At a
Glance
Refugee’s Rights
Call by Iranian Opposition Leader for International Fact-finding Mission and Opening the Doors to Camp Liberty in Iraq to Journalists and Parliamentarians
Published on Thursday,
18 July 2013 11:16
Following remarks by Martin Kobler, the outgoing Special Representative of the UN Secretary General (SG) in
Kobler is at the end of his two year tenure in
At the UN Security Council July 16 session, in order to neutralize the petition submitted by the residents' lawyers against his conduct, Kobler blamed the victims and Camp leadership for all the faults. He accused them of violating the rights of the residents and even preventing them from accessing medical services.
Mrs. Rajavi said these lies are a clear invitation to the Government of Iraq and the Iranian regime for future attacks on
She stressed that Kobler deceitfully provided bogus reports to the UN Security Council and the SG. She urged Ban Ki-moon, as the international guardian of the RtoP principle, to send an international fact-finding mission to
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has described
In a press conference in
Time to take the necessary steps to secure the safety of
the population of Camp Ashraf/Liberty
Published on Thursday,
18 July 2013 15:04
My warnings went
unheeded. By Tahar Boumedra,
Boumedra was chief of the Human Rights Office of United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), and adviser to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) on
Source: The Hill
This week the UN Security Council session will discuss the possibility of extending the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). It is expected on this occasion that the head of UNAMI, the Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) Ambassador Martin Kobler will present his periodic and last report on the situation of the residents of Camp Ashraf/Liberty before he leaves
SRSG Kobler made it his priority to assist the Government of Iraq to close down
The SRSG promised the population of
UNHCR promised a period of six months to deliver and start resettling the resident in third countries. I had repeatedly warned that
My warnings went unheeded.
The residents of
They were showered with war missiles on February 9th, April 28th and June 15th of this year, from a nearby location known to have a heavy presence of the Iraqi army. Eleven people were killed and scores of them were injured. UNAMI hardly condemned the attack. Instead, the SRSG called on the residents’ representatives to allow the residents more freedom to communicate. Could one enjoy freedom of communication if deprived of his/her freedom of movement, freedom to meet lawyers, NGOs, parliamentarians? What does freedom of communication mean to a population forcibly placed in a detention center without the due process of law?
As the situation stands today,
Boumedra was chief of the Human Rights Office of United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), and adviser to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) on
Execution
Iran: Seven prisoners hanged in Rasht
Published on Saturday,
13 July 2013 12:43
NCRI - The Iranian regime's
judiciary chief in Mohammad Javad Heshmati, who was speaking with the state-run news network, did not identify the victims.
In the weeks following the June sham presidential election almost one hundred prisoners have been hanged in
Among those executed are six women and a prisoner who was 15-years-old when arrested. A high number of prisoners were executed collectively in groups of 21, 11 and 6 persons. This is while thousands of prisoners in various prisons in the country are on death row.
A prisoner have been hanged in Khorram Abad
Posted on: 21st July, 2013
HRANA News Agency – A prisoner who is told
be charged with drug trafficking has been hanged in Parsiloun prison of Khorram
Abad.
According to a report by
IRIB, the commander of Lorestan province police announced to news of the
execution of one prisoner who was charged with drug trafficking.He said this execution was held in the presence of the judge.
Commander-in-chief Alizade claimed that this prisoner was arrested on charge of having 1 ton and 122 kg opium on February 19, 2013. The death sentence was issued by the branch one of the revolutionary court of Borujerd and confirmed by the supreme court afterwards.
Torture
Mohsen Rahmani is beaten in ward 209 of Evin prison
Posted on: 21st July, 2013
HRANA News Agency – Mohsen
Rahmani, the IT student who has been arrested in election campaign of Hassan
Rohani, is under torture and heavy mental pressure in the ward 209 of Evin
prison.According to a report by Kalame, this civil and green activist had been arrested 48 days ago with some other members of Rohani’s election campaign.
