WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES! Prison and HR abuses.

iraniam · Jul 8, 2012

Five Ahwazis sentenced to death for allegedly posing a threat to Iran’s security

The men allegedly hanged by Iranian authorities included (top row left to right) Hadi Rashdi, Mohammed Ali Amoori, Rehman Asakara, (second row left to right) Syed Jabir al-Bushokeh, Hashim Shabaani and Syed Mukhtar al-Bushokeh. (Al Arabiya

Five Arab political activists in southern Iran’s Ahwaz region have been sentenced to death sentence by an Iranian judge on Sunday.

Families of the detainees confirmed the news on Sunday that Mohammed Omouri, Hadi Rashidi, Hashem Shaabani, brothers Jaber al-Bushokeh and Mukhtar al-Bushokeh have all been sentenced to death by hanging for the crime of “moharabeh” (being the enemies of God and posing a threat to national security).

In addition, Ahwazi activists were also sentenced for the same crimes: Abdul Rahman Asakereh has been sentenced to 20 years in jail, while Ismail Abayat was sentenced to five years.

In the past 18 months, Iranian authorities have executed four Ahwazi activists of the same crime, three of whom are brothers.

The families of the detainees shared with Al Arabiya the stories of their loved ones.

Mohammed Omouri had fled to Iraq, bordering the Ahwaz region, in 2007 when he was escaping Iranian arrest. However, he was eventually arrested in the city of Basra where the Iraqi authorities handed him over to Iran despite him having sought political asylum in Iraq. He was detained in Iran for four years in prison before his death.

Omouri had a degree in agricultural engineering from University of Isfahan. As a student he was an active promoter of Arabic culture and literature at student forums and was editor of an Arabic language newspaper called “Toorath” (heritage in Arabic).

Hashim Shabaani worked as an Arabic school teacher and was a Masters student of political science. He was known among national poets in the region and participated in several poetry recitals.

Hadi Rashdi was a chemical engineer and was an active member of societies, one of which included establishing free Arabic classes in the region.

Jabar al- Bushokeh, Mukhtar’s brother, was a serving military officer when he was arrested. He was also an engaged member of social activities.

Amnesty International had warned about the men’s execution and said their trial was unjust. The organization also told the detainees’ families that the men had been tortured during their detention and that their confessions had been extracted under duress.

Iranian state TV had aired these men’s confessions and accused them of being in touch with foreign militant groups.

Iranian TV often airs prisoners confessions which, after they are released from prison, the men say they were forced into making.

Ahwaz lies in southern bank of the Gulf and is rich in oil and natural gas. The majority of Ahwazis accuse the Iranians of discrimination and stealing the wealth of their and lack of due political representation.

Iranian authorities have long rejected such accusations and blames foreign influence for the conflict.
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/07/08/225224.html

iraniam · Jul 12, 2012

Four Iranian Arabs executed, five on death row: HRW

Human Rights Watch said on Thursday that Iran has hanged four Iranian Arab activists from Khuzestan province on terrorism charges and sentenced to death five others who could soon face the same fate.

“What we are witnessing today in Iran’s Khuzestan province is state-sanctioned killing that, by many accounts, is aimed at silencing voices that are critical of the government’s policies in the region,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at the New York-based HRW.

“Death penalty verdicts produced at breakneck speed without a modicum of due process protections for the accused invites nothing but skepticism about the merits of the government’s case,” she said in a statement.

Following reports on June 17 that four Arab men charged with terrorism- related activities were executed, “Iran’s judiciary should immediately quash execution orders against five other activists” from Iran’s ethnic Arab minority, HRW said.

The five, arrested in February 2011, were named as Hadi Rashedi, 38, Hashem Shaabani, 32, Mohammad-Ali Amouri, 34, and brothers Seyed Mokhtar, 25, and Seyed Jaber Alboshokeh, 27.

They were convicted behind closed doors of terrorism-related charges that carry the death penalty for alleged membership of an armed Arab separatist group and taking part in attacks, it said.

“There is little information available about the evidence used against the men except for televised confessions,” said HRW. “The lack of transparency ... is just one more reason why these execution orders should be quashed.”

Khuzestan, bordering Iraq and which is home to between one and two million Iranian Arabs, was rocked by sectarian violence in 2005, since when frequent attacks, protests and arrests have been reported.

HRW says 12 members of the province’s Arab community have been executed since May 2011, including a 16-year-old youth. At least six others have died in detention after having been tortured, according to testimony collected by HRW.

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/07/12/225924.html

iraniam · Aug 3, 2012

Execution Date Has Been Set For Political Prisoner Gholamreza Khosravi

HRANA-Execution date of September 10, 2012 has been set for political prisoner Gholamreza Khosravi. Khosravi who was also a political prisoner in the 80′s has been in the Intelligence Ministry’s detention since 2006.

Gholamreza Khosravi was arrested in 2006 on charges of donating money to an opposition satellite TV station. In 2007, he was tried in a court in Rafsanjan on charges of espionage and donating money to Mohahedin Khalgh Organization (MKO). He was sentenced to three years in prison plus three years suspended sentence.

The Intelligence Ministry appealed Rajsanjan’s court ruling. The case went to Court of Appeals in Kerman which issued a six year prison sentence for Gholamreza Khosravi.

Khosravi’s case entered a new phase with additional charges pressed by the Defense Ministry . After one year incarceration in the Intelligence Ministry’s solitary confinement, Khosravi was transferred to the Defense Ministry’s Prison No. 64.

After a long period of interrogations, Khosravi was put on trial in Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court presided by Judge Pirabbasi, on Moharebeh charges (enmity against God).

Judge Pirabbasi ruled this defendant’s charges beyond the scope of his court’s jurisdiction.

The ruling issued by Branch 26 was overturned by the Supreme Court. The case was returned to the same court for retrial, which resulted in a death sentence issued in 2010.

This last verdict was also overturned by the Supreme Court on technicality and was sent back to Branch 26 for retrial which ultimately resulted in a death sentence for the defendant in November of 2011.

On April 21, 2012, the Supreme Court upheld Khosravi’s death sentence and forwarded the case to the Enforcement Division in Evin prison.

In the last few days, Khosravi was summoned by Nasiri, the Assistant Prosecutor in Evin’s Enforcement Division and informed that his death sentence will be carried out on September 10.

Gholamreza Khosravi a former political prisoner in the 80′s was incarcerated for five years at the time, on charges of supporting a banned opposition group.

After about four years of incarceration in solitary confinement, in July of 2011, Khosravi was transferred to Ward 350 of Evin prison, where he currently is imprisoned.

http://www.freedomessenger.com/archives/49685

iraniam · Aug 16, 2012

Wave of repression and mass arrests in Khuzestan as political prisoner dies under torture

Alireza Ghobaishavy, a political prisoner, 37, an Arab compatriot in Ahwaz, died under torture by Iranian regime’s hangmen, on August 7.

Prior to this, Ghayban Abidavy of Hamidieh, Mohamad Chaldavy of Ahwaz, Reza Moghamsy of Dezful, Mohammad Kabi of Shush and Nasser Alboushoo of Ahwaz were killed under torture by hangmen of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS).

A. Ghobaishavy was arrested due to his friendship with a number of political prisoners who were sentenced to death last month. five political prisoners in Ahwaz, namely engineer Mohammad Ali Amvari,engineer Hadi Rashedi, Hashem Shabani, a teacher and MA student in Political Science, and two brothers named Jaber and Mokhtar Alboshokeh were charged with “Moharebeh” (Enmity with God) and sentenced to death. The death sentences of these prisoners were communicated to them on July 8.

In another inhuman act, the mullahs’ regime, executed four other Arab political prisoners in Ahwaz on June 18, including three brothers, Abdul-Rahman, Abbas, and Jamshid Heidari and another prisoner, Ali Sharifi. These prisoners were all arrested during April 2011 protests in Ahwaz.

Following this wave of repression, about 20 Sunni people were arrested in the Khuzestan province, on August 6.

Iranian Resistance calls on international authorities and human rights organizations, particularly UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran and rapporteurs on arbitrary arrests, torture and execution to take urgent and binding action to save the lives of six political prisoners especially in Khuzestan province.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran.

http://www.freedomessenger.com/archives/49999

iraniam · Aug 17, 2012

14 Political Prisoners Reportedly Flogged in Iran

Iranian opposition sources, including the “Kalame” website, are reporting that 14 political prisoners held in Tehran’s Evin prison have been flogged.

Most of them were reportedly jailed following the 2009 mass street protests over the disputed reelection of Iran’s President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.

Among them is journalist and blogger Siamak Ghaderi, who was sentenced to four years in prison and 60 lashes on a number of charges, including insulting Iran’s president, spreading lies, and acting against Iran’s establishment.

