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Condemnation of Violation of Human Rights in Iran
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Withdraw Cabinet Nominee Implicated in Abuses
Published
on Thursday 8 August 2013
(August
8, 2013) – Iran ’s new
president, Hassan Rouhani, should immediately withdraw his nomination of Mostafa
Pour-Mohammadi for the post of justice minister, Reporters Without
Borders, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
Pour-Mohammadi served as interior minister
during former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s first term, from 2005 until 2008.
He was deputy intelligence minister from 1990 to 1999, and a deputy
intelligence minister from 1990 to 1999. Rights groups have implicated him in
abuses that may constitute crimes against humanity, including the executions of
thousands of political dissidents in 1988 and the assassinations of several
prominent dissident intellectuals in 1998. As justice minister he could play a
role in influencing investigations into human rights abuses.
“Throughout his election campaign, Rouhani
repeatedly promised to uphold the rights of the Iranian people and to address
serious rights violations,” said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director at the
International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
Human Rights Watch, in a 2005 report, “Ministers
of Murder,” documented Pour-Mohammadi’s direct role in the extrajudicial
executions of thousands of political prisoners. In the summer of 1988,
Pour-Mohammadi, then a top deputy to the intelligence minister, sat on a
commission charged with interrogating thousands of political prisoners and
ordering many of them to the gallows. The death sentences were issued after
revolutionary courts had already tried, convicted, and sentenced the vast
majority of these people to prison on national security charges following
unfair trials.
In the span of several weeks during the summer
of 1988, Pour-Mohammadi and other officials sitting on similar commissions
throughout the country interrogated thousands of political prisoners, including
journalists, to determine whether they continued to hold steadfast in their
beliefs, or were willing to repent for their “crimes.” After interrogation
sessions that often lasted a few minutes and bore no resemblance to actual
trials, commission members ordered the execution of those who refused to
express remorse for their political activities. Authorities carried out the
executions under a fatwa, or religious edict, issued by then-Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Khomeini and orders from high-level judiciary officials.
Article 160 of the Iranian constitution states
that the justice minister has the “responsibility in all matters concerning the
relationship between the judiciary, on the one hand, and the executive and
legislative branches, on the other hand.” It also states that the justice
minister must be chosen by the president from a list recommended by the head of
the judiciary. The role and influence of the justice minister is largely
administrative.
The planned and systematic manner in which the
1988 executions were carried out could constitute crimes against humanity,
Human Rights Watch said in its 2005 report. August 2013 is the 25th anniversary
of the 1988 prison massacre, and the families and associates of the victims, as
well as the Iranian human rights community, are preparing to mark this
anniversary. Iranian government officials have repeatedly harassed, summoned,
and arrested family members of those executed, sometimes preventing them from
holding commemoration ceremonies.
“Pour-Mohammadi’s nomination would be not only a
blow to all those who fight against impunity in Iran, but also one more act of
humiliation for the families of the journalists and dissidents killed or
tortured while he was in office,” said Lucie Morillon, head of the research
department at Reporters Without Borders. “One should not underestimate the
chilling effect his nomination could have on the ability of journalists and
news providers to independently and effectively inform the public.”
Pour-Mohammadi was the director of foreign
intelligence operations in the Intelligence Ministry from 1990 to 1999, during
which dozens of Iranian dissidents were assassinated abroad. Iran
Pour-Mohammadi may have also been implicated in
particular in the assassinations of several prominent intellectuals. In 1998,
agents of the Intelligence Ministry assassinated at least five prominent
intellectuals, including several journalists, in Tehran
In 2005, two sources with first-hand knowledge
told Human Rights Watch that Pour-Mohammadi had been implicated during these
investigations and that an arrest warrant for him was set to be issued. Before
that could happen, however, authorities instead decided to force him out of
office and put an end to the matter, one source said.
Human Rights Watch wrote to Pour-Mohammadi on
October 28, 2005, asking for his response to these allegations, but he did not
respond.
