Responses to Human Rights Abuses in Iran

1 .The group known as Reporters-Without-Borders issued a statement in which it condemns what is now classified as the “new wave of persecutions of activists spreading news and information”
3. During the past week, Esrafeel Soltaniyan, a prisoner of section 209 of Evin prison, who suffers from disabilities in both of his legs, went on a hunger strike to protest against the conditions of disabled prisoners.
2. Prisoners of Rajaee-Shahr prison have protested against the shortening of the period of time per day that they are allowed to have some fresh air. These political prisoners in Rajaee-Shahr prison used to be allowed to have fresh air only three hours a day, but recently, half an hour has been reduced from this allowance.

Women’s rights

1. During the past week, after the Iranian girls’ Karate team succeeded to enter the finals in the tournaments in the UAE, were eliminated from the tournament by the federation officials due to the use of mandatory and non-standard coverage.
2. Furthermore, Maryam Shafi-pour, a student activist who is being held in Evin prion, will have to go to court once again on Wednesday 1st January 2014. Prior to this, in 2011, this former student activist was sentenced to one year imprisonment by the Ghasvin court, due to student activism.
3. On Monday 6th December 2013, Colonel Masoud-Zahediyan, Chief Moral police of “Naja”, spoke of the smuggling of Iranian girls to Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.

Universities and academics

1. On Tuesday 10th of December, the University of Noshiravani of Babol was visited by inspectors from the Ministry of Science which led to student protesting against how the university is governed and the imprisoned students.

Workers and the vulnerable strata of the society

1. Cane workers protested outside the Agro-industrial Complex of Haft Tappeh in reaction to their employer and other provincial officials who have ignored the demands of their Union. On Monday 9th December, they stopped work and sat in the fields, waiting for a response from the officials.
2. Furthermore, in the previous week, a labour activist in Orumieh said that over 60 workers from the concentrated fruit juice production plant “Shahdab” have not received payment for 5 month.
3. The Secretary of the Khaneye Kargara of the city of Tabas announced that more than 600 construction workers have been made unemployed since the beginning of this month due to the freeze in housing projects.

Sentences: death, flogging, amputation, imprisonment and detention

1. According to reports, a graduate student of the Islamic University Samad Khatibi was summoned for questioning ten days ago at Imam Khomeini Airport and subsequently, was arrested. However, on Thursday 5th of December, security agents visited his home and searched through his belongings. Samad Khatibi was a campaign activist who supported Hassan Rohaniin in the recent presidential election.
2. The head of the directorate of Gachsaran announced that “On Thursday 5th December 2013, a 28 year old prisoner who had killed a man a few years ago in a conflict was hanged in the Gachsaran Prison”.
3. Furthermore, Judge Ali Farhadwand, the head of the Revolutionary Court in Ahvaz gave a death sentence to four prisoners by the names of Abdolreza Amirkhanafereh, Ghazi Abbasi, Abdolamir mojadami and Jasem Moghadampanah on charges of “waging war against god and corruption on earth”, and later the Supreme Court confirmed the death sentence of the above-mentioned prisoners.
4. While the evidence suggested that Golam-Reza Khaledi, from Denna Lar, who had been accused of murdering a hunter, would have been acquitted at the trial, was executed last Sunday.
5. Reports suggests that on Thursday 5th December 2013, 7 prisoners accused of drug trafficking were hanged in the Disiel Abad Prison in the city of Kermanshah. Furthermore on the same day, 8 more prisoners, whose identities have not yet been known, were hanged in the Iylam Prison.
6. On Wednesday 11th December 2013, 7 prisoners accused of murder, armed robbery and drug trafficking were hanged in the Rajayi Prison of Karaj.

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

1. During recent weeks, intelligence officers in the city of Yazd visited the house of Bahai’ citizens and after inspecting their houses, seized their equipment and caused fear and panic among their families.
2. Hashem-hossein Panahi, Sunni religious activists, was arrested and transferred to section 350 of the Evin prison following his summoning to the clergy special courts. He was a former employee of the judiciary for 12 years and was sacked 4 years ago due to his defending of the rights of Sunnis and participation in religious activities.
3. Following the harassment, repression, arrest and imprisonment of the Nemat-Allahi Gonabadi’s Dervishes which is intensified for the last 8 years, Doctor Mostafa Azmayesh, the representative of the international organization to preserve human rights in Iran, in his interview with Radio Farda, announced a new deal and movement with the Dervishes in the city of Khoramshahr and then he explained about the physical condition of the unwell Dervishes in Adel-Abad and the Evin prison.
4. Four prisoner Dervsihes are in the “edification” section of Adel Abad prison without being sentenced for 7 months. Their arrest warrants was recently renewed for the forth time.

Press and cyberspace

1. Colonel Masoud Zahedian stated that the police are monitoring virtual spaces, and then further added that the police monitor areas such as Facebook, Instagram, we-chat, and etc.
2. On Monday 9th December, Ali Darvish, a journalist and cultural activist, was arrested after security agents raided his workplace. Alireza Darvish was working in the weekly journal Amordad, which is owned by Zoroastrians.

Other human rights violations

1. Karoon prison officials have announced to take some amenities, such as kitchens, from inside of the prison.
2. Hossein Ronaghi Maliki, who is suffering from a serious physical condition, now faces negligence from authorities over his treatment; he is also deprived of meeting his lawyer.
3. On Thursday 12th December Afshin Ba-Imani, a political prisoner in section 12 of Rajai Shahr prison had a heart attack and was taken to the prison infirmary.
4. Payman Kasan Nezhad, a political prisoner in ward 350 of Evin prison, despite the physical and mental deterioration was not sent to a hospital or given a medical leave.
5. According to the report on Saturday 7th December, Hadi Raashedi and Hashem Shaabani from Karoon Prison were transferred to an unknown location, and are at the risk of being executed.
6. On 28 November Hootan Dolati a nationalist activist went on hunger strike, in protest to the prison authorities’ for refusing to provide him with the medical care.
7. According to the news last week, at least 9 prisoners of Rajayi Shahr and Ghazal Hesar prisons were transferred to solitary confinement.
8. In the current year many Kurdish students from villages of West Azerbaijan are with no teacher.