Although the other activists have been released Mohsen Rahmani is still under torture in the solitary No. 92 of ward 209 of Evin prison.
Arbitrary Arrests
Two Facebook users were arrested by FATA
police
Posted on: 15th July, 2013
HRANA News Agency – Two
users who have insulted the regime officials on Facebook have been arrested,
FATA police headquarter in Semnan said.According to Mehr news report, major Seyyed Ali Mirahmadi on Tuesday among the correspondents in the Semnan police main building said that two users who have insulted on regime officials on Facebook have been arrested and claimed “Increasing the internet space security by monitoring and continuous following up is the main goal of FATA police.”
He said that “The police officers found a page on Facebook including some pictures which contained offensive content to regime officials.”
The Semnan police chief declared that “Finding the criminals became the priority and the police experts found them and finished this case by their professional skills.”
Full control on cyberspace by Police
“The details and addresses of admins of that page who are a 45 years old man and a 35 years old woman obtained, and then the legal process for their arrest was done.”, Mirahmadi said.
“The accused ones were arrested in Semanan and Mehdishahr and then interrogation started. With the undeniable documents and evidences of police, they confessed on their criminal act annd then they were handed over to the judicial section”, Mirahmadi continued.
Prisoners of Conscience
Iran: Gonabadi Dervishes sentenced to heavy punishments
Published on Monday, 15
July 2013 16:52
NCRI - The Iranian regime's
judiciary has issued sentences for 7 Gonabadi Dervishes including managers of
‘Majzouban Nour’ website, lawyers and defenders of the Dervishes rights. The
Dervishes are sentenced to a sum of 56 years imprisonment with physical
punishment.Based on this decree, Hamid Reza Moradi, manager of the website and defender of the Dervishes rights, is sentenced to 10 years and six months imprisonment with physical punishment, Reza Entesari, news photographer, defender and a manager of the website is sentenced to 8 years and six months imprisonment with physical punishment and Messer Mostafa Daneshjou, lawyer and defender, Farshid Yadollahi, attorney and website manager, Amir Islami, attorney and website manager, Omid Behrouzi, lawyer and website manager and Afshin Karampour, jurist and website manager, were sentenced to 7 years and six months imprisonment with physical punishment.
The imprisoned Dervishes are accused of establishing illegal groups to disrupt the national security, propaganda against the government, insulting the Supreme Leader and causing disorder in the society.
These sentences were issued while all these conscience prisoners refused to participate in their court hearing due to the officials’ negligence to observe the laws of the trial and avoided offering any defensive bills.
The
three arrested students in Tabriz
Posted on: 15th July, 2013
Arash Mohammadi is a
student activist from Tabriz ,
Iran
HRANA News Agency – The
trial of three arrested student activists in According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), the trial of Arash Mohammadi, Amir Nazeri and Afshin Jamshidi was held in branch 3 of
These student activists were tried in this closed trial session on charge of propaganda against the regime.
It is worth mentioning that Arash Mohammadi, Amir Nazeri and Afshin Jamshidi the student activists were arrested with a number of other Tabriz university students by IRGC intelligence agents on June 15, in a mass gathering of people after the presidential election and interrogated in accusation of propaganda against the regime, gathering and colluding to act against the national security and disturbing public order.
According to the received reports these student activists were tortured during the interrogation sessions.
Naghi Mahmoudi said to HRANA that “Hassan Hashemzadeh the indicter of branch 4 of
Meanwhile Amir Nazeri and Afshin Jamshidi were released two days being under arrest by 10 million tomans bail but Arash Mohammadi has been transferred to quarantine ward on June 24 and then to financial ward of
He started a hunger-strike for nine days in protest to the illegal arrest, being beaten severely when they arrested him and the too long interrogation.
Also the prison authorities denied his request to transfer him to the political prisoners’ ward.