Ghaderi’s wife, Farzaneh Mirzavand, told Mahtab Vahidi of RFE/RL's Radio Farda that she was shocked when she found out her husband had been lashed.

She said her husband told her about the punishment during a prison visit. She said Ghaderi told her that his flogging had been enforced “symbolically.”

“I use the term 'symbolic' because [my husband] said they lashed him slowly while not [using full force]," she said. "However, he said that one prisoner had been flogged harshly.”

The families of some of the other prisoners who were lashed told Radio Farda that one of the prisoners had been badly injured as a result of the flogging.

The families said they were surprised that the lashings had taken place during the month of Ramadan, during which they said they had expected tolerance and Islamic forgiveness from Iranian officials.

Several other political prisoners have been lashed in recent months, including Peyman Aref. He was lashed 74 times in October 2011 before being released from Evin prison. A photograph of his badly bruised and bloodied back, widely shared on social media, led to outrage among activists and intellectuals.

Somayeh Tohidlou, a blogger and a doctoral student of sociology who campaigned for defeated presidential candidate and opposition leader Mir Hossein Musavi, reportedly received 50 lashes at Evin prison in September 2011. She said the sentence was aimed at humiliating her.

Mohammad Maleki, a former chancellor of Tehran University and an outspoken critic of the Iranian establishment, told Radio Farda’s Hossein Ghavimi that the aim of flogging is to create fear in society and also among prisoners.

Maleki, a former political prisoner himself, said he felt deeply sorry when he read the news about the most recent floggings. But such measures are not unusual for Iran’s rulers, he said.

http://www.rferl.org/content/iran-flogging-political-prisoners/24679766.html

iraniam · Aug 18, 2012

Families of flogged political prisoners speak out

In the past few days, the flogging sentence of a number of political prisoners in cellblock 350 in Evin Prison was carried out. According to reports, the flogging of Kamyar Iazi, who is a doctor, was to the extent that his body bled as a result.

Farzaneh Mirzavand, the wife of political prisoner Siamak Qaderi who was flogged said, “Unfortunately, my husband’s flogging sentence was carried out in the month of Ramadan. I expected [the government] the keep the sanctity of this month but they did not…”

Mazdak Ali Nazari was another political prisoner who was flogged. Colonel Nazari his father said in this regard, “I saw Mazdak today in prison and unfortuntaly heard that his flogging sentence and that of a number of others had been carried out. It was carried out in the month of Ramadan while they were fasting…”

The mother of another one of these political prisoners said, “Please do not publish my name because there is a possibility that my son’s name is in the list of people who will be released on Eid Fetr and with this interview, they will find an excuse to harass us again”.

“I became very distraught [about the flogging] and I cannot express my pain. When I saw my loved ones sad face and how they cruelly flogged his whole body, you do not know how I felt…” (Jaras website – Aug, 14, 2012)

http://www.freedomessenger.com/archives/50046

iraniam · Aug 20, 2012

10-year jail-term for student Omid Kokabee upheld by appeal court

GVF — An appeal court has upheld a ten-year prison term for Iranian physics student Omid Kokabee, opposition website Jaras has reported.

According to the site, Kokabee’s lawyers have yet to meet with him and there’s been a continuous disregard for the rule of law and the lack of due process in the young student’s case

Kokabee, a Iranian Turkmen who previously worked on the physics of optics at the Institute of Photonic Sciences in Spain, and more recently at the University of Texas in Austin, was arrested while returning to Iran in February 2011 on charges of “communicating with a hostile government” and “illegitimate earnings.”

In May 2012, Judge Abolghasem Salavati of Branch 15 of Tehran’s Revolution Court, notorious for his harsh sentences against countless dissidents, tried Kokabee along with twelve others, under the collective charge of collaborating with Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad.

The sentence, which has now been approved by Branch 26 of the appeal court, prompted Kokabee’s lawyer Saeed Khalili to dismiss the charges as “irrational and baseless.”

http://en.irangreenvoice.com/article/2012/aug/20/3800

iraniam · Aug 31, 2012

Mahsa and Masoud in Prison

Iranian journalist Masoud Bastani went to prison so that security agents would release his wife, Mahsa Amrabadi. Official agents had promised that they would release Mahsa if he presented himself to them. He did and Mahsa was released. But only for a short while. Still, Masoud was never sentenced for a long prison term but Mahsa was returned to prison.

These events took place in the initial days of the birth of the Green Movement. When Masoud went to prison, his wife became his voice and put efforts to talk about the injustice that was done to her, to him and to others.

She honored all her meetings and met with every official and prisoner who came out for leave to tell them that the response to a drive for freedom is not imprisonment. She did this until she was called back to prison to serve the remaining of her prison term. Today, both husband and wife are in prison, yet separated from each other.

It may be of interest to know that during the parliamentary run-off elections for the Majlis in the city of Arak, this young and passionate man did not go home for 40 days so he could campaign for a Majlis candidate, Rahman Kargosha, who was critical of the regime. Eventually though, the Guardians Council disqualified Kargosha from running for the office.

But Masoud's zeal and youth turned him into a hardworking and perceptive journalist. He turned into the voice of freedom despite all the ups and downs of life that he and those around him experienced. Undoubtedly living this way and dedicating himself to noble causes has created a heavy judiciary dossier against him, which includes three prison terms.

I never thought that his young man born in the year of the 1979 revolution whom I met for the first time in 1999 in Arak would turn into this curious and dedicated man whose quest for truth and justice would bring him much pain.

Masoud and Mahsa found each other in a romantic setup. They say that his first serious awareness of her took place during the memorial ceremony for the great Iranian poet and critic of the Islamic regime Ahmad Shamloo. Their attraction became serious in that meeting and Masoud told his companion then that he was attracted to Mahsa. And as the saying goes, love starts with a spark but turns into a flame.

They tied the knot on Eid Fitr celebrations. Masoud and Mahsa were married while Masoud was on a ten-day leave from his six-month prison term in Arak. So prison seems to be a normal part of their life. And in a broken down place with a dreadful regime of the kind we see, it is as if prison is the right place for them.

On the anniversary of their wedding, I send them my sincere greetings and hope that that they will live side by side for many years in freedom and in love
.

http://www.payvand.com/news/12/aug/1264.html

iraniam · Sep 2, 2012

Journalist begins jail term

Jila Bani-Yaghoub

Prominent Iranian journalist Jila Bani-Yaghoub has begun her one-year jail term at Evin Prison.

The Kaleme opposition website reports that Ban-Yaghoub, a prominent Iranian journalist and women’s rights activist, returned to Evin Prison on Sunday September 2 to serve out a one-year sentence.

She was arrested in 2009 during the election protests against the controversial victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Ban-Yaghoub was arrested along with her husband, Bahman Ahmadi Amouyi, another journalist, who is currently in jail serving a five-year prison term.

In addition to her one-year jail term, Bani-Yaghoub has also been banned for 30 years from media activities for the charge of "propaganda against the Islamic Republic and insulting the president."

The Islamic Republic government has arrested and jailed many journalists in reaction to the 2009 protests.

Reporters Without Borders has been consistently speaking out against the treatment of journalists in Iran, and in its latest statement, the press-rights group reports that with 26 journalists and 18 netizens in jail, Iran only trails China as the biggest prison for journalists.

http://radiozamaneh.com/english/content/journalist-begins-jail-term

iraniam · Sep 5, 2012

Iranian regime transfers 8 inmates to Tehran for execution

The henchmen of the mullahs’ regime transferred 8 inmates from Karaj’s Ghezel Hessar Prison, located west of Tehran, to solitary confinement in the capital’s notorious Evin Prison in preparation for their execution, human rights and democracy activists said.

Reports from inside Iran indicate these prisoners were transferred on Sunday, September 2nd, to Evin’s Ward 240 solitary confinement from Halls 1 and 2 of Ghezel Hessar Prison.

http://www.freedomessenger.com/archives/50446

iraniam · Sep 7, 2012

Political prisoner to be executed next week

Gholamreza Khosravi Savadjani

Iranian political prisoner Gholamreza Khosravi Savadjani, currently held at Evin Prison in Tehran, is to be executed on Monday September 10, his family has been informed by the judiciary.

The Melli Mazhabi website was informed about the imminent execution by a member of the political prisoner’s family, while the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has also been informed by a rights activist in Iran that Khosravi’s death sentence is to be executed in the coming days.

The unidentified human rights activist has told the Campaign that there are two specific legal violations in the processing of the case.

He stresses that legal provisions prohibit the transfer of the case from Rafsanjan to Tehran after sentencing. Furthermore, he reports that the two defence attorneys in the case have been arrested, the charges against Gholamreza Khosravi have been changed to “moharabeh” (enmity against God), and his six-year sentence for “spying” has been changed to the death sentence.