“Throughout his election campaign, Rouhani
repeatedly promised to uphold the rights of the Iranian people and to address
serious rights violations,” said Joe Stork, acting Middle
East director at Human Rights Watch. “The choice of Pour-Mohammadi
for justice minister sends a terrible message regarding the new president’s
commitment to respecting Iran
Iranian-Americans and Members
of Congress mark 1988 massacre with exhibition
The regime's Supreme Leader at the time Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa (religious decree), ordering the massacre of political prisoners who were serving time in prisons across Iran. None had been sentenced to death. About 90 percent were members and sympathizers of the main Iranian opposition movement, the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK). "Whoever at any stage continues to belong to the Monafeqin (MEK) must be executed" Khomeini stressed, decreeing for his forces to "annihilate the enemies of Islam immediately."
Several Members of Congress, including Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Lacy Clay (D-MO) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) attended and spoke at the exhibition. In her remarks, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of Subcommittee on Middle East, called the 1988 massacre, "a tragedy that continues today because we have
Underscoring the need for policy makers to remain vigilant of Iranian government's true intentions, Tom Cotton said, "
On Khomeini's orders, a "Death Commission" was created and tasked with determining whether a prisoner was a "Mohareb"(Enemy of God) or not. Thousands of students, children, mothers, fathers, and the elderly were summarily executed. Thousands were buried in mass graves across
The exhibition should serve as a wake up call for those who still wish to continue the failed negotiations scheme with the Iranian regime. Indeed, the so-called moderate President-elect Hassan Rouhani (Rowhani) was the Deputy Commander-in-chief of
The exhibition, held in the Rayburn House of Building Foyer Room, was co-sponsored by 12 bipartisan Members of Congress.
SOURCE OIAC
Mr. Rouhani, please hear our
voices!
Mansoureh Behkish’s
open letter to Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani
Mansoureh Behkish
On Saturday, August 3, 2013, you were
confirmed as the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran and subsequently
were sworn into the office. During the inaugural ceremonies, you stated
that the president represented everyone in the country. As an Iranian, I
find it necessary to point out that you don’t represent those of us who didn’t
participate in the presidential election. We believe that elections
aren’t free in Iran
As you faced the nation, you took an oath
and then stated that locked doors could be opened only when everything was
transparent. How wonderful! Transparency is one of the pillars of
effective management. We hope that you’re committed to transparency in
practice. It is what we haven’t seen during the last 34 years and need it
so much. However, transparency isn’t enough. There are other
important aspects to effective management. Government officials must be
held responsible for their actions. Accountability and social justice are
other principles upon which effective management of the country relies.
After the referendum of 1979 and the
establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, people faced numerous problems
throughout the country, but government officials asked everyone to be
patient. We were told to hope for a better future since peace, prosperity
and freedom for everyone were just around the corner. But there was a
vast difference between what was said and what was done. In Neauphle-le-Château,
Ayatollah Khomeini had said that everyone even communists would be free in Iran
Instead of the bright future promised to our
people, all of a sudden, raids, arrests, tortures, forced confessions and
killings of dissidents began. Then, the war came along, followed by its
devastating aftermath, mandatory hijab, the closure of universities, the
expulsion of college students, and finally the mass killings of political
prisoners in the summer of 1988. In less than a month, thousands of
dissidents who were serving their prison sentences behind bars were executed
and buried in mass graves. Their families were neither notified of the
trials nor were present at the time of burials. The bodies of political
prisoners while fully dressed were simply thrown into channel-like mass graves
without proper burial ceremonies.
Still, there was more to come. Our
nation then endured the chain killings of writers throughout 1998.
Although those crimes were exposed, but the murder cases were never
solved. Then, student protesters were brutally attacked in their
dormitories on campus in 1999, and several of them were killed or
injured. In 2009, the country witnessed again the crackdown on street
protesters, followed by numerous arrests, torture, rapes and eventually silent,
mysterious deaths in prisons. Once again, the regime failed to address
any grievances, providing no explanations to shed any light on why and how
these events had occurred.
Mr. Rouhani, during the last 34 years, you
and your brethren have done all you could to harm our nation. The very
same people who overthrow Shah’s government in search of freedom and in pursuit
of a better life worthy of human beings have been oppressed by the Islamic
Republic of Iran. But no one takes the responsibility for what has been
done to us. Each and every one of you points his figure at others and
blames someone else for what has conspired during this time.
