Responses to Human Rights Abuses in Iran

1. In the case of death of Sattar Beheshti, Gity Pourfazel has stated that there is going to be a first-degree murder sentence issued and that she is going to objected to this. In addition she said: the reason for this deliberate first degree murder is because the police defiantly didn’t have authorization for receiving Sattar Beheshti from Evin prison and keeping him in custody for three days.
2. The Head of the Open Theatrical Society has complained that social security police intervene in open theatre show. In a court he stated that Vezarate Irshad (the Ministry of Culture and Publication) is responsible for the theatres and that if there is a problem with the shows, the Ministry of Culture and Publication should be approach instead.
3. Nasrin Sotoudeh, a Human Rights lawyer and political prisoner, wrote a letter to the President where she mentioned the murder of an Iranian Baha’I in Bandar Abbas and said that this is a “reminder for chain murders”. She asked President Rohani to respond stating what the punishment will be for the killer once he or she is identified.
4. 9 Dervishes detained in section 350 of Evin prison shaved their hair to show support for the five Gonabadi Dervishes in Adel Abad prison who were attacked by security guards and had their hair and beards shaved.

Women’s Rights

1. Maryam Shafiepour (a student activist suspended from International University of Qazvin) was taken to hospital following the deterioration of her physical health. A specific reason for her arrest has not yet been stated and her family and attorney have been unsuccessful in requesting a bail.
2. Furthermore, the man who used to torture his own wife every day finally burned her in the kitchen. Officers in early research found that the burnt woman’s husband harassed and tortured her every day and that their disputes may have been because of the man’s addiction to drugs.

Universities and Academics

1. On Saturday 14th September 2013, a group of former university students of AllamehTabataba’i University, who were suspended for some years, formed a gathering to demand for their cases to be reviewed again.
2. A group of women and student activists have filed two complaints to public prosecutors in the Court of Administrative Justice, against the gender segregation that has occurred in recent years. This gender segregation has been most seen most prominently in undergraduate examinations in the last two years.

Workers and vulnerable communities

1. Six showroom booths in Milad tower were shut down, due female workers wearing “inappropriate hijabs”.
2. Since 22nd May 2013, 1200 workers of Saveh factory have not received their wages. Moreover, the health insurance of many of the workers in the company has not been extended due to insurance premiums not having been transferred into social security accounts.
3. On Monday 16th September 2013, 60 pensioners in the steel industry in Iran formed a gathering in front of the president’s office, in protest of not receiving three months of their pension.
4 .Moosa Mir-Jahanmardi, the secretariat of workers in Bushehr province, announced the dismissal of 800 contract and informal workers of Iran’s naval shipbuilding industry unit called Sadra, by the 20th September 2013.
5. On Wednesday 18th September 2013, Mohammad Goodrazi, the secretariat of workers in Boroujerd city, announced that it has been 2 months since over a thousand workers of Boroujerd city council have not received their wages.

The Sentences: Execution Flogging, amputation, imprisonment and custody

1. According to the recent reports, Farzad Mahdavi was one of those who were arrested by the security forces on 14 September 2011 in the ceremony of breaking fast in the Sahand Stadium. This civil activist has been once again arrested for an unknown reason during a football game of Malavan Anzali teams V.S Teraktorsazi Tabriz.
2. On Saturday 14 September 2013, Erfan- Gh, an 18 year old teenager, accused of “Rape” was hanged in the city of Ghaemshahr.
3. On Tuesday 17 September 2013, three people accused of drug trafficking were hanged in the Aligodraz Prison. It is worth mentioning that last year, these three were arrested and trafficking and producing drug “ShiShe (Glass)”.
4. OmidShahmardi, one of the green movement activists in Iran was summoned to court and subsequently sentenced to 3 years imprisonment. He was then transferred to the Branch 350 of Evin Prison.
5. Reports indicate that Arouin Sedaghat Kish, one of the protestors against the presidential election results in 2009, was transferred to Evin Prison after his sentence was confirmed.
6. Even though the case of Sattar Beheshti who was beaten to death by the security officers has not yet been concluded, a new victim named Reza Naghvi has been critically injured by the beatings and tortures and was transferred to the branch 350 of the Evin Prison by the security forces.
7. The death penalty of Majid Jalili, accused of Rape who was officially given the sentence last week in the prison, has been confirmed by the Supreme Court, and is now waiting to be hanged.
8. On Wednesday 18th of September, a man named Ahmad from shall city in Qazvin province who was accused of murder in a dispute, was hanged.
9. A boy who has been charged of murder of his auntie’s husband was confirmed by the Supreme Court, and will be hanged soon.

The rights of the followers of ethnic minorities – prisoners of conscience in Iran

1. On Monday 9 September 2013, Samad Jahangiri, a citizen of a village called Kapeik which is near the city of Salmas, was shot dead while he was driving in the main road by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. The shooting happened without any stop sign or warning and resulted in sudden death.
2. On Wednesday 11 September 2013, Mahfaraz Rohani, a Bahai citizen who had entered in the National Entrance Examination, was suspended from further study.
3. 130 Sunni prisoners of the Rajai Prison in the city of Karaj have gone on hunger strike for one day against the insults of one cleric to women of the city of Sistand Baluchestan.
4. Farzad Samadi, a Sunni Prisoner in Saghiz Prison has been transferred to the Solitary Confinement cell of the prison. Furthermore, prisoners named Osman Ahsani and Aram Mikayili have been banned from seeing visitors.
5. Furthermore, two Sunni prisoners of the Rajai Prison in the city of Karaj named Favad Rezazadeh and Hosein Javadi were re-arrested shortly after their release from the prison.
6. The condition of Mohamad Ali Dehghan, one of the Gonabadi Dervishes in the Adelabad Prison has been reported to be very critical. So much so that he must urgently be taken to hospital for treatment. It is worth mentioning that the state of this religious prisoner has become worse in the past week due to being raided and beaten by the security forces as well as lack of treatment.

Press and cyberspace

1. It has been reported that Mr Mohammad Moin, a reporter of monthly and daily newspapers Bayan and Salam respectively, had asked for a short leave of absence due to his mother’s spinal problems. However, the prosecutor prohibited his request.
2. The website”SharghParsi” which is the farsi section of the newspaper ArabiAlsharqAwsat has been filtered.

Other human rights violations

1. On Wednesday 11 September, a hearing into allegations of MajeedSefidanyForuge, BahramAkhuninejad and Nasser Kazempour, three activists in Azerbaijan, was established in the first branch of Tabriz Revolutionary Court.
2. Despite requests being made two months ago for the treatment of Muhammad Hassan YousefPourseyfi, activist for human rights and under-age workers, he has still not been taken to hospital.
3. Rahim (Shahram) Illiyasee one of the prisoners who is suffering from acute liver defects, needs to be transferred to a hospital outside the prison, but officials are not willing to finance his treatment.
4. Doctor Hani yazerloo, who was supposed to complete a medical examination and treatment in a hospital on 14th September after being forced by the prison guards with prison dress, handcuffs and shackles refused for any further treatment. At the same time, Mehdi.Sajedifar as political prisoners who had been suffering from acute gastroenteritis was prevented again after many times to be sent to hospital for treatment.