Human rights sources report that Gholamreza Khosravi Savadjani was arrested in Rafsanjan on spying charges in 2007 and a year later he was sentenced to six years in jail for “funding assistance to a television network run by the People’s Mojahedin Organization.”

The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran is an exiled dissident group that the Islamic Republic considers as one of its archenemies.

Khosravi’s case was reviewed in Tehran after the 2009 crackdown on election protesters in Iran, and he was sentenced to death. Some reports indicate that his record of a five-year prison term in the 1980s for political activities was used against him in the issuance of the death sentence.

http://radiozamaneh.com/english/content/political-prisoner-be-executed-next-week

iraniam · Sep 8, 2012

11 Prisoners Hanged Today According to Unofficial Sources- One Afghan Citizen Among Those Executed

Iran Human Rights, September 8: According to unofficial reports in Iran, eleven prisoners were hanged in Tehran’s Evin prison early this morning.

The group, Human rights and Democracy activists in Iran (HRDAI), reported that eleven prisoners among them one Afghan citizen were hanged in Evin prison early today. The Afghan prisoner was identified as Mohammad Dahmardeh, 37. Accodring to this report, another Afghan prisoner identified as Nemat Qureishi, 33, was scheduled to be executed this morning but his execution was halted at the last moment.
The report didn’t mention what charges these prisoners were convicted of.
The eleven executions have also been confirmed by a second unofficial source. Official Iranian sources have not yet announced these executions.

Iran Human Rights warned earlier about a new wave of executions in September. A political prisoner identified as Gholamreza Khosravi is scheduled to be executed in the coming days.

http://www.iranhr.net/spip.php?article2571

iraniam · Sep 10, 2012

One man hanged in public today- Another man to be hanged in public Tomorrow

Iran Human Rights, September 10: One man was hanged in public in the city of Shahroud, northern Iran.

According to the official website of the Iranian Judiciary in the province of Semnan, one man was hanged publicly in Shahroud today, Monday September 10. According to the report, the man, 35, identified as "H. A", was convicted of sodomy and rape.

Iranian news agencies reported that a man, identified as Sadegh Moradi, will be hanged in public in Tehran on September 11. According to the reports, Moradi— also known by the Iranian media as "Black Scorpion"— is convicted of the kidnapping and rape of 30 women.

Iran Human Rights (IHR) recently warned the international community that the number of executions in Iran may increase in September. According to official and unofficial reports, at least 17 people have been executed so far in September.

The number of public executions in Iran has increased dramatically in the past three years. It is believed that the Iranian authorities use the death penalty as an instrument to spread fear among the people.

http://www.iranhr.net/spip.php?article2575

iraniam · Sep 11, 2012

One man hanged in public in Tehran today- His last words before death: "I’m Innocent"

Iran Human Rights, September 11: One man was hanged in public in Tehran early this morning.
According to the state-run Iranian news agency Fars, the man was 27 years old and identified as Sadegh Moradi, also known by the media as Black Scorpion. He was convicted of raping four women and kidnapping and stealing from 14 other women, said the report.

Sadegh Moradi had previously been exonerated from the rape charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison. But, the decision was met with protests and the case was sent to the Supreme Court where the death sentence was reinstated.

Prior to the execution, Sadegh Moradi’s brother told reporters that the family had been unable to meet with Sadegh in more than a month , and despite waiting outside Evin Prison until 2:00am last night, they were not permitted to meet with him for the last time.

According to eye witnesses and various other reports, before he was executed Sadegh Moradi said: "I am innocent." He was hanged at 6:06am at Sabalan Square in Tehran.

Another man was hanged in public in Shahroud, northern Iran, yesterday.
In a previous statement Iran Human Rights (IHR) had condemned public executions. The spokesperson for IHR, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, called public hangings "barbaric punishments meant to spread fear among the people and promote a culture of violence in society."

iraniam · Sep 17, 2012

Baluchi political prisoner viciously tortured in solitary confinement

Based on reports received from Human Rights And Democracy Activists in Iran, a Baluchi political prisoner held in Zahedan Prison (southeastern Iran) has been placed in solitary confinement and under physical and psychological torture for the past 10 days.

Karim Bakhshi Yali-dehi, 45, has been tortured by Gholami, the prison’s intelligence chief, along with others affiliated to him. He was transferred from the public ward to solitary confinement for no given reason.

On the other hand, since his transfer to solitary confinement, family members have not been able to meet or have a phone call with him to be informed of his latest conditions.

Political prisoner Karim Bakhshi Yali-dehi was arrested in April 2010 in the city of Chabahar, southwestern Iran, and continues to be held in limbo despite the passing of 18 months.

Human Rights And Democracy Activists in Iran condemn the transfer of defenseless prisoners to solitary confinement and placing them under physical and psychological torture.

It calls on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and other international organizations to stop torture and executions in Khamenei’s prisons and demand Iran’s dossier of crimes against humanity be referred to the UN Security Council.

Human Rights And Democracy Activists in Iran

14 September 2012

This report has been sent to the following:

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights

UN Special Rapporteur on Executions

European Union Human Rights Commission

Amnesty International

http://www.freedomessenger.com/archives/50598

iraniam · Sep 17, 2012

Iranian Student Activists Sent To Jail

The Iranian judiciary has confirmed the prison sentences of Iranian student activists Kouhyar Goudarzi and Amir Garshasbi.

Kouhyar Goudarzi

The Human Rights Reporters Committee website quotes Goudarzi's lawyer, who said on Saturday that his client's five-year prison sentence in exile in Zabol has been approved by the appellate court.

Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabyi stated that the final verdict was "unfair", and despite his efforts to point out the irregularities in the proceedings, the Ministry of Intelligence had been extremely senstitive about this case.

Goudarzi, a former aeronautics student at Sharif University in Tehran and a member of the Human Rights Reporters Committee and the student Organizations Danesh Amoukhtegan, was arrested in December of 2009 while on his way to the funeral of dissident cleric Ayatollah Montazeri in Qom.

He was sentenced to one year in jail and released after he served his sentence.
He was arrested again, however, in August 2011 in Tehran, and within a few hours his mother, Parvin Mokhtareh, was arrested in Kerman.

While Mokhtareh was given a suspended sentence of 23 months in jail and was released on bail of 5.4 million toumans, Goudarzi was held in jail for eight months and finally released on bail of 100 million toumans.

Meanwhile, the Kaleme website reports that Amir Garshasbi, an electronics student at Shiraz Sanati University, was handed a three-year sentence and has been transferred to Evin Prison to serve it out.

He was charged with "assembly and collusion with the aim of disturbing national security."

Garshasbi was also arrested in December of 2009 in the mass protests against the controversial presidential elections that were marred by allegations of vote rigging.

Reports also indicate that Mansour Naghipour, a member of Human Rights Activists Organization who was sentenced to seven years in jail, together with Abtin Jahanian and Ashkan Alahyari, who were given jail sentences of three years and one year respectively for participating in demonstrations, have been sent to Evin to serve out their sentences.

http://www.payvand.com/news/12/sep/1140.html

iraniam · Sep 23, 2012

Faezeh Hashemi Arrested To Begin Serving Six-Month Sentence

Faezeh Hashemi arrested in Tehran on Saturday.
According to Iranian state news agency (IRNA), quoting the news website of Tehran Revolutionary and General Courts, former Member of the Iranian Parliament and Editor-in-Chief of the banned newspaper Zan, Faezeh Hashemi was arrested on Saturday night in Tehran, in order to begin serving her six-month prison term.

On 3 January, Branch 15 of Tehran Revolutionary Court, which has tried hundreds of cases of post-election detainees under Judge Salavati, sentenced Faezeh Hashemi to six months in prison and a five-year ban from political, cultural, and press activities on charges of “propaganda against the regime.” The lower court proceedings were conducted behind closed doors and Faezeh Hashemi’s lawyer, Gholamali Riahi, represented her in court.

After a Tehran Appeals Court upheld Faezeh Hashemi’s sentence in full, a source close to Hashemi told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that, “She believes that carrying out this sentence will provide support to political prisoners and their families, and it will also be a good experience. That’s why she welcomes it” as an act of solidarity, the source added.

Faezeh Hashemi is the daughter of Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, head of the Islamic Republic’s Expediency Council. Faezeh Hashemi has headed the Islamic Federation of Women’s Sports since 1990 and is a former Member of the Iranian Parliament. In June 2011, a group of unidentified people stormed and vandalized her offices at the Federation. No investigations were ever carried out to find the perpetrators.