A lot of people including me have lost our
loved ones simply because there is no freedom in the Islamic Republic of
Iran. Although systematic and gross violations of human rights is still
wide-spread in the country, the circumstances are different today as it
was in the ‘80s. Today, oppressors no long can eliminate
their defenseless opponents quietly and get away with it. Now, the regime
is facing a restless nation tired of social and political pressures as well as
economic hardship, unemployment and inflation. The majority of people who
voted for you did so simply because they had no other choice. They are
neither fond of the Islamic Republic of Iran nor the likes of you. They
simply want to live decent lives without discrimination, war and bloodshed.
The families and relatives of the fallen
want nothing but to build a better world for everyone, but we have been
oppressed brutally and forced to live in the worst possible conditions.
The Islamic Republic of Iran not only took the lives of our loved ones, but it
also brought about the demise of their mothers, fathers and other family
members, denying everyone a normal life. Even worse, our children have
been haunted too. Generation after generations have been subjected to
continuous threats and denied an opportunities to live as productive members of
the society.
The account of what’s been done to me is an
example of how the regime has treated the families of the fallen. I have
been arrested numerous times just because I have been after the truth, sought
justice and demanded answers. I have been summoned to the Intelligence
Agency many times and have lost my job. In February 2008, my passport was
confiscated at the airport. I have been tried and sentenced to four years
in prison with three and a half years suspended. These days, I live my
life, fearing the moment when I must return to prison to serve the remainder of
my term. On February 3, 2013, I was ordered to report to Evin Prison but
was sent back home. My suitcase still sits in a corner of the house,
remaining there until the next summon arrives. Now that I have written
this letter to describe the bitter truth of what has conspired against us, I
honestly don’t know what is going to happen to me next.
The greatest tragedy is that no government
official has ever given the families of the fallen any answers. The
Islamic Republic of Iran hasn’t told us what was done to our loved ones behind
bars. Since you are after transparency in government, we ask you to
address, at a minimum, the following questions:
1. How were the executions of political prisoners in the 1980s,
especially those killed during 1988, carried out?
2. Why were prisoners who were serving their terms behind bars executed
without notifying their families?
3. Why were the political prisoners retried behind closed doors in
secret by the Execution Commission?
4. Why haven’t government officials formally answered any of our
questions to clarify why and how these mass killings occurred?
5. Why doesn’t the regime tell us where exactly the executed political
prisoners are buried?
6. Why doesn’t the regime give the prisoners’ last words and testaments
to their families?
7. Why does the government continue to torment and harass the families
who wish to gather in Khavaran?
8. Why doesn’t the regime let us freely commemorate the fallen in our
homes and at Khavaran or other cemeteries?
9. Why did the regime attempt to destroy Khavaran once more in 2008 and
failed to address our complaints?
10. Why has the main entrance to Khavaran been blocked for the last five
years? What is to be achieved by forcing elderly parents to walk a considerable
distance to reach the unmarked graves of their loved ones?
11. Why doesn’t the regime let the family of the fallen to mark their
graves, plant flowers and trees, and irrigate and clean the cemeteries?
12. Why has the regime denied us the right to petition the government
for redress of our grievances?
Mr. Rouhani, are you aware of the fact that
the minister of “justice” chosen by you to fill this post in your cabinet was a
member of the Execution Commission 25 years ago? Do you know that he was
the one who issued death sentences for thousands of innocent human beings
including two of my own darling brothers? Do you know that they were
serving prison terms at the time when they were retried and sentenced to death?
Among those who voted for you are lots of
people who are the families of the fallen. They are individuals whose
fathers, mothers, spouses, siblings and children have been killed by the
Islamic regime. They are from families who have persevered through tough
times, surviving in the face of adversity despite constant pressure. Only
because they’ve been left without any other alternatives, they participated in
the elections which resulted in nothing but the shifting of the same players
along the political spectrum. However, if this time around nothing
changes, and their needs and demands are ignored, without a doubt, they will
seek other alternatives.
If you and other government officials truly
understand the current conditions and comprehend the bitter truth, you know
that you must do something if for no other reason than saving yourselves.
You must do something today because tomorrow, it will be too late.
Mr. President, this year coincides with the
25th anniversary of the mass executions of political prisoners
in 1988. We are still seeking to find the truth about what happened; we
are still waiting for government officials to answer our questions. Until
such time as the truth comes out, our grief and sense of loss linger, and our
commitment to follow through continues.
We ask you to stop tormenting and harassing
the families of the executed dissidents. Open the doors of Khavaran to us
and stop interfering with our ceremonies to commemorate the anniversary of the
fallen. We demand to know exactly where our loved ones have been buried.
