred from Ward 209 to Ward 350 at Evin prison after almost two months in jail. According to Kaleme, his new cell mates stated that on the day of the demonstration, Akbar had also held a picture of himself so that if in the event that security forces threw him off the crane, people would still be able to identify him.

Additionally, according to the Center to Defend Familes of those Slain and Detained in Iran, last month, Akbar’s brother Hossein Amini, age 27-28, was confirmed dead under strange circumstances citing a “heart attack” by prison authorities at Evin prison, although he had no history of any physical health conditions or diseases.

Video of Akbar Amini on the crane:

The Courageous Women of Iran

2011-04-20T10:27:00.009-05:00

The Courageous Women of Iran is a film made by Irish television about the brave women in Iran who decided to challenge the unjust laws of Iran. The documentary features interviews with the women involved the One Million Signatures Campaign and the dangers faced by the activists.

Commentary is in Irish with English subtitles
Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Iran's Political Prisoners on Hunger Strike

2011-04-14T08:55:00.005-05:00

Iran has some of the most notorious and brutal prisons in the world. Many of the political prisoners are writers, thinkers, activists, lawyers, and journalists. According to The Guardian Iran has most journalists in jail passing China and Cuba. Despite all torture, abuse and pressure, it is fascinating to see that the prisoners have kept their spirit of unity and solidarity. They demand their right even though they are certain that the brutal regime does not understand human rights. Among the signatories are jailed labour activist Mansour Osanlou, Rasoul Bedaghi of the Iranian Teacher’s Association, journalists Issa Saharkhiz and Reza Rafii, political activists Heshmatollah Tabarzadi and Behrouz Javid, and student activists Ali Ajami and Majid Tavakoli. The whole Iranian community should go on fasting in solidarity with our prisoners. Let us bring the month of Ramaḍān in Jumādā I.

According to Radio Zamaneh, political prisoners at Karaj’s Rajai Shahr prison have started a hunger strike starting Sunday, April 9 in solidarity with Fakhrolsadat Mohtashamipour, who has been on hunger strike in Evin prison to demand a personal visit with her husband. Fakhrossadat Mohtashamipour, wife of veteran reformist politician Mostafa Tajzadeh. She is also known for the numerous letters she has written to Tehran's prosecutor and the judicial authorities regarding the unacceptable condition of her incarcerated husband.

Khatami Visits Tajzadeh On Prison Leave

Another prisoners who went on hunger strike was Nasrin Sotoudeh.

PEN American Center announced her name as the recipient of its 2011 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award. Nasrin Sotoudeh (born in 1963) is a writer, lawyer, and leader of the women’s and children’s rights movement in Iran. She represented imprisoned opposition activists and politicians as well as juveniles facing death penalty. Her clients have included noted journalist Isa Saharkhiz and Heshmat Tabarzadi. Sotoudeh was arrested in September 4, 2010 on charges of threatening the national security. In January 2011, Iranian authorities sentenced Sotoudeh to 11 years in prison in addition to barring her from practicing law and from leaving the country for 20 years. Watch her speech (in Farsi with English subtitle).
Sotoudeh has gone on several hunger strikes since her arrest, refusing even water during one 11-day stretch, to protest her detention and ill-treatment inside Evin Prison. She has reportedly lost a considerable amount of weight and is in poor health. She is being held in Ward 209 of Evin Prison, where she has spent much of the time in solitary confinement. Sotoudeh is still awaiting a decision in the court of appeals.

To protest her detention and ill treatment Sotoudeh went on hunger strike. Watch Nasrin Sotoudeh on hunger strike:

Watch MSNBC Interview with Sotoudeh in Teharan, Iran in 2009 (when she was free):

See my page "PRISONERS OF IRAN"

PRISONERS OF IRAN

2011-04-12T18:43:00.006-05:00

THIS PAGE IS DEDICATED TO PRISONERS OF IRAN

Iran has been a country of political prisoners for a long time from the time of Shah's dictatorship to the dictatorships of Khomeini and now Khamenei. This regime has always been very brutal toward political prisoners, from the 1988 executions of political prisoners in Iran to the 2009 abuse, torture and killings of political prisoners in Kahrizak and Evin. The number of prisoners has increased very rapidly since the 2009 presidential election. I am proud that we have so many intellectuals, human right activists, reformists, thinkers, and journalists inside and outside Iran. Because of censorships and brutality of the regime, writing the complete list of prisoners is an impossible task. The Guardian has done an outstanding job in collecting and publishing a list of 1259 of missing in Iran (see Iran's dead and detained) as of January 8, 2010. You can download the list into a spreadsheet. It would be nice if we could keep the list updated. We should create a page for each of the prisoners on Wikipedia or other sites. I will update and add to the following list regularly.

You can see the rest of this post in my page "PRISONERS OF IRAN"

Take Action | Jailed Iranian blogger requires immediate surgery, denied prison leave

2011-04-09T11:21:00.000-05:00

This report was published on Persian2English.com:

April 1, 2011, Persian2English – The father of 24 year old jailed Iranian blogger Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki (a.k.a. Babak Khoramdin) told Radio Farda on March 29th that his son is in grave condition in Evin prison because he “suffers from kidney problems and needs to undergo surgery immediately.”

Hossein was arrested along with his brother on December 13, 2009 at their parents’ home in the Eastern Azerbaijan province during an operation to “dismantle a counterrevolutionary network.” Reports indicate that Hossein had “written and used software to combat filtering and to host and support websites and blogs that defend human rights.” His brother was later released on an $80 thousand (USD) bail.

Hossein is charged with “Membership in the Iran Proxy internet group”, “Propaganda against the regime”, and “Insulting the Supreme Leader and the President”. In December 2010, one year after his arrest, a 15-year prison sentence issued earlier for the blogger was finalized by the Islamic Republic Appeals Court. According to reports, Hossein’s lawyer and family were not present at the court when the sentence was issued. Hossein was originally sentenced on October 3, 2010 by branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court. Hossein was not permitted to read the verdict, but after he was beaten by [regime] officials, he was forced to sign it.

Reporters Without Borders said that this is the heaviest sentence for a blogger to date after the 19 and a half year sentence given to another blogger, Hossein Derakhshan.

READ THE FULL REPORT AND TAKE ACTION.

ALSO READ

Ahmad Zeidabadi Won the 2011 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize

2011-04-08T00:45:00.002-05:00

Iranian journalist Ahmad Zeidabadi won the 2011 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. He is also the winner of World Association of Newspapers' Golden Pen of Freedom Award for 2010. Announcing the UNESCO decision, jury president Diana Senghor said: “ The final choice of Ahmad Zeidabadi pays a tribute to his exceptional courage, resistance and commitment to freedom of expression, democracy, human rights, tolerance, and humanity. Beyond him, also the Prize will award the numerous Iranian journalists who are currently jailed.” Zeidabadi is currently serving a six-year jail sentence following Iran’s presidential election in 2009.

In honour of our political prisoners, I would like to write the names of these courageous people here, with some information about each of them and a link to any possible online petition requesting their release. I have started the list, see Prisoners of Iran's page. It will be a long list and I need your help to make the list more complete.