At the time of Faezeh Hashemi’s trial in the lower court, ISNA News Agency reported that her interview with Rooz Online, an opposition news website published outside Iran, was the reason for her charge of “propaganda against the regime.” In that interview, Faezeh Hashemi spoke of the “organized” nature of plainclothes forces, stating, “presently, the country is managed by thugs and plainclothes forces who are bought with money, positions, and clout.”

http://www.iranhumanrights.org/2012/09/hashemi/

iraniam · Sep 24, 2012

Iranian Ex-President's Son Detained On Return

The son of former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has been detained after his return from a stay abroad, Iran's official news agencies report.

Mehdi Hashemi returned to Iran on September 23 after a three-year stay in the United Kingdom.

He has been taken for interrogation to Tehran's Evin Prison, the Iranian reports say, and has been charged with corruption and antistate propaganda.

His sister, Faezeh Hashemi, was detained late on September 22 and ordered to serve a six-month jail sentence handed down to her in January following a conviction on antistate-propaganda charges.

Both Mehdi and Faezeh are accused of fomenting the protests that swept Iran following the 2009 reelection of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.

Ex-President Rafsanjani, who was defeated by Ahmadinejad in the 2005 presidential election, is considered an isolated moderate within Iran's ruling elite.

http://www.rferl.org/content/iran-former-president-rafsanjani-son-daughter-detained/24718213.html

iraniam · Sep 24, 2012

Mehdi Hashemi

Mehdi Hashemi, the son of the cleric who heads Iran’s Expediency Council, reportedly arrived in Tehran from abroad on Sunday night, only to be handed a court summons upon his arrival.

ILNA reports that Hashemi’s lawyer, Alizadeh Tabatabayi, has announced that his client will report to the prosecutor’s office tomorrow. He added that the summons does not indicate any charges and only demands that Hashemi report to the prosecutor’s office to give a number of explanations.

The ILNA report includes the lawyer’s observation that his client’s passport has not been confiscated.
The spokesman for Iran’s judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, had said earlier that Mehdi Hashemi has to face charges in connection with events that followed the 2009 presidential election.

He stressed that Hashemi will be treated like any other person who is accused by the judiciary.
Ayatollah Rafsanjani, a highly influential political figure in the Islamic Republic, cautiously sided with those who challenged the 2009 presidential election result and alleged that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s victory was fraudulent.

While election challengers were harshly persecuted by the establishment with arrests and imprisonment, Ayatollah Rafsanjani and his family were targeted for their apparent support for protesters.

Mehdi Hashemi has been in Britain during the crackdown on election protesters, and conservative factions of the government have called for his prosecution, claiming he was active in fomenting the post-election protests, which the government refers to as “sedition.”

The Hashemis have dismissed the accusations, and the family’s eldest son, Mohsen Hashemi, has told the Fars News Agency that they are in no way concerned about Mehdi Hashemi’s fate, remaining convinced that justice will be done.

On Saturday night, Faezeh Hashemi, the daughter of Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, was taken to Evin Prison to serve out a six-month jail term for the charge of “propaganda against the regime”, a reference to her criticism of the judiciary for its treatment of election protesters.

http://radiozamaneh.com/english/content/mehdi-hashemi-returns-iran

iraniam · Sep 29, 2012

Prisoner repents in face of death penalty

Saeed Malekpour

Saeed Malekpour, an Iranian computer programmer who has been jailed and sentenced to death in Iran, has reportedly “expressed remorse and repented”, allowing his lawyer to apply for clemency in his case.

On Saturday, the Mehr News Agency reported that Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabyi, Malekpour’s lawyer, confirmed that his client’s death sentence has been approved by the Supreme Court.

Malekpour, a 35-year-old engineering graduate of Iran’s Sanati Sharif University and a software developer, arrived in Iran in 2008 from Canada, where he was residing, and was arrested by Iranian authorities.

He was charged with “propaganda against the regime by designing pornographic sites, insulting sanctities, insulting the leader and the president, and corruption on earth” and he confessed to the charges in a television interview aired on Iranian state television.

Malekpour’s lawyer said: “My client has expressed remorse about his former actions and, having repented in prison, he is calling for a reduction in his sentence, but the judiciary has not made its decision yet.”

Following his televised confession, Malekpour wrote a letter to the head of Iran’s judiciary, claiming that all of his statements were made “under severe pressure, torture and false promises of release.”

http://radiozamaneh.com/english/content/prisoner-repents-face-death-penalty

iraniam · Sep 29, 2012

At least 14 men were executed in Iran

HRANA News Agency – At least 14 men were executed in Evin and Ghezelhesar prisons within two days. And, 18 prisoners are waiting for execution in the coming days.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Wednesday, at least eight prisoners (Mehrdad Salimi, Hussin Moradi, Reza Ruzbahani, Jahanshad Geravand, Jafar Haghi, Ali hedayat, Manouchehr Zangane, Asghar Sarlak) from Ghezelhesar prison scheduled to be executed in Evin prison, but were executed in Ghezelhesar prison because the reporters were waiting at the Evin prison’s gate. There is no information about their charges.

The next day, at least six prisoners with charge of drug trafficking were transferred from Ghezelhesar prison and were executed in Evin prison.

There has been also reported, 18 prisoners are waiting for execution in the coming days. Within these days, the number of executions is rising up in Iran and domestic media do not cover them.

http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/133651.html

frato · Sep 30, 2012

and the international community remains inertia seems to me, this is very serious.

iraniam · Oct 6, 2012

Five prisoners hanged in Zahedan

A group of five prisoners hanged in Zahedan prison.

According to the reports received from “Human rights and Democracy in Iran”.

Five prisoners were executed this morning in Zahedan prison.

On the 15th of October 2011, the Iranian supreme leader’s regime sentenced five prisoners to death in an inhumane way of hanging. One of those executed men from Bukan had a brother executed 12 years ago in Orumieh prison on charges of being a member of the “Komele party of Iranian Kurdistan”.

On the 13th of October 2011, these prisoners were transferred to Zahedan’s solitary confinement. Witnesses claimed that amongst the executed, three of them were between the ages of 60 and 65.

The identities of those executed were published this morning.

The Supreme leader of Iran and its theocratic regime which faces the people’s anger and protests against the recent currency-crisis is responding with inhumane crackdown and executions against the people.

After only two days of mass protests in Tehran and Mashad stretching all the way from markets in Esfahan and Tabriz, mullah Sadeq Larijani (head of the judicial system) responsible for crimes against humanity gave the green light to execute another group of prisoners in Zahedan prison.

“Human rights and Democracy Activists in Iran” condemns this recent execution in order for the Mullahs regime to create an atmosphere of fear amongst the people and is asking the Secretary-General of the UN’s High Commissioner for Human rights and other international authorities to take action against these crimes against humanity committed by the supreme leader Ali Khamenei and his regime.

Human Rights and Democracy Activists in Iran

October 6, 2012

This report has been sent to the following:

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
UN Special Rapporteur on Executions
UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights
Amnesty International
Freedom Messenger

http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/134171.html

iraniam · Oct 8, 2012

Five Prisoners Were Hanged in Shiraz

Iran Human Rights, October 7: Five prisoners were hanged in Shiraz (southern Iran) today reported the Iranian state media.

The official website of the Iranian judiciary in Fars Province, reported that two of the prisoners were hanged publicly in different squares of Shiraz, while the three others were hanged inside Adelabad prison.

According to the report the prisoners were identified as "A. P." convicted of carrying 185 kilograms of heroin and 72 kilograms of crack, "A. K." convicted of participation in selling 39 kilos and 800 grams of opium and carrying 9 kilos and 960 grams of opium, "M. A." convicted og carrying 4 kilograms of heroin, "A. S." convicted og keeping and selling 29 kilograms of Marijuana and more than 14 kilograms of opium, and "A. Z." convicted of keeping 2 kilograms of heroin.

Age and gender of the prisoners was not specified in the report.

According to Iran Human Rights’ annual report on the death penalty in 2011, more than 80% of those executed in Iran were charged with drug-related crimes, while only 9% of them were identified by their full names.

http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/134327.html

iraniam · Oct 10, 2012

10 Prisoners Scheduled for Execution Tomorrow

Iran Human Rights: According to reliable sources from Iran, 10 prisoners have been transferred for execution from Ghezelhesar prison to solitary confinement cell in Tehran’s Evin Prison. According to the sources, they are scheduled to be executed o the morning of October 11.

A human rights group, Justice for Iran has published the names of five of the prisoners:

Saeed Sedighi, 31 years old (picture)

Abbas Namaki, 39 years old, father of two children

Hamid Rabiei, 31 years old

Mohammad Ali Rabiei, 55 years old, father of Hamid)

Ali Darvish, 44 years old

All the prisoners are allegedly convicted of drug-related charges.