Arash Mohammadi was arrested with his brother once more on November 3, 2011 and was sentenced to one year imprisonment after 66 days of being under arrest. He was arrested on September 15, 2012 regarding to verdict enforcement and finally he has been released conditionally from
Misagh
Yazdannezhad refused to go to hospital
Posted on: 15th July, 2013
HRANA News Agency – Misagh
Yazdannezhad the imprisoned student in Rajaie Shahr prison of According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Misagh was supposed to be transferred to hospital on July 7 because of several physical and mental issues and get hospitalized but when he objected using handcuff and shackle by authorities he faced the insulting of the prison authorities.
He dissuaded of going to hospital due to the insulting and because of being unable to get the treatment process properly with handcuff and shackle in hospital.
Misagh Yazdannezhad was born in 1986, imprisoned since September of 2007 and exiled to Rajaie Shahr prison since 2009.
Also this political prisoner was in confinement cells of ward 209 around 200 days.
He is student of English translation BA and sentenced to 14 years imprisonment on charge of membership in People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran and attending in the anniversary of executions of 1988 in Khavaran cemetery.
Kurdish Lawyer
Charged with Support of Kurdish Parties
Monday 15 July
2013
After 37 days of lawyer
Massoud Shamsinejad’s detention, Branch 5 of Orumiyeh Special Crimes Courts
informed him of political charges against him, a local source told the
International Campaign for Human Rights in According to the human rights source, lawyer and university professor Massoud Shamsinejad was arrested and transferred to Orumiyeh Central Prison on May 9 on orders from the Branch 5 Investigative Judge of Orumiyeh Special Crimes Court. The case against Shamsinejad dated back to the parliamentary elections of 2012, in which Shamsinejad had registered to run. According to the source, a case was leveled against him on charges of supporting Kurdish political parties in order to disqualify him from participating in the elections. In May of this year, he again registered to run for Orumiyeh City Council elections, and he was again detained and informed of political charges against him.
“After he was transferred to Orumiyeh Central Prison with temporary detention orders, the prison security officials transferred the lawyer to the prison’s admission ward and for two days, they curtailed all telephone calls from the facility and disallowed other prisoners from talking to him. He was then transferred to the Orumiyeh Information Office’s detention center, where he was interrogated about the reasons he accepted and defended the cases of political prisoners. His interrogators accused him of passing information about conditions at Orumiyeh Prison to the office of UN Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed, but did not present him with any evidence of this. On the second day of his detention at the Orumiyeh security detention center, the Investigative Judge from Branch 5 of Orumiyeh Special Crimes Courts appeared at the facility and informed Shamsinejad of his charges,” the human rights source told the Campaign.
The human rights source told the Campaign that Shamsinejad represented several political prisoners on death row, including Habibollah Golparipour and Ali and Razgar Afshari, among a large group of Kurdish political prisoners, and this is the reason the Intelligence Ministry has accused him of supporting Kurdish political parties. Massoud Shamsinejad was transferred from the Intelligence Office detention center to Orumiyeh Prison on June 12. During his detention, he was not allowed to contact or visit with his family.
Dr.
Ali Nazeri has been exiled to Zabol prison
Posted on: 18th July, 2013
HRANA News
Agency – Dr. Ali Nazeri, the political activist, has been exiled to Zabol
prison while he was on trolley in the clinic of Evin prison.
According to a report by
Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Dr. Ali Nazeri, the dentist and the
political activist supporting the National Front of Iran, who has been arrested
in his clinic some weeks ago and transferred to the ward 350 of Evin prison is
exiled to Zabol prison while he was in a critical condition and on the trolley
in the clinic of Evin prison.Ali Nazeri had been arrested on June 11, 2010 by the intelligence if IRGC and was released on the bail after 42 days.
He has been tried by judge Pir Abbasi in the branch 26 of the revolutionary court of Tehran and sentenced to 1 year of prison and 10 years of exile in Zabol.