We would like to care for their graves as we see fit. At a bare minimum,
we are entitled to these rights. So we ask you to acknowledge and respect
them.
Those of us who seek justice have strived to
build a better life worthy of human beings, hoping that the world will never
witness such crimes repeated again.
Mansoureh Behkish
Translated by Laleh Gillani
August 7, 2013
Mrs. Mansoureh Behkish is a human
rights activist, whose 6 family members were killed by Islamic Republic
Regime of Iran as political prisoners in 1980's.
Refugee’s Rights
The promises of the
United Nations
Friday,
09 August 2013
By RYSZARD CZARNECKI, UPI Outside View Commentator
I recently attended a hearing in Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament for Martin Kobler, whose tenure as head of the U.N. Assistance Mission to
UNAMI's mandate in
The refugees in
They have resided in
Due to pressure from the Iraqi government, and ongoing threats against
But instead
From the start of the relocation, the U.N. envoy acted with duplicity. He misrepresented the conditions in
UNAMI also closely collaborated with the governments of
I was particularly appalled of the attempts to white wash the massacre of dozens of Iraqi protesters. During his testimony at the European Parliament, the U.N. envoy vaguely stated that the Iraqi military has a "problem with crowd control," while offering no direct criticism of the government.
The pattern of deceit and distortion continued during his concluding testimony in front of the U.N. Security Council in
However U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Gutierrez has taken a more responsible position. He recently released a statement that highlighted the legitimate concerns of the residents of
"International law requires that asylum-seekers must be able to benefit from basic protection of their security and well-being ...The primary responsibility for ensuring respect for these standards lies with the government of
The statement by UNHCR stands in stark contrast to the misinformation disseminated by Martin Kobler, indeed he became such a problem that the United Nations had to save face by transferring him to a new position as U.N. envoy to the Congo.
The move could be aimed to remedy the damage that he has done to the credibility of the United Nations. His broken promises have not only shattered the credibility of UNAMI and that of the U.N. secretary-general who backed him until the last day but have paved the way for the killing of innocent refugees in
Had it not been for the international efforts of the residents' families and their supporters abroad, these refugees would have been massacred just as Srebrenica.
Despite these bitter lessons, I remain optimistic that the new head of UNAMI, my former colleague in European Parliament from Bulgaria Nikolay Mladenov, will be objective to take the issue of the security of the refugees in Ashraf and
--
British-born Polish politician and former journalist Ryszard Czarnecki has been a member of the European Parliament since 2004 and former European minister of
Execution
Iran: A prisoner
hanged in Salmas
Published on Wednesday,
07 August 2013 01:34
NCRI - A prisoner has been hanged on Sunday, August 4, on
the first day that Hassan Rouhani being in office as the new president of the
religious dictatorship ruling in According to the reports the death sentence was carried out in the prison while there were clashes between security forces and the prisoner’s relatives who were severely beaten outside prison.
The prisoner was identified as Payman Qane Kohneh Shahri, a resident of Tezeh-shahr in vicinity of city of
So far more than 100 prisoners have been executed from the June presidential election and many more are awaiting their death sentences.
Persian Source: http://www.rojhelatpress.com/kurdistan-news/3662-2013-08-05-06-43-17.html
Iran: Executions
and mistreatment of prisoners soars following June election
Published on Friday, 02
August 2013 11:07
NCRI - Executions have soared and conditions in prisons
drastically worsened following Political prisoner Ahmad Daneshpour Moqaddam is now said to have lost 30kg and be in a critical condition since his arrest on December 27, 2009.
His father Mohsen Daneshpour, mother Mottahareh Bahrami and wife Raihaneh Haj Ibrahim Dabagh were all arrested on the same day and transferred to Evin Prison.
Then 18 days later, officials said the entire family - who have relatives in Camps Ashraf and Liberty - had been sentenced to death, before announcing the sentences for the wife and mother had been commuted to 15-year and ten-year sentences each.Last week political prisoner Masha’allah Hamid Haeri - jailed for 15 years in December 2009 - was secretly transferred to Gohardasht Prison, Karaj, after spending 74 days in the solitary confinement in Tehran's Evin prison.
Mr Haeri 58, a political prisoner from the 1980s and father of a
A close relative said: "Prison officials took Haeri out of prison on the pretext of health issues and transferred him to Gohardasht Prison without allowing him to collect his clothes and personal belongings.”
