Responses to Human Rights Abuses in Iran
1. Ali Asghar-Faani, the Minister of Education, in a letter to the head of the Judiciary requested pardon of a number of teachers who are currently in detention, due to upcoming events in the near future.
2. In its annual report for 2013, the international organisation “Open Doors” stated that pressures on Christians worldwide have been increased this year. In terms of prosecution and violation of Christians in the top ten counties, Iran is number one in the list.
3. Last week, the Amnesty International informed of the deterioration in the health of Mr Mohammad-Reza Pour-Shajari, a 53 year old blogger who is currently imprisoned in Ghezel-hesaar Prison of Karaj. It is written that Mr Pour-Shajari is not permitted adequate access to medical care.
Women’s rights
1. Last week, Zeinab Jallalian a Kurdish citizen, born in the city of Maku, who has been kept in Dizel-Aabad Prison in the city of Kermanshah, was not given permission to be transferred to a prison close to her hometown. To this day, Zeinab Jallalian has made numerous requests to the prison authorities to be transferred to a prison close to her hometown, but so far her requests have not been accepted.
Workers and vulnerable communities
1. The municipality of the city of Sanandaj in an unusual action fired 200 workers of regions 1, 2, 3 and Baharan. It is worth mentioning that workers who have not been fired, are working with half of their wages cut, and would not protest as they are scared of losing their jobs.
2. Last week, 50 workers of sugar and sugar-refining factory in the city of Ahvaz, who had been left in limbo, on Monday morning 13th January 2014, gathered in front of the governor of the city of Khuzestan, in protest against lack of attention of officials towards solving their problems.
The rights of the followers of ethnic – prisoners of conscience in Iran
1. On Wednesday 8th January 2014, three Baha’i citizens from the city of Semnan, by the names of Ardeshir Fanayiyan, Shadirkh Firoziyan and Gol-Rokh Firozian, were arrested by the security officers and transferred to Semnan prison for their sentences to be carried out
2. On Friday, 10th January 2014, Hamid Reza Moradi a Dervish prisoner, whom has been hospitalization for the passed two months in Shohadaye Tajrish Hospital, for few hours, was suffering from severe abdominal and kidney pain, and at early stage was diagnosed of the possibility of the intestinal artery was warned of his severe physical condition.
3. Last week, four Sunnis prisoners who have been on hunger strike for 68 days in Ghazal Hesar Prison, are in worse condition than before. On 9th and 10th January for several times Kamal Mullai fainted and eventually was taken to the prison infirmary.
4. Four Gonabadi Dervishes who are incarcerated in the Security Section of Adel-Abad prison of Shiraz while spending 9 months in temporary detention had their court postponed for the second time. Mohsen Esmaeili, IbrahimBahrami, Mohammad Sadeghi and Mohammad Ali Dehghan, are the dervishes who are accused of “forming a terrorist group against the regime”, “participating in protests to overthrow the regime” and “waging war against God” and have been spending 9 months in prison with delayed court cases.
5. Furthermore, the ideological prisoners of the ward 10 of Rajai Shahr prison, for the past two weeks have been deprived of warm water.
6. Hashem Hussein Panahi, a teacher of theological school of Imam Bukhari of Sanandaj in a special clerical court, was sentenced to six months imprisonment and 30 lashes. It is worth noting that, this Sunnis activist was former employee of the judiciary and has been working for 12 years in Justice Department, who was fired and made, redundant four years ago, following defending Sunnis’ right and participating in religious activities.
Sentences: death, flogging, amputation, imprisonment and detention
1. According to the reports, Managing director of weekly journal “Ninth of Day” was sentenced to imprisonment and flogging publishing an article criticizing Ali Larijani.
2. A 45-year-old prisoner in Yasooj Prison on charges of drugs trafficking was executed.
3. On Monday 13th January, 2 prisoners charged with murder, were executed in Sary prison. One of the men charged with murder of five people was sentenced to death five times. The other defendant was sentenced to death as a vendetta for a murder he had committed.
4. AbdulVahid Shahbakhsh of 22 years old and Mahmood Shahbakhsh of 23 years old were arrested by the security forces on 21st March 2012 and were kept inside the Intelligence detention centre in Zahedan. Both were charged for activities against the national security and sentenced to be executed by the revolutionary court in Zahedan.
5. The reports indicate that since 14th January 2014, at least 6 prisoners in the prison of Rajaee Shahr in Karaj, in order to face execution have been transferred to solitary confinement. All these prisoners have been convicted of murder intentionally.
6. On Tuesday morning 14th January 2014, the death sentence of five people accused of drug trafficking was carried out in the city of Shiraz.
7. On Tuesday morning 14th January 2014, at least seven prisoners accused of murder in Rajaei Shahr prison were executed by hanging.
8. Dr Ali Rashidi, a prominent economist and nationalist activist was put in jail after the approval of his two-year prison sentence
9. On Wednesday 15th January 2014, the prosecution officers arrested Mr. Heshmat-ollah Tabarzadi, the Secretary of the Democratic Front of Iran, at his home after presenting him with the prosecutor’s summoning order.
Other human rights violations
1 .Attorney of Sirajuddin MirDamadi, a former member of the Central Council and reformist journalist said that, “due to inaccuracies in my client’s file, the trial judge referred the case to Evin Court”. He further added that: “the charge issued by the Tehran prosecutor on my client was activities against the security of the regime”.
2., Afshin Ba-Imany, a political prisoners in Rajai city prison, despite of having two heart attacks, has been denied of leave on medical ground.
3 .On Saturday 11th January, Syed Abouzar Alavi, a members of the national committee of religious activists in Mazanderan , following a complaint to the Information Office of Behshahr branch, was summoned to the public and revolutionary prosecutor of Behshahr.
4. Prisoners who have a day off per week and are kept in the workers branch of the central prison of Zahedan have minimum amenities.
5. According to reports on Sunday 12th January, Ahmmad Daneshpour Moghaddam, the political prisoner sentenced to death, was taken to the infirmary unconscious following deterioration in his health and physical condition.
6. Ahmed Ali Kykha Deputy Environment and Biodiversity of the Environmental Protection Agency said that the country’s environmental situation is in dire condition and compare to the previous years is down by 60 steps.
7. News indicates that last week 350 political prisoners in act of protest refused to go to meetings and subsequently were suspended to visit their relatives for two weeks.
8. Further to continues fire of schools in Iran’s Kurdish areas, another school in rural areas of Uromia has been caught fire from kerosene heaters. Fortunately, this fire has not taken anybodies life.