Kordpour
brothers are still under arrest
18th July, 2013
HRANA News Agency – Khosro
and Masoud Kordpur are still under temporary arrest in Mahabad prison.According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), the judge has told on July 14 that he won’t release them on the bail and they will be tried on August 3. According to the laws they must be released on the bail until the trial day since their interrogation process in finished.
A source which wanted to remain unknown told HRANA: “It seems that they are accused of publishing the news of Kurdish prisoners. But they have published no false news so they cannot be charged with “publishing false news.” Regarding these it is not clear under which legal charge they have been arrested. If they are guilty then all lawyers and news agencies are guilty, too.”
Masoud and Khosro Kordpour are human rights activists and the administrators of “Mukrian News Agency.” They were under arrest in the intelligences of Mahabad and Urmia for 4 months and have been transferred to Mahabad prison on June 26.
Sadra
Agushi: “We do not know if my dad is dead or alive.”
Posted on: 18th July, 2013
HRANA News
Agency – Mohammad Amin Agooshi’s offspring said her father has started
hunger-strike.
Sadra Agooshi the daughter
of Mohammad Amin Agooshi the political prisoner in Zahedan central prison
informed HRANA in a call that “Since 14 days ago we have no news from my father
and because of the long distance with Zahedan we are unable to find out any new
information of my father’s condition.”She mentioned that she called prison authorities many times and no one answered her and said “I told them you are talking about human rights always then why you violate our rights? Today my father is in hunger-strike for 14th day, he has not contacted us and we do not know that even is he still alive?”
Sadra Agooshi explained to HRANA how they have been informed about her father hunger-strike that “One of my father’s cellmates -Anonymous name- told my sister in a call and said that since a few days ago they have no news from my father.”
Mohammad Amin Agooshi who is from Piranshahr was arrested in 2007 with Iraj Mohammadi and Ahmad Pouladkhani on charge of espionage for Kurdistan Regional Government -KRG- and enmity against God through the subversive groups.
He was transferred to Oroumiyeh prison after more than seven months of being in confinement cell and was sentenced to death by fusillade in the branch 2 of military court -Judiciary department of army- .
The issued verdict confirmed by branch 31 of supreme court but the dossier opened again and processed once again in branch 1 of military court, then he and the other two accused ones were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and exile to Zahedan prison.
17
July 2013
Committee of Human Rights Reporters – Jailed
labor activist Reza Shahabi’s health is plunging behind bars as prison
officials refuse to grant furlough for his medical needs. The treasurer of
Union of Workers of the Tehran
Mahmoud Salehi, labor activist and spokesperson
for Committee to Defend Reza Shahabi in Iran
Salehi was asked about the types of pain
medication that are administered to Reza Shahabi behind bars. “The physicians
employed in the infirmaries of Iran
Mahmoud Salehi, labor activist and former
political prisoner, made a request that Reza Shahabi be transferred to a
hospital with specialized care and not be taken to a public facility that is
not capable of handling Shahabi’s medical needs.
CHRR asked the spokesperson for Committee to
Defend Reza Shahabi about the possibility of another hunger strike. “We have
made a request to Mr. Shahabi that he refrain from going on another hunger
strike. However we cannot make decisions for a prisoner because we are free and
not behind bars; we cannot fully know the circumstances that the prisoner is
faced with in prison. Only the prisoner profoundly suffers the experience,
faces the difficulties and endures the hardships.”
In ending Mahmoud Salehi while expressing his
deep worry for Reza Shahabi said, “At the very least I hope a new case file is
not generated for Mr. Shahabi with the excuse that he had a leave of absence,
so that he can finally receive his crucial medical care after the end of his
prison term in [late March 2014].
Iran: Increasing harassment, torture of inmates in Bandar
Abbas Prison during Ramadan
Published on Thursday,
18 July 2013 14:31
NCRI - The inhumane
clerical regime has increased its harassment and torture of inmates in Bandar
Abbas Prison, located in southern While the summer heat has reached over 50 degrees C, even ill prisoners are not allowed to drink water or eat any food during the day.