Another political prisoner, Rasoul Bodaqi, who suffers from severe pain in the head and eye, has also been prevented from receiving medical treatment.
The inhumane condition in prisons, compounded by the ill-treatment of political prisoners serving undetermined sentences, have triggered frequent prison hunger strikes across
Abulfazl Abedini is one who is staging a hunger strike after his sudden transfer to Karoon Prison on July 27.
Mr Abedini was arrested in February 2010 and sentenced to 12 years with physical torture by the
Three other prisoners, imprisoned by the agents of Ministry of Intelligence in
Their trial has now been postponed due to their critical physical conditions.
The three are all members of the Youth Culture in
Prisoners of Conscience
Release Iranian Kurdish journalists
Khosro & Massoud Kordpour
Last Update 9 August
2013
The Observatory has been informed by the
Iranian League for the Defence of Human Rights (LDDHI) about the arbitrary
detention of and judicial harassment against two journalists and brothers from
the Kurdish ethnic community, Messrs. Khosro Kordpour and Massoud Kordpour,
respectively editor and correspondent of the Mukrian News Agency, reporting
mainly about the conditions of civil rights activists, political prisoners and
violations of human rights, in particular in the Iranian Kurdish-inhabited
regions and cities.
The Observatory for the Protection of Human
Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human
Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), requests your
urgent intervention in the following situation in the Iran
New information:
According to the information received, on March 7, 2013, Mr. Koshro Kordpour was arrested in the west-Iranian Kurdish-inhabited city ofMahabad
Two days later, on March 9, Mr. Massoud Kordpour was in turn arrested as he was trying to find out about the reasons for his brother’s detention.
About 10 days later, both were taken to the detention centre of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in the West-Azerbaijan provincial capital Urumiya, where they were kept for four months in solitary confinement.
Their family members were able to separately visit them for the first time on April 25, 2013 for 10 minutes. Messrs. Khosro and Massoud Kordpour told their relatives that they had not even been interrogated during those 45 days, and demanded to have access to lawyers. The second visit took place on May 27, 2013.
Mr. Khosro Kordpour went on a hunger strike for 25 days to protest his conditions while in IRGC detention centre in Urumiya.
Both were transferred to Mahabad prison on June 26, 2013, where it was revealed that Mr. Khosro Kordpour had lost 12 kilos and Mr. Massoud Kordpour 20 kilos. It was only after being transferred to Mahabad that they were charged.
Mr. Khosro Kordpour was charged with “moharebeh” (“fighting God”), “corruption on earth through assembly and collusion to commit crimes against the national security”, “insulting the Leader”, “propaganda activities against the State” and “spreading lies with intent to disturb the public minds”, while Mr. Massoud Kordpour was charged with “assembly and collusion to commit crimes against the national security”, “insulting the Leader”, “propaganda activities against the State” and “spreading lies with intent to disturb the public minds”.
On August 5, 2013, Branch 1 of the Islamic Revolution Court of Mahabad held the first session of their trial, during which the judge read out their charges. The lawyers of the two defendants objected to the competence of the court on the ground that the defendants were journalists and that they should be tried at aPress Court
The judge rejected the objection about his competence, but accepted the second objection.
Mr. Khosro Kordpour defended himself at the court stating that he was there only for being a journalist, and that all the articles of the news agency had been published within the frameworks of the law. Mr. Massoud Kordpour also defended himself stating he had only fulfilled his duty of reporting issues, as stipulated in the Constitution.
Their lawyers requested the judge to release them on bail, but the judge did not issue any decision in court, saying he would notify them of his decision at a later stage.
The second hearing is due to take place in late August or in September.
Actions requested:
Please write to the Iranian authorities and ask them to:
i. Guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Messrs. Khosro Kordpour and Massoud Kordpour, as well as of all human rights defenders in Iran;
ii. Release Messrs. Khosro Kordpour and Massoud Kordpour immediately and unconditionally as their detention is arbitrary since it only aims at sanctioning their human rights activities;
iii. Put an end to any kind of harassment - including at the judicial level - against Messrs. Khosro Kordpour and Massoud Kordpour and all human rights defenders in Iran, and release them all;
iv. Conform in any circumstances with the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted on December 9, 1998 by the United Nations General Assembly, in particular its article 1, which states that “everyone has the right, individually or in association with others, to promote the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels”, and its article 12.2 which provides that “the State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration”;
v. Ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards and international instruments ratified by Iran.