Iran Human Rights (IHR) strongly condemns the scheduled executions, which are to take place one day after the World Day against the Death Penalty. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson for IHR, urged the international community to react. He said: "We ask the UN and all countries with diplomatic ties with Iran to do use all their channels to stop these executions".

Earlier today, IHR together with four other NGOs published an open letter to the UN and authorities of several countries that have been cooperating with Iran to fight drug trafficking to halt all aid to Iran, until the Iranian authorities have abolished the death penalty for drug-related crimes.

http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/134484.html

iraniam · Oct 15, 2012

Dissident Mohammad Tavassoli sentenced to 11 years in prison

GVF — A court in Iran has sentenced prominent political prisoner Mohammad Tavassoli to eleven years in prison.

According to the semi-official Isna news agency, Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court sentenced the 74-year-old to eleven years in prison as well as a five-year ban on political and press-related activities on charges of “disrupting national security” and conducting “propaganda” against the Islamic Republic.

Tavassoli, Tehran’s first mayor following the fall of the Shah, has endured many years of imprisonment and torture both before and after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. He was also arrested shortly after the rigged 2009 presidential election and was held in the notorious Evin Prison for 43 days.

Tavassoli, who heads the political bureau of the outlawed Freedom Movement of Iran, was arrested again last November after he and 142 other activists wrote a letter to former President Mohammad Khatami, warning him that there was little hope the authorities would hold free and fair parliamentary elections in March 2012. Tavassoli was temporarily released on 14 May 2012.

On 17 September, during a court trial presided over by the infamous Judge Salavati, Tavassoli refused to defend himself, arguing that the whole affair was “illegal.”

In April, Ebrahim Yazdi, the Secretary General of the FMI, said that the Revolutionary Court lacked qualification for reviewing charges against him and his party. The 80-year-old faces an eight-year jail-term.

http://en.irangreenvoice.com/article/2012/oct/15/3839

iraniam · Oct 18, 2012

Two Prisoners Extecuted Today on Drug-Related Charges

Iran Human rights, October 18: Two prisoners were hanged in the Shahroud Prison (northern Iran) early this morning.

According to the official website of the Iranian Judiciary in the province of Semnan, the prisoners were identified as "A. A." , charged with trafficking more than 3,975 kilograms, and "M. N." , charged with possession and trafficking 1,289 kilograms of concentrated heroin. The executions were reportedly carried out in the yard of Shahroud Prison.

More than 70% of all the prisoners executed in Iran are convicted of drug-related charges. Human rights NGOs have published several statements in the last week urging the international community to react to the executions.

http://www.iranhr.net/spip.php?article2608

iraniam · Oct 20, 2012

Report updating status of female political prisoners in Evin prison

Committee of Human Rights Reporters – At 33 detainees, the women’s ward at Evin prison has reached the largest number of prisoners in the past 3 years. Some of the prisoners are suffering with psychological and physical maladies while many have been deprived of their right to furlough. The new round of summons and arrests of political and civil female activists continues. In the past 2 months the number of female political prisoners has reached 33 as activists who had been detained during the events that took place after the contested presidential elections, have been summoned to serve their prison sentences. According to the detainees in the past years, the average number of prisoners in the women’s ward has been 28 and has never increased until now. In addition there is news that at least 10 more women will be transferred to this ward in the near future.

Below is a list of the 33 female detainees who are being held in the women’s ward at Evin prison.

1) Basma Al Jabouri - Iraqi citizen accused of spying, 5-year prison sentence, has served one year.

2) Bahareh Hedyayat – Student and women’s rights activist, member of the student organization Advar-e TahkimeVehdat, 10-year prison sentence, has served about 3 years.

3) BehnazZaker – Arrested at airport about 4 months ago before a scheduled flight to Sweden and kept in prison in undetermined circumstance.

4) RaheleZokayi – Among the lesser-known prisoners, one-year prison sentence for “propaganda against the regime.”

5) Reyhaneh Haj EbrahimDagagh – Among the detainees of the Ashura mass protests in 2009, 15-year prison sentence on charges of affiliation with MKO, has served 3 years with no furlough.

6) JilaBaniyaghoub–Journalist and women’s rights activist, who has been behind bars for over a month. She was sentenced to one year in prison on the charges of “propaganda against the regime” and “insulting the leadership.” Her husband BahmanAhmadiAmoui is also a journalist who is behind bars in Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj. He received a 5-year prison sentence of which he has endured 3.5 years.

7) JilaKaramzadehMakundi – Political prisoner, poet and member of the Mourning Mothers of Laleh Park, 2-year prison sentence, has served about 11 months.

8) ShabnamMadadzadeh – Political prisoner charged with affiliation with MKO and handed 5-year prison sentence. Arrested in February 2009 and has spent 3.5 years behind bars without the right to furlough.

9) Shiva NazarAhari - Human rights activist who was handed a 4-year prison sentence by the court. She was transferred to prison about a month ago. Previously, she spent over 100 days in solitary confinement and 9 months in women’s Ward 209 (Intelligence Ministry’s Ward), and 3 months in the women’s general ward of Evin prison.

10) SedighehMoradi – Political prisoner charged with affiliation with MKO, handed 10-year prison sentence of which she has served one year.

11) SoghraGholamnezad – Political prisoner who was transferred to the women’s ward at Evin about 3 months ago. She is serving a 2-year prison sentence handed by the Revolutionary Court on charges of affiliation with MKO.

12) FaezehHashemi – Political prisoner who was transferred to Evin 2 weeks ago to serve 6-month prison sentence.

13) FaribahKamalabadi – Baha’i prisoner who was an administrator at “Yaran-e Iran”, a Baha’i organization. She has been kept behind bars since her arrest in 2006. She was handed a 20-year prison sentence of which she has served 5 years without her right to furlough.

14) FaranHesami – Baha’i citizen with 5-year prison sentence. This mother of a 3-year old toddler was transferred behind bars about 3 months ago. Hesami was arrested when she went to Evin Prison’s Sentence Enforcement Unit to obtain a power of attorney for her incarcerated husband. Her husband Kamran Rahimian is an educator at the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education (Baha’i Online University), serving a 4-year prison sentence at Rajai Shahr prison, on charges of “membership in the Baha’i community,” and “assembly and collusion with the intent to disrupt national security.”

15) KobraBanazadehAmirkhizi – political prisoner handed 5-year prison sentence on charges of affiliation with MKO. She has served 4 years behind bars without her right to furlough.

16) KefayatMalekMohammadi – 60-year-old citizen arrested in 2009 during Ashura mass protests, charged with MKO affiliation, 15-year prison sentence of which she has served 3 years behind bars.

17) LadanMostofiMaab – Political prisoner with 2.5-year prison sentence, has served 2 years and 3 months without any furlough.

18) LevaKhanjani – Baha’i citizen banned from continuing her education, appeared at Tehran’s Evin Prison on Saturday, August 25, 2012 to begin serving her 2-year prison term.

19) MahboubehKarami – Political, women and human rights activist sentenced to 3 years in prison by branch 54 of the Revolutionary Appellate Court on February 2, 2011. She was charged with membership in a human rights organization, “propaganda against the regime,” and “gathering and collusion with intent to harm national security.” She has spent one and a half years in prison.

20) Maryam AkbariMonfared – Political prisoner with 15-year sentence on charges of affiliation with MKO. She has been in prison since her arrest 3 years ago without her right to furlough.

21) Maryam Jalili – Christian convert with 2.5-year prison sentence on the charge of changing her religion. She has spent about a year in prison without her right to furlough.

22) MotaharehBahrami – Detained in 2009 during Ashura protests. She was handed a 10-year prison sentence on charges of affiliation with MKO. She has spent about a year behind bars with no furlough.

23) MitraZahmati – Christian convert with 2.5-year prison sentence on the charge of changing her religion. She has spent about a year in prison without her right to furlough.

24) ManijehNajm Iraqi – Women’s rights activist, member of Iranian Author’s Club, worked as interpreter and author. Revolutionary Court handed a one-year prison sentence of which she has spent 5 months behind bars. She was charged with membership in Iranian Author’s Club and publishing their work. The allegations made against her were based on taking part in events for Mohammad Mokhtari, Mohammad Ja’farPouvandeh, AhmadShamlou.

25) ManijehNaserAllahi – Handed 3.5-year prison sentence on charges of following the Baha’’i faith. She has spent 2.5 years behind bars with only 3 days on furlough.

26) MahsaAmirabadi – Handed a 2-year prison sentence of which she has spent 5 months behind bars. Her husband MasoudBastani is a journalist also behind bars serving a 6-year prison sentence in Rajai Shahr prison. He was charged with “propaganda against the regime” and “collusion to disrupt national security.”