From the beginning of Ramadan the prisoners’ breakfast rations have been discontinued, bread rations decreased to half the previous amount, and they receive only 2 rations of very low quality and quantity food before and after the fasting hours of the day. These conditions are very difficult both for those fasting and those not fasting.
Piling up around 4,000 inmates in this prison that is designed for only 400 inmates, has literally turned this facility into a death camp. At least 300 prisoners are on death row.
The inmates are deprived of even minimum medical care in this prison, and the only medication available are psychoactive drug and methadone pills. Despite the spreading of hepatitis amongst the inmates, prison authorities have not only refused to take any action to control the epidemic, in fact they are also declining to provide medical care for those suffering from the virus.
Over 500 inmates in ward 10 of this prison are suffering from hepatitis. Instead of separating the inmates suffering from hepatitis, prison authorities are deliberately transferring them to other wards.
One 44-year old inmate by the name of Ahmad Bajelani, suffering from hepatitis and tuberculosis, lost his life on July 15th after enduring enormous pains for a week while being deprived from minimum medical care. Another prisoner who was perfectly healthy became ill with hepatitis after being transferred to ward ten and the prison authorities prevented his transfer to a hospital and, in order to blackmail him, conditioned any medical care on paying an enormous price for it. They tell the patient if he doesn’t provide the money “you have to suffer so much until you die”.
In this prison, which is more like a death camp, there is no cooling devices and this makes even breathing difficult in the prison cells. The water has a bad odor and taste, and it is contaminated.
Furthermore, the prison store only sells expired food stuffs at very high prices to the inmates. The lack of the most basic hygiene supplies, the ward being contaminated with septic water, the atrocious smell throughout the prison, and insidious insects increasing throughout the facility are all part of the catastrophic conditions in this Middle Ages-style prison.
In such an environment, the mullahs’ authorities exile political prisoners to this facility in order to increase pressure on them and force them to endure their prison terms amongst ordinary prisoners.
Iran: Jailed student activist refused sick leave for
medical care
Published on Thursday,
18 July 2013 11:42
NCRI - The Iranian regime's
officials have refused to allow sick leave to a student political prisoner
jailed for a speech in which he 'insulted the regime'.One of Majid's close relatives has now threatened to reveal details of the refused request to the media, adding: "If they don’t give Majid a sick leave and continue with this mental torture, throwing his relatives from the Intelligence Ministry to the prosecutor back and forth like a ball, his family will break their silence and will publish every detail."
Majid has spent more than three and half years in prison without receiving any sick leave.
The student majoring in ship manufacturing at
He was then accused of 'propaganda against the government', 'holding an anti-government gathering', 'insulting the leader' and 'insulting the president' and sentenced to eight years imprisonment with physical punishment, five years deprivation of political activities and a five-year ban on leaving the country.
Judicial-Security Authorities Put Ban on Transfer of
Jailed Dervishes to Medical Centers
Thursday, Jul 18 2013
Unlawful interference of
Judge Salavati in the medical treatment of political prisoners and
prisoners of conscience continues. In an new improper interference by judge
Salavati in the medical treatment process of Jailed Gonabadi Dervishes, Farshid
Yadollahi, Omid Behroozi, Afshin Karampour and Hamid Reza Moradi, were
prevented from transfer to hospitals outside of prison.According to Majzooban Noor, despite the arrangement and prosecutor's order to transfer of Gonabadi Dervish lawyer, Farshid Yadollahi to dental clinic in order to follow up treatment, the authorities refused to allow him temporary leave from prison for needed treatment under the order of judge Salavati that is exactly out of his jurisdiction.
According to a report by rahsanews, judge Salavati in a humiliating fashion has forced imprisoned Dervishes to wear prisoners' uniform, handcuffs and fetters outside of prison.