New information:
According to the information received, on March 7, 2013, Mr. Koshro Kordpour was arrested in the west-Iranian Kurdish-inhabited city of
Two days later, on March 9, Mr. Massoud Kordpour was in turn arrested as he was trying to find out about the reasons for his brother’s detention.
About 10 days later, both were taken to the detention centre of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in the West-Azerbaijan provincial capital Urumiya, where they were kept for four months in solitary confinement.
Their family members were able to separately visit them for the first time on April 25, 2013 for 10 minutes. Messrs. Khosro and Massoud Kordpour told their relatives that they had not even been interrogated during those 45 days, and demanded to have access to lawyers. The second visit took place on May 27, 2013.
Mr. Khosro Kordpour went on a hunger strike for 25 days to protest his conditions while in IRGC detention centre in Urumiya.
Both were transferred to Mahabad prison on June 26, 2013, where it was revealed that Mr. Khosro Kordpour had lost 12 kilos and Mr. Massoud Kordpour 20 kilos. It was only after being transferred to Mahabad that they were charged.
Mr. Khosro Kordpour was charged with “moharebeh” (“fighting God”), “corruption on earth through assembly and collusion to commit crimes against the national security”, “insulting the Leader”, “propaganda activities against the State” and “spreading lies with intent to disturb the public minds”, while Mr. Massoud Kordpour was charged with “assembly and collusion to commit crimes against the national security”, “insulting the Leader”, “propaganda activities against the State” and “spreading lies with intent to disturb the public minds”.
On August 5, 2013, Branch 1 of the Islamic Revolution Court of Mahabad held the first session of their trial, during which the judge read out their charges. The lawyers of the two defendants objected to the competence of the court on the ground that the defendants were journalists and that they should be tried at a
The judge rejected the objection about his competence, but accepted the second objection.
Mr. Khosro Kordpour defended himself at the court stating that he was there only for being a journalist, and that all the articles of the news agency had been published within the frameworks of the law. Mr. Massoud Kordpour also defended himself stating he had only fulfilled his duty of reporting issues, as stipulated in the Constitution.
Their lawyers requested the judge to release them on bail, but the judge did not issue any decision in court, saying he would notify them of his decision at a later stage.
The second hearing is due to take place in late August or in September.
Actions requested:
Please write to the Iranian authorities and ask them to:
i. Guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Messrs. Khosro Kordpour and Massoud Kordpour, as well as of all human rights defenders in Iran;
ii. Release Messrs. Khosro Kordpour and Massoud Kordpour immediately and unconditionally as their detention is arbitrary since it only aims at sanctioning their human rights activities;
iii. Put an end to any kind of harassment - including at the judicial level - against Messrs. Khosro Kordpour and Massoud Kordpour and all human rights defenders in Iran, and release them all;
iv. Conform in any circumstances with the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted on December 9, 1998 by the United Nations General Assembly, in particular its article 1, which states that “everyone has the right, individually or in association with others, to promote the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels”, and its article 12.2 which provides that “the State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration”;
v. Ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards and international instruments ratified by Iran.
7 August 2013
Committee of Human Rights Reporters – Mehdi
Mahmoudian and Ali Akbar Mohammadadeh were released from prison today August
7th.
According to CHRR, Ali Akbar Mohammadzadeh -
student activist and former head of the Islamic Association of Sharif
University, and Mehdi Mahmoudian - journalist and human rights activist were
granted furlough and released on bail.
Ali Akbar Mohammadzadeh who had been summoned,
threated and interrogated several times since 2009, was violently arrested
across Sharif University one day before the 25 Bahman (February 14) protests in
2011. The student activist was held in solitary confinement while undergoing
harsh interrogations for 54 days in Evin prison. On September 17, 2011 Branch
15 of the Revolutionary Court presided by Judge Salavati handed Ali Akbar
Mohammadzadeh a 6-year prison term in Evin prison which was upheld on November
9, 2011 by Branch 26 of the Tehran Appellate Court presided by judge Zargar.
His sentence stemmed from the charges of “illegal gathering and collusion” (5
years) and “propaganda against the regime” (one year).