27) MahvashShariyati – Behind bars since 2008, serving 20-year prison term on charges of following the Baha’i faith and membership on board of Yarane Iran, which is a Baha’i organization.

28) NazaninDeyhimi – Transferred to prison about 2 weeks ago to serve 4-month sentence stemming from charge of taking part in post-election protests.

29) NegarHaeri – Political prisoner who was detained about 3 months ago and has been held without being charged. Her father MashaalaHaeri is serving a 15-year prison sentence behind bars in Raja’i Shahr prison on charges of affiliation with MKO.

30) Nasrin Sotoudeh – Lawyer and human rights activist serving 6-year prison sentence. She is also barred from practicing law for 10 years. She was charged with “acting against national security”, “propaganda against the regime,” and “membership in a human rights organization.” She has spent 2 years behind bars without her right to furlough.

31) NasimSoltanBaygi – Journalist and student activist handed 3-year prison sentence on charges of following the Baha’i faith. She has spent 1.5 years of her sentence behind bars.

32) NoushinKhadem – A lecturer at the Baha’i Science Institution, handed a 4-year prison sentence for being a follower of the Baha’i faith. She began serving her sentence on September 16, 2012.

33) HaniyehSanehFarshi – Political prisoner and blogger, 7-year prison sentence on charges of blasphemy, propaganda against the regime, acting against national security and insulting Islamic sanctities. She has served 2.5 years behind bars without her right to furlough.

According to information obtained by Committee of Human Rights Reporters, in the next few days another 10 women will be transferred to Evin prison. With the new wave of prisoners about to enter the facility and the many unknown prisoners who have not been listed in the news, it is predicted that the women’s ward in Evin prison will be over capacity. With the arrival of cold winter months and the lack of adequate medical care for political prisoners there is serious concern about the deficient conditions that the prisoners will have to endure.

http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/135024.html

iraniam · Nov 2, 2012

Nine Female Political Prisoners on Hunger Strike

Nine female political prisoners have staged a hunger strike to protest the Evin Prison special guards’ attack on the ward populated by female political prisoners. Speaking to Rooz, Amin Ahmadian, Bahareh Hedayat’s husband, confirmed the news and explained, “On Tuesday afternoon, they took the female political prisoners to the prison’s yard while they searched their cells and confiscated some of their personal belongings. It is not yet clear why they did that, but it appears that they were looking for a cell phone or a communication device.”

Currently, 37 female political prisoners are held at the Evin Prison ward. Bahareh Hedayat’s husband says, “The female prisoners were bodily searched in a harassing manner. As a result, and in protest of that harassment, they are staging a hunger strike.”

Bahareh Hedayat, Zhila Baniyaghoub, Mahsa Amrabadi, Hakimeh Shokri, Shiva Nazarahari, Zhila Karamzadeh Makvandi, Nazanin Deyhami, Raheleh Zokaei and Nasim Soltan-Beigi are the nine prisoners who have gone on hunger strike.

Bahareh Hedayat’s husband tells Rooz, “Bahareh has always been opposed to hunger strike. She had even spoken several times to Nasreen Sotoudeh to convince her to break her hunger strike, but now the situation is so heart-wrenching and despicable that she has been forced to go on hunger strike. We will receive no information either until our next visitation date on Sunday.

Nasrin Sotoudeh has been on hunger strike since two weeks ago in protest to the pressures imposed on her family. Sotoudeh’s husband, Reza Khandan, tells Rooz that his wife’s condition is seriously concerning and that she has been transferred to the Evin Prison’s emergency clinic several times.

Bahareh Hedayat’s husband, Amin Ahmadian, adds, “Yesterday morning they threatened Ms. Sotoudeh that she will be transferred to solitary confinement and stripped of family visitation rights if she does not break her strike. They threatened her that the has to break her strike because, otherwise, she must serve a three-week solitary confinement sentence as the punishment for going on strike.”

He adds, “They have also threatened the other nine prisoners that they too will be transferred to solitary confinement if they do not end their hunger strike.

Zhila Baniyaghoub, Mahsa Amrabadi and Faran Hesami are three female political prisoners whose visitations rights are not honored by prison officials. Their husbands, Bahman Ahmadi-Amouei, Masoud Bastani and Kamran Rahimian are also behind bars at the Rajaeishahr prison.

http://www.roozonline.com/english/n...ale-political-prisoners-on-hunger-strike.html

iraniam · Nov 3, 2012

Exclusive: More than 1100 await on death row in Rajaei Shahr prison

Translated by Rahi-Fanos for Freedom Messenger
Mehdi Mahmoudian’s narrative of Rajaei Shahr prison/Gohardasht:
Waiting to die on the scaffold on a Tuesday for eight years!

“On this day that I am writing this report, the statistics of those who have been sentenced to death is a total of 1117 prisoners among which 734 people have been convicted to retaliation and the rest, that is some 383 others are waiting for their execution for other crimes including 14 political prisoners with allegations concerning political and security issues. About 1000 prisoners have been convicted to life or over 20 years imprisonment, many of them previously having been convicted to execution and experienced psychological torture of being under death sentence before disaffirmation.”

This was part of the terrific report by Mehdi Mahmoudian from Rajaei Shahr prison of Karaj, published in the Kalemeh website which is close to Mirhosein Mousavi. He was once arrested and tried for disclosure of Kahrizak prison disasters and other allegations like gathering and collusion against the regime and convicted to imprisonment for 5 years.

The following is Mahmoudian’s complete report (translated into English):
“After 16 years, he was able to fold a child in his arms and fondle. After years of struggling with his heart diesis, he was hospitalized for open heart operation. I went to his cell to pay him a visit. I expected him to speak of his hard surgery or his 30 days of torment, having been hospitalized with manacle and anklet. But, with an indescribable joy, he spoke of his wonderful experience of folding a child in his arms and seeing a car with his own eyes; and he said, sadly: “thank God, I saw a tree in front of me before death.”

Another prisoner, whom I met, was waiting to be called for his execution on every Tuesday of each week for more than 8 years. He dreamed several years ago that he will be hanged on a Tuesday, and although it is now more than 7 years passing of enforcement of his decree, he has lived all these 7 years long of execution nightmare for his every single day of Tuesdays. After 3 years of imprisonment in Iraq and Jordan, he was handed to Iran by the UN on July 31, 1999 and was then convicted to death punishment for airplane hijacking.

A 60 years old man, another sentenced to death prisoner, was sent to the solitary confinement for the first time for execution in 2003; but it was postponed until now-nearly for 9 years- for unknown reasons.

Hanging has always been one of disputable issues of human rights. More than 160 countries of the world have annulled the death punishment in their legal system. Nevertheless, Iran and 41 other countries still use death sentence in their laws and unfortunately Iran, considering its population ratio, outpaces by far other countries, occupying first ranking order in the world.

What is highly sensitive above all is non- abiding by an equitable law of criminal procedure for the accused who are convicted to death sentence; especially those who are convicted to death for political, security, drug trafficking, etc., crimes, mostly deprived of accessing to private attorneys, freedom of defense, studying the case before trial and equitable courts. In cases concerning to retaliation, the plaintiff and the accused influence is highly effective in the speed and enforcement of the decree.

This is Rajaei Shahr Prison!
Although it is made for less than1000 people, there are more than 5000 prisoners. This is an unbelievable truth. More than 1100 of them are sentenced to death penalty.

Today, 23rd of October, that I’m writing this report, the number of persons in the death row is 1117, among them 734 are sentenced to nemesis, and the rest, 383 people, are sentenced to be executed, and 14 persons of them are sentenced for political and security accusations. About 1000 of the prisoners are convicted to more than 20 years or whole life imprisonment. Many of them were previously sentenced to the death penalty suffering the pain and torture of being in the death row.

I leave to the experts to debate on human right and the positive and negative impacts of execution, and reduction or increasing the crime in the society. But, the more painful and inhumane aspect of the death penalty is waiting for years to be executed.

About those who are convicted to nemesis, another issue is also added to these painful moments. Some of them committed a murder caused by a personal clash or in a moment of anger; they are waiting for death for long years and sometimes are called to be executed; they must spend the last moments in solitary confinement until be taken to gallows, but it becomes temporarily cancelled without any reason, and return back to their cells.

This may repeat 2, 3, 4, or even 10 times. One of them, who we were following his case to cancel his conviction, told me in a phone call that: “Please leave me to be executed, I’ve committed to the murder one time, but 13 times was taken under the corded. This is the obvious case of torturing”.

Based on a formal statistics released by judiciary, the average waiting period for execution is 5 years; in other word, each convicted person averagely suffers from 5 years torturing before execution; even though, the real waiting time is more than 5 years for many of them.