It is notable that, on Saturday morning , 22 Tir ( July 13) due to the lack of obey unlawful orders of judge Salavati, jailed Gonabadi Dervishes, Afshin Karampour and Omid Behroozi were not sent to hospital too despite the doctor's orders for follow-up medical care of jailed Dervishes in specialized institutions under medical management outside prison.
Previously also as an illegal action, judge Salavati had stated that, transfer of imprisoned Dervishes in Ward 350 of Evin prison to the treatment centers is only permitted provided that the permit is issued by the Ministry of Information.
In the last case of illegal and improper interference of judicial and security authorities, Hamid Reza Moradi, jailed Dervish rights activists, who was supposed to be transferred to "Shohada e Tajrish" hospital, was not allowed to go out so he was prevented from the necessary treatments for his condition and has been refused access to medical treatment.
According to the physicians, due to the physical condition of Hamid Reza Moradi who suffers from Lumbar disc, arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases and also is in danger of amputation of his foot, should be immediately transferred to specialized treatment centers but unfortunately his medical treatment has been stopped for 8 months due to the judge Salavati's order.
Six political prisoners started hunger
strike in Evin
Posted on: 20th July, 2013
HRANA News Agency – 6 political prisoners
of ward 350 of Evin prison have started hunger strike opposing the transfer of
Said Matinpour to the solitaries of ward 240.
According to a report by
Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Reza Shahbi Zakaria, Fereydun Seydi
Rad, Soroush Sabet, Said Haeri, Vahid Ali Gholipour and Said Jalalifar have
started hunger strike to protest against the transfer of Said Matinpour to the
solitaries of ward 240 of Evin prison.These political prisoners have said in a short message: “Because Said Matinpour has been transferred to the solitaries of ward 240 without any acceptable reason. We announce that we want him to benefit the health treatment and specially furlough and since transferring him to the solitary in with no acceptable reason and we are worried about his health condition so much, we start our hunger strike from Thursday July 18, 2013 till he is brought back to the ward 350.”
These prisoners say he is suffering from severe back pain due to spinal curvature, drive back and stomach ache.
Suspicious death
and shortage of bread in Rajai-Shahr Prison
Sunday 21 July
2013
HRANA News Agency – A
25-year-old prisoner, Payam Islami, was found dead while locked up in solitary
confinement equipped with closed-circuit cameras. He was beaten and transferred
to solitary confinement after brawling with another prisoner over a piece of
bread. There has been a severe shortage of bread in Rajai-Shar Prison in recent
months.Prison officials claim that Islami hanged himself on Wednesday, July 17, in prison. He was serving time on assault charges.
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), two inmates in Rajai-Shar Prison fought over a piece of bread on Tuesday, July 16. Islami was first taken to the guards’ unit where he was beaten by the prison’s internal manager, Amirian, and the warden, Mardani. Prison officials used batons and polypropylene pipes to hit him.
Following the beating, Islami was transferred to solitary confinement without being allowed to appear in front of a disciplinary board. A few hours later, he was found dead in solitary confinement.
Arash Mohammadi is
sentenced to 6 months of prison
Sunday 21 July
2013
HRANA News Agency – The
third branch of the revolutionary court of Tabriz has sentenced Arash
Mohammadi, the leftist arrested student, to 6 months of prison.Naghi Mahmoudi, the attorney lawyer said to HRANA: “he and two other student activists had been tried on July 10, 2013 in the third branch of the revolutionary court of Tabriz by Judge Bagher Pour on charge of propaganda against the regime.”
Arash Mohammadi and his brother had been arrested once on November 3, 2011 and he sentenced to 1 year of prison after 66 years of being under arrest. He was arrested on September 15, 2012 to serve his prison verdict and was released on parole on January 10, 2013. So now he has to serve the remained 6 months of the previous verdict which makes him to stay for 1 year in the prison.
In the trial of July 10th the working time was finished so Amir Nazeri will be tried once more the date of which is not clear yet.