Mehdi Mahmoudian, is a member of Participation
Front, member of Association for the Defense of Political Prisoners, and
journalist who played a vital role in exposing the crimes and gross human
rights violations that occurred at the now closed Kahrizak Detention
Center
Mohammad
Ali Taheri in critical health condition due to hunger-strike
Posted on: 8th August, 2013
HRANA News Agency – Health condition of
Mohammad Ali Taheri the prisoner in ward 2-A of IRGC intelligence is reported
critical due to on-going hunger-strike.
According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency
(HRANA), after more than three weeks of being on hunger-strike, Mohammad Ali
Taheri is in critical condition both physically and mentally.He started hunger-strike since Ramadan began and his intention was to protest against the sabotages by interrogators and the intensified pressures on his family such as intimidation and threatening.
It is worth mentioning that Mohammad Ali Taheri is the founder of Erfan Kaihani -Halgheh- and two complementary medical treatment and scientology.
8 August 2013
Committee of Human Rights Reporters – Saeid
Rezaie, one of seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders was hospitalized 2 weeks ago due
to his gastrointestinal disorder, and was transferred back to Rajai Shahr
prison on August 7th.
According to CHRR, after Mr. Rezaie underwent an
array of tests in the medical facility, the physicians realized that he is also
inflicted with heart issues with blockage in over 70% of his coronary artery.
He underwent emergency heart surgery and the physicians ordered one month of
after care in a quite and suitable location. Ignoring the doctor’s orders for
post-op care, officials transferred Saeid Rezaie back to Rajai Shahr prison on
August 7th.
Saeid Rezaie is an agricultural engineer,
scholar and author who is one of the seven Baha’i leaders who were detained in
2008 and handed 20-year prison sentences stemming from the practice of their
faith. The seven formed the now disbanded group, Yaran (friends of Iran
10 August 2013
Committee of Human Rights Reporters – Hossein
Ronaghi Maleki, jailed activist in Evin prison has launched a hunger strike
following his protest of issues including the prison condition and lack of
attention to his medical needs.
According CHRR, in the past weeks this political
prisoner had shared with his family during visitations that in protest of the
authorities’ lack of care for the life and physical state of a human being, if
nothing were changed he would embark on a hunger strike. Hossein Ronaghi
launched a hunger strike on Friday August 9th.
Seyed Ahmad Ronaghi Maleki, the father of the
jailed blogger told CHRR in a recent interview that in addition to his kidney
disease, Hossein now suffers from gastrointestinal bleeding and has been
vomiting - prompting a physician’s order for him to refrain from taking the
necessary medication for his kidney and prostate disease – yet medical furlough
has been denied.
Hossein Ronaghi, blogger and Internet activist
who is one of the founding members of Iran Proxy – a group that bypassed
Internet censorship with proxy servers - was violently arrested on December 13,
2009 at his parental home in the city of Melikan located near Tabriz and was
transferred to Ward 2A in Evin Prison [under control of IRGC]. Hasan Ronaghi
Maleki, Hossein’s brother was also detained at that time despite the fact that
he had not engaged in any political activities. Hasan was tortured and used as
a tool in an attempt to intimidate his brother. For over10 months Hossein Ronaghi
was held in solitary confinement in Evin’s Ward 2A which is under the
jurisdiction of the IRGC. He was subjected to intense psychological abuse and
physical torture in efforts to coerce him into making a false televised
confession, which he refused.
On December 1, 2010 Branch 26 of the
Revolutionary Court presided by judge Pir Abassi handed Hossein Ronaghi Maleki
a 15-year prison sentence. Among his charges were “membership in Iran Proxy”,
“insulting the leadership”, and “insulting the Islamic Republic.” In 2010
Hossein Ronaghi went on 2 hunger strikes in protest of prison conditions and
the mistreatment of prisoners. His mother also went on a 2-week hunger strike
to voice her support for her son.
On August 22, 2012 Hossein Ronaghi who had been
on medical leave from prison was detained along with his father and brother,
Ahmad and Hasan Ronaghi Maleki, and 33 other volunteers and social activists
who had gone to the aid of earthquake victims in the province of Azerbaijan
Ronaghi received a 2-year prison sentence handed
on the charge of “gathering and collusion against national security” in the Azerbaijan Tabriz Public Court
Ahmad Ronaghi Maleki, father of Hossein Ronaghi
has been summoned to appear at Branch 8 of Hasheminejad Court tomorrow August
11th.