All the jails have a committee to resolve the differences to obtain the consent of plaintiff family, but this office has been closed from 1 year ago by the head of prison.

This is Rajaei Shahr prison!
More than 1100 prisoner are waiting to be hanged, 1100 people spend their nights and days with the nightmare of death. Their wish is small; they want to see the tree before death.

http://www.freedomessenger.com/archives/52148

iraniam · Nov 6, 2012

Breaking news: Imprisoned Iranian blogger died in regime’s prison due to torture

Written by admin|11/06/2012|0

Imprisoned Iranian blogger died in regime’s prison due to torture
HRNA news agency – one of Sattar’s close relative stated in an interview with HRNA that the police would hand over Sattar’s body to the Kahrizak cemetery and to his family.

Sattar Beheshti was an activist and a blogger who was arrested by the cyber police on national security charges on the 30th of October. His crimes were due to his major acitivty in socal networks such as Facebook and blogging.

After raiding his fathers home, he was violently arrested where the security forces confiscated his personal belongings, including his computer and handwritten notes. He was transferred to an anonymous location.

Sources reported that Beheshti was physically tortured at the hands of his captors.mr.Beheshti was considered perfectly healthy before his arrest.
Translated by: Freedom Messenger

http://www.freedomessenger.com/archives/52249

iraniam · Nov 6, 2012

GVF — Exactly a week after his arrest by Iran’s cyber police, labour activist Sattar Beheshti has died as a result of torture at the hands of his captors, according to opposition reports.

Kaleme, a site close to Green Movement leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, said on Tuesday that Beheshti had died under torture.

The Beheshti family were reportedly contacted by the authorities on Tuesday morning and told that they were to refer to Evin Prison to receive the 35 year-old’s body.

The website said it could not confirm Beheshti’s death because prison authorities had not yet handed over his body to the family.

“According to eyewitnesses who had spoken to family members held at Evin Prison, Beheshti had been severely beaten and tortured while under interrogation. Bruises and torture marks were noticeable on the political prisoner’s body, face and head,” Kaleme added.

Beheshti’s sister told Kaleme that her husband was contacted by the authorities and told to “prepare” Beheshti’s mother for the news.

“They told him to buy a grave, and to collect the body tomorrow [7 November]. That’s it! We know nothing else. We don’t know why they killed him, or what exactly happened [to him]. We don’t know what happened. My brother was well when he left the house. He left on his own two feet. Everyone saw that he was healthy. My brother didn’t even take headache pills.”

“They told [us] not to give interviews to anyone,” she went on to add.

“They said he had heart problems!”
Sattar Beheshti was arrested by Iran’s cyber police on national security charges on 30 October. After raiding his home and violently arresting the young activist, the security forces confiscated his personal belongings, including his computer and handwritten notes.

Beheshti was a worker in the city of Robat Karim, 25 kilometers southwest of the nation’s capital Tehran. He was his family’s only breadwinner and was reportedly active on the social networking site Facebook.

Launched in January 2011, Iran’s cyber police has been an important element in the state’s relentless crackdown on online activism.

http://en.irangreenvoice.com/article/2012/nov/06/3860

iraniam · Nov 8, 2012

4 of 15 Executions in Iran this Morning Were Public - 5 Prisoners Face Public Hanging Tomorrow and 7 Others May Be Executed in Coming Days

Iran Human Rights, November 7: Iranian state media have reported a total of 15 people were executed in Tehran, Shiraz and Zarand (Kerman Province) early this morning.

Four prisoners were hanged publicly in Shiraz and five more are to be reportedly hanged in the coming days:
The official website of the Iranian judiciary in the province of Fars reports four prisoners were hanged publicly in the Koozeh-Gari Square of Shiraz (southern Iran). They were convicted of drug-related charges. Their names have been identified as: ’Arash Esmaeili’, ’Naghibollah Tajik’, ’Shahpour Majnun Mozafari’, and ’Najaf Ali H.’
Fars also reports nine prisoners will be executed in the coming days. Five of the prisoners, who will be hanged publicly tomorrow, have been identified as: ’R.D.’, ’F.M.’, ’M.D.’, ’S.H.’, and "P.K.’ They are convicted on drug-related charges.

10 Prisoners hanged in Tehran’s Evin Prison:
IRNA, the official Iranian news agency reports ten prisoners were hanged in Tehran’s Evin Prison early this morning. They were convicted of drug-related charges.

The prisoners have been identified as: Ahmad Tajari, Shahram Yadollahi, Yousef Karimkhani Zarnaghi, Ghader Malaki, Asgar Faraji Nayeri, Abdolghader Hadi Tajik (Afghan citizen), Seyed Jalal Hosseini, Hamid Gholami, Gahhreman Gahsemi Karam, and Ahmad Barahoui.

One prisoner hanged in Zarand— Kerman Province, southeastern Iran:
Fars reports one prisoner was hanged in Zarand Prison (southeastern Iran) early this morning. The prisoner, identified as ’Y. A.’, was reportedly convicted of possession and trafficking 809 grams of heroin.

According to unofficial reports from the site, Human Rights And Democracy Activists In Iran, three prisoners (all Afghan citizens) have been transferred from Rajai Shahr prison to solitary confinement cells in Evin Prison. They may be executed in the coming days.
According to Iran Human Rights’s annual report on the death penalty, in 2011, more than 80% of executions in Iran were for drug-related charges.

Multiple reports reveal many of the prisoners executed for drug-related charges were subjected to torture and faced unfair trials.

Human rights NGOs have criticized the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) and donor countries for their contribution to Iran’s so-called war on drugs, despite the country’s high number of unlawful executions carried out for drug-related charges.

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson of Iran Human Rights, urged the international community to react to the widespread, unlawful executions in Iran.

http://www.iranhr.net/spip.php?article2627

iraniam · Nov 9, 2012

Seven Prisoners Hanged Today- 23 Executions In 2 Days- 9 Executions In Public

Iran Human Rights, November 8: Seven prisoners were hanged in Shiraz (southern Iran) today, reported Iranian state media. According to official reports, one prisoner was also hanged in Mashhad Prison (northwestern Iran) yesterday.

15 other prisoners were hanged in three Iranian cities yesterday. In total, 23 prisoners have been executed since yesterday, according to official Iranian sources. Nine of the executions were carried out in public.

Seven prisoners were hanged in Shiraz today- Five of them hanged in public:
Fars, the state-run Iranian news agency reported that five prisoners were hanged publicly in the city of Shiraz today. Two other prisoners were reportedly hanged in Adelabad prison in Shiraz early this morning. All seven prisoners were convicted of drug-related charges.

The prisoners who were hanged publicly in Shiraz today were reportedly identified as: Parviz K., Majid D., Feyz Mohammad M., Ali M. , and Reza D.
The two other prisoners hanged in Adelabad Prison today were not identified by name.

One prisoner was hanged in Mashhad Prison yesterday:
According to the official website of the Iranian judiciary in the province of Khorrasan Razavi, a prisoner was hanged yesterday in Vakilabad prison. The prisoner, who was identified as "M. P." was convicted of possession and trafficking of narcotic drugs, said the report.

http://www.iranhr.net/spip.php?article2630

iraniam · Nov 14, 2012

Two Prisoners hanged- One In Public And One In The Prison. 27 Official And 47 Unofficial Executions In One Week In Iran

Iran Human Rights, November 13: The Iranian state media has reported the hanging of two prisoners.

The official website of the Iranian judiciary in the province of Fars (southern Iran) has reported the public hanging of one prisoner, identified as F. B., in the town of Neyriz (south of Shiraz) on November 12. The prisoner was reportedly convicted of trafficking 4 kilograms of opium and 4,700 grams of heroin.

A total of 11 prisoners were executed in the province of Fars in the past seven days.
The official Iranian news agency, IRNA reports the hanging of a prisoner in Zanjan prison (western Iran) today. The prisoner was not identified by name.
Official Iranian sources have reported a total of 27 executions in the past seven days.
47 Unofficial Executions:
Unofficial sources have reported a total of 47 executions in Iran in the past seven days. Human Rights and Democracy Activists in Iran (HRDAI) reported the secret execution of 35 prisoners in Vakilabad prison in Mashhad (northwestern Iran) on November 7. HRANA has reported the execution of 12 prisoners in Rajai Shahr prison (west of Tehran) today. The prisoners were allegedly convicted of drug-related charges.