Ghader Najjari, the assistant prosecutor on duty in Tabriz Central Prison is not allowing Arash Mohammadi to move from the ward of financial crimes to the ward which is called workshop and the political prisoners are kept in.
Arash Mohammadi and Amir Nazeri, the student activists, were arrested by the IRGC intelligence agents in
Amir Nazeri has been released on the bail after 2 days but Arash Mohammadi is still under arrest in
Share
Six prisoners are back from solitaries of
Evin prison
Posted on: 21st July, 2013
HRANA News Agency – 6
political prisoners who have been sent to the solitaries are brought back to
the ward 350 of Evin prison after the conflicts of recent days.According to a report by Kalame, Siamak Ghaderi, Amir Khosro Delir Sani, Houtan Dolati, Nader Babai, Mohammad Ebrahimi and Said Matinpour who had been transferred to the solitaries of ward 240 of Evin prison on July 17, were brought back to the ward 350 last night.
These prisoners were transferred to the solitaries after the protests of the prisoners to the exile of Ali Nazeri.
The critical health condition of Ali Nazeri caused the anger of the prisoners.
In the recent days the prison agents raided into the ward 350.
Freedom
of Expression
Iran
"This is a worrisome trend coming so soon after the presidential elections," said Sherif Mansour, CPJ's Middle East and
The Tehran Revolutionary Court on Saturday sentenced seven journalists for the news website Majzooban-e-Noor to a total of 56 years in prison on charges of "forming the illegal Majzooban-e-Noor group with the intent to disrupt national security," "propaganda against the state," "insulting the Supreme Leader," and "participation in disrupting public order," according to news reports. The journalists, who have been imprisoned for almost two years, had refused to appear in court for their trial in protest of what they saw as the court's bias.
Majzooban-e-Noor covers news about the Gonabadi Dervish community. Hamid Reza Moradi Sarvestani, manager of the website, was given 10 years and six months in prison, and Reza Entesari, a photojournalist and also a website manager, was given eight years and six months, according to news reports. The remaining journalists, all of whom are website managers and lawyers--Mostafa Daneshjoo, Farshid Yadollahi Farsi, Amir Eslami, Omid Behrouzi, and Afshin Karampour--were sentenced to seven and a half years in prison.
The journalists were also handed a five-year ban on "membership in groups, parties, sects, and activities in publications, media, and virtual space."
Security forces on Wednesday arrested Fariba Pajooh, according to news reports. Pajooh's mother told the Campaign for Human Rights in
Pajouh, who previously worked for reformist outlets, was first arrested following the disputed 2009 presidential election, according to news reports. She was released from prison on bail after 124 days of detention, but was then given a one-year prison sentence on charges of "propagating against the regime," which was later suspended for five years by an appeals court. Pajouh has not worked for any media outlet recently.
Also on Wednesday, police arrested Ali Khodabakhsh, managing director of Shargh, at his office, according to news reports. Khodabakhsh was put in Evin Prison to begin serving his one-year prison sentence on charges of "spreading propaganda against the regime." He was first arrested on December 7, 2010, the reports said.
Another journalist, Fatemeh Kheradmand, was arrested and sentenced on July 3 to one-year prison term, according to news reports. She had been freed on bail after being given the jail term charges of "propaganda against the regime through working for Ghalam-e Sabz Internet magazine," according to news reports. Ghalam-e Sabz has been defunct for four years.
Kheradmand was first arrested in January 2012 and released on bail a month later. She is the wife of Massoud Lavasani, another journalist who was arrested in the aftermath of the 2009 presidential election.
- For more information and analysis on
Press
freedom violations recounted in real time (from 1st January 2013)
Published on Tuesday 16 July 2013
16.07.2013-Total
of 56 years in prison for seven netizens
Reporters
Without Borders roundly condemns the harsh sentences ranging from seven and a
half to 10 years in prison that a Tehran revolutionary court passed on seven
contributors to the Sufi website Majzooban Nor on 13 July on charges of
anti-government propaganda, insulting the Supreme Leader and endangering
national security.