Freedom of Expression
Journalists’ group urges renewed freedom for Iran
Tue, 08/06/2013
In an announcement issued on Tuesday August 6, ahead of the upcoming Journalists Day, the association maintain that more than 200 reporters have been arrested in the past four years and given harsh prison terms or been banned from media activities.
The announcement challenges the government’s closure of “scores of independent newspapers” which has also driven rising unemployment in the field.
The offices of the Association of Journalists were shut down following the crackdown on 2009 election protesters and the widespread crackdown on journalists and activists
Tehran
Mon, 08/05/2013
Hossein Sajedinia
The ISNA reports that Hossein Sajedinia, the head of the Tehran Police, said that the distributors were offering clothes with “signs from deviant groups or obscene symbols and images.”
He added that police have confiscated a significant batch of “clothing, deviant symbols, and obscene magazines.”
Police have inspected 2,630 units across
A Kurdish journalist was
sentenced to four years in prison
Posted on: 8th August, 2013
HRANA News Agency – Ghasem Ahmadi, the Kurdish journalist
has been sentenced to four years in prison by branch 1 of the Mahabad
revolutionary court. According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Ghasem Ahmadi the Kurdish journalist was arrested by intelligence agents on March 6, 2013 in Mahabad and it was coincide with Kurdpoor brothers arresting. He was under arrest for 16 days and was freed temporarily on a 50 million tomans bail.
This journalist was a student activist and as well the editor in chief of student publication called Rozhaf which was publishing in
It is worth mentioning that this publication was banned to publish on April 9, 2011 by the cultural department of
Minorities’ Rights
Suppression of
religious minorities stepped up in Iran
Published on Friday, 09
August 2013
NCRI - The Iranian regime's security forces have stepped up
their suppression of religious and ethnic minorities in wake of the June
presidential election, according to reports received from Christians in
On August 1, security forces terrified worshippers when they raided and searched a house church in the city of
On June 9, the
Mr Bordbar was sentenced to five years on charges of membership in an association and another five years for provoking public unrest causing 'national insecurity.'
The
Mr Etehadi received two years for filming a desecrated grave and sending the footage a TV channel. He was handed another five years and 75 lashes.
Attacks of the
"Circle of religions and sects of the Intelligence ministry" against
the path of followers of real Islam and to Dervishes continue
Sunday, Aug 11 2013
The International Organisation to Preserve Human Rights in
Iran (IOPHRI) discloses new plots against the Dervishes and brings it to the
attention of international human rights organisations.Mehriran.de - Following the publication of a press statement of the" International Organisation to Preserve Human Rights in Iran" on Wednesday 31th of July, about the emergence of new planning techniques of "The Press Assembly of Security System" linked to the "Circle of religions and sects of the ministry of Intelligence" against the followers of Sufi and Dervish orders in Iran, in its press/security websites affiliated to "the law breakers forces with secure backings", took a new step in showing the true nature of the design of this plots of the "Circle of religions and sects of Intelligence ministry".
Fergheh News website which on Monday 29th of July in an article entitled "the Gonabadi sect's resources from solemn vows" accused Gonabadi dervishes of drug trafficking, with the publication of another article on Saturday 3rd of August, entitled " The human rights committee published a statement against Fergheh news", with referring unskilfully to the disclosure statement of the International Organisation to Preserve Human Rights in Iran, accused this organisation of human rights and defender of minorities and diversity in Iran of supporting the drug traffickers! And added: "the Gonabadi Dervishes in reaction to the article of 'The Gonabadi Sect's resources from Solemn Vows' have expressed that the content of this statement is dangerous and by supporting the drug traffickers have indicated that after the cruel judiciary system on drug traffickers and execution of some of them, one should not be believed their statement on Dervishes".
These Shamelessness, unconstitutional and unethical actions, and unfounded and baseless allegations without providing any evidence and documentation by security propaganda system against minorities and followers of diversity of religious in
International Organisation to preserve human rights in
German branch/ Sunday the 4th of August
Source: http://www.mehriran.de/en/articles/single/datum///attacks-of-the-circle-of-religions-and-sects-of-the-intelligence-ministry-against-the-path-of-foll/
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