Iran Human Rights is currently investigating the unofficial reports of executions in Vakilabad and Rajai Shahr prisons.

http://www.iranhr.net/spip.php?article2638

iraniam · Nov 17, 2012

Public Executions, Amputation And Flogging In Iran- 81 Executions In 10 Days- IHR Urges The International Community To React

Saturday 17 November 2012

Iran Human Rights, November 17: According to the reports from the Iranian state media two prisoners were hanged publicly the Iranian town of Darab (southern Iran) yesterday November 16.
According to the official website of the Iranian judiciary in Fars Province two prisoners identified as "A. M." convicted of carrying 85 kilograms of opium and 10 kilograms of concentrated heroin, and "S. S." convicted of carrying 2800 grams of concentrated heroin. The executions were carried out in publicly in the town of Darab, in the Fars Province.
Another prisoner was hanged in the prison of Eslamshahr (south of Tehran) convicted of murder. Iranian state broadcasting reported that a man identified as "Fereydon" convicted of murdering another man identified as "Rahman" was hanged in the prison of Eslamshahr on November 14.
According to the official and unofficial reports 81 prisoners have been executed in the last 10 days in Iran.The Judiciary in the Yazd Province (Central Iran) announced that amputation verdicts of two prisoners convicted of theft were carried out publicly in the city of Yazd on November 13. According to the report four fingers of one hand of the prisoners were amputated. The Judiciary also announced that two prisoners will be hanged in the near future.
The state run Iranian news agency ISNA reported that the flogging verdict of a man identified as "Mehdi B." was carried out publicly on Monday November 12. According to this report Mehdi was sentenced to 70 lashes in public, convicted of "disturbing the women and girls".
Iran Human Rights (IHR) strongly condemned the executions, amputations and floggings carried out by the Iranian authorities. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson of IHR said: "We urge the international community to condemn the barbaric punishments and we demand urgent actions to stop these crimes committed by the Iranian authorities".
http://www.iranhr.net/spip.php?article2645

iraniam · Nov 27, 2012

Forgotten Captive: The Most Famous Political Prisoner In Iran

I visited him in 2005 at his home in northern Tehran, facing the Alborz Mountains. He is the longest held prisoner of Iran, sometimes referred to as the Iranian Mandela.

He was on a leave of absence, which is part of a prison furlough system in Iran. His name, Abbas Amirentezam, should be familiar to anyone who knows the history of the U.S. Embassy take-over in 1980 and the plight of the American hostages held for 444 days. He is not referred to in the film Argo.

Amirentezam became the other hostage. He was courteous and gracious, a real gentleman with a soft voice. It was hard to imagine that he had been in prison for so long. He had a smile on his face and resoluteness in his demeanor.

Following the Revolution, as the deputy PM to the provisional government and its spokesperson, he met with American diplomats in Sweden. He had been asked to begin talks with the U.S. -- normal procedure after a change in government. Amirentezam had acted like the diplomat that he was. A forged lettersigned by Kamal Kharazi, deputy foreign minister, summoned him back to Tehran where he was branded as a spy for the Americans.

The Swedish foreign minister had warned him, "Don't go back to Iran, there is a plot against you." But he did. He hadn't done anything wrong. The role he next played in the Embassy take-over came to haunt him as well. "I was informed that the American Embassy personnel had been taken into custody, that some passports had been confiscated, and that the premises had been ransacked. It was midnight when I called Mr. Bazargan and woke him up. I asked him what we were to do. He replied, 'Do whatever you can.'"

Unfortunately, we did not have a military or security unit at that time. A few dozen militant hooligans had taken over many of the ministries so there was no viable security apparatus after the Revolution. These men were essentially running the show. We took care of the immediate problem and returned the passports to their rightful owners." He adds," In the morning, Mr. Sullivan [U.S. ambassador to Iran] and Mr. Stempel [political officer] came to see me and gave me a letter which addressed me as 'Dear Mr. A.E.' They thanked me for my assistance with the passport. This letter was in fact the basis for my arrest, the most incriminating aspect being that the U.S. Ambassador had addressed me as "Dear"! They claimed that the use of this specific word implied that U.S. officials had close ties to me and considered me one of their own!"

Arrested in 1980 at the foreign ministry office, and tried in a kangaroo court, Amirentezam spent 555 days in solitary confinement -- first sentenced to death and then to life in prison. He was accused among other things -- of relaying information to the Americans, of facilitating the departure of the Shah's officials, of wanting to dismantle the Assembly of Experts and of rejecting the principle of velayat faqih (the rule of clerics).
Bazargan, in vain, testified on his behalf. Years later, the judge who had prosecuted him, sent him a note of apology. Too late, I might say.

Now in his early eighties, with many ailments, he has lived to tell the tale of his incarceration. Recently, he was hospitalized again. He suffers from diabetes. Years of mental and physical torture have taken their toll on him.
While in prison, he had exposed the crimes of Lajevardi -- Evin's prison warden, known as the butcher of Evin -- during a visit by the U.N. human rights commissioner. In retaliation, he was put on a back of an open truck and driven around for hours in the frigid hills of Evin. As a result, he lost his hearing in one ear.

In 1988, he witnessed the emptying of prison cells as hundreds were taken to the gallows and executed. He said those were the worst times of his life. Others came and left but he remained -- for nearly 26 years.

"The worst time was when I was with other prisoners and witnessed many of my cell mates being taken and executed one-by-one, without any trials or jury. We were 350 people in our ward -- 342 of them were executed, ranging in age from 20 to 70 years."

Amirentezam, who was educated in the U.S. (Berkeley) and in France, is an engineer by profession but since his incarceration he has never been able to work or conduct any business. As a young student, he had handed a defiant letter to Vice President Richard Nixon who had come to visit Iran in 1963. He, like many, was a supporter of Mossadegh.

Amirentezam has never given up his passion for politics. Free on probation, he is currently a board member of the National Front. He calls the recent sanctions, "A terrible human tragedy," creating an unjust and an unbearable situation for the people of Iran. "Their impact will be long lasting," he adds. He has repeatedly warned against a military attack on Iran.

Over the years, Abbas Amirentezam has also called for a free referendum in Iran to be monitored by the United Nations. "The only way to achieve a true and viable democracy in Iran is through a national vote through which the people can determine their desired form of government," he says in a brochure he published nearly a decade ago.

Amirentezam remains an Iranian hero. When after many years in prison he paid an unannounced visit to Tehran University, thousands of students rose in his honor. "I will remain beside you and with you until the very end of my life," He told the crowd. All through this ordeal, he has asked for one thing -- that all false charges against him be dropped.

He has been waiting for justice for 33 years, so far to no avail.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/fariba-amini/political-prisoner-iran_b_2187806.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

iraniam · Dec 3, 2012

One Woman And Three Men Hanged In Western Iran- One Hanged Publicly

Iran Human Rights, december 3: Four prisoners among them one woman, were hanged in Kermanshah (Western Iran) today Monday December 3.

According to the official site of the Iranian judiciary in Kermanshah, one female and two male prisoners were hanged in the prison of Kermanshah, while a foruth prisoner was hanged publicly in the Azadi (Freedom) Square of Kermanshah Monday noon. None of the prisoners were identified by name.

The three prisoners who were hanegd inside the prison were convicted of drug-related charges, while the prisoner who was hanged publicly was convicted of rape and kidnapping.

None of the above mentioned charges have been confirmed by independent sources.
Azadi (Freedom) Square of Kermanshah has been the site of several public executions in the past years.

http://www.iranhr.net/spip.php?article2650

iraniam · Dec 9, 2012

Three Prisoners Were Hanged In Southeastern Iran Today

Iran Human Rights, December 8: Three prisoners were hanged in the southeastern Iranian city of Zahedan early this morning, reported the Iranian state media.

According to the official Iranian news agency IRNA, three prisoners convicted of drug-related charges were hanged in the prison of Zahedan (capital of Sinstan-Baluchestan Province) today, Saturday December 8.

The prisoners were identified as "Iraj M." convicted of possession of 189 kilos of heroin, "Mahmood T." convicted of possession and carrying 386 kilos of opium and 149 kilos of heroin, and "Nematollah A." for importing 5700 grams of crack.

According to the "Human Rights and Democracy Activists in Iran" one of the prisoners is Iraj Mohammadi (46) from Kemanshah (western Iran) who was sentenced to death solely based on confessions made by another prisoner against him.

http://www.iranhr.net/spip.php?article2652

iraniam · Dec 21, 2012

Seven prisoners hanged in Central Iran

Iran Human Rights, December 20: Seven prisoners were hanged in the prison of Isfahan.
According to the state run Iranian daily newspaper Kayhan, seven prisones were hanged in the prison of Isfahan yesterday December 19.

According to the report, six of the prisoners were convicted of drug trafficking and one of them was convicted of rape.
The prisoners were between 25 and 45 years old, said the report.
None of the prisoners were identified by name.

http://www.iranhr.net/spip.php?article2658

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