Hamidreza
Moradi was
sentenced to ten years in prison, Reza Entesari was sentenced
to eight and a half years, and Mostafa Daneshjo, Farshid Yadollahi,
Amir Islami, Omid Behrouzi and Afshin Karampour were
each sentenced to seven and a half years.
The court also
banned all of them from practicing any kind of political or journalistic
activity during the first five years after their release. The defendants, who
have been held in Tehran’s Evin prison since September
2011, and
their lawyers refused to attend the trial on the grounds that it was unfair
12.07.2013-
Freelance journalist Fariba Pajooh arrested at her Tehran
Reporters Without
Borders condemns the arrest of Fariba Pajooh, a freelance
journalist who works for reformist newspapers and edits a blog (http://www.after-rain.persianblog.ir). She was arrested at her Tehran
Pajooh was able
to contact her family to say she was “all right” but did not explain the reason
for her arrest. She was previously arrested on 22 August 2009 and was released
pending trial on 23 December of the same year after 120 days in solitary
confinement in Evin’s notorious Section 209. When finally tried, she was given
a one-year suspended sentence for her journalistic activities.
08.07.2013-Two
netizens arrested for insulting officials on Facebook
Reporters
Without Borders condemns the arrest of two netizens, a 35-year-old woman and a
45-year-old man, by the Iranian cyber-police, the FTA, in the southern city of Semnan
Information and
communication technology minister Mohammad Hasan Nami has meanwhile announced
that all citizens will be assigned an email address along with their postcode.
“With the assignment of an email address to every Iranian, government
interactions with the people will take place electronically,” the Guardian
newspaper quoted him as saying. A former PhD student in government strategy at Pyongyang University
The US Internet
surveillance company Blue Coat has again been criticized in a report released
by Citizen Lab on 9 July. The Washington Post quotes the report as saying Blue
Coat devices used for Internet monitoring have been detected on government and
commercial computer networks in Iran
04.07.2013-
Arrested arbitrarily, held incommunicado
Reporters
Without Borders condemns freelance journalist and netizen Ahmad Asghari’s
arbitrary arrest by intelligence ministry officers on 20 June when he tried to
interview a political prisoner’s brother in a Tehran
Asghari, who
writes for several Tehran
Arbitrary arrest
and illegal detention are commonplace in Iran
After being
charged with “publishing information on the situation of prisoners and human
rights,” they were transferred to the city’s main prison. They were arrested on
7 and 8 March, respectively.
Reporters
Without Borders has also learned that Fatemeh Khardmand, a
journalist who used to work for the monthly Gozaresh Sanat Chap, has
received a one-year jail sentence from a Tehran
Arrested by
plainclothes men at her Tehran
Maximum
penalty for guilds in the month of Ramadan
In an interview with the social reporter of
IRNA (state-run news agency) on Monday July 15th, Yadollah Maleki
the general director of the Organization of State-sanctioned
Punishments in Tehran
declared the dedication of three especial and professional branches of this
organization to the violations of various guilds in Tehran
“The plan for increasing especial patrols
for the month of Ramadan which has started since June 25th will
continue until August 9th,” added Maleki. (IRNA news agency 15 July
2013)
Organization
of State-sanctioned Punishment’s patrols active through the month of Ramadan
In an interview with the social reporter of
IRNA (state-run news agency), Bozorgmehr Sadeqi Nichkouhi, organization’s legal
deputy and executive deputy of implementing state-sanctioned punishment of
Tehran Province declared that the organizations especial patrols for month of
Ramadan will be in control of the province: “Accordingly, 22 patrols will
observe and control the distribution of fundamental merchandise and food.”
“In case of any violations these patrols
instantly open a file and punish the violator right away,” Nichkouhi added.
(IRNA state-run news agency 10 July 2013)
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