Responses to Human Rights Abuses in Iran

1. Mohammad-HosseinKarroubi, son of Mehdi Karroubi, wrote on personal facebook account that “Despite the fact that it has been three years since the Islamic Republic’s political and judicial authorities have been incorrectly claiming that MrKarroubi was under house arrest inside of his own house, he was transferred to his own house in Jamaaraan. Security forces are deployed on the first floor of the building. In fact, Mr Karroubi is now under house arrest inside his own house, but with the same terms and conditions that he was in during the past three years.” Mohammad-HosseinKarroubi further noted that “Meanwhile, due to the poor conditions of the detention premises during his house arrest, he has undergone surgery four times in the past eight months.”

2. Citizens of a the village ofPadik, also known as KoohVen, which is located in the south region of Sistan and Baluchestan, expressed their disagreement against Iranian Revolutionary Guards seizing the village graveyard and turning parts of it into Basijbasis.

3. During the past week, Dr. Boris Altschüler wrote a letter to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, asking him to request that the Iranian President, Hassan Rohani orders the release of OmidKokabi, a young Physicist currently held in prison.

4. In continuation of its efforts, the International Organisation to Preserve Human Rights in Iran has started to organise a new series of extensive social actions in order to maintain the public pressure at an international level regarding the unacceptable and dire situation of Iran’s judiciary.

Universities and academics

1. The Tehran Prosecutor and the Ministry of Information, opposed the appearance of OmidKokabi, a young Physicist, at the Optics and Photonics conference in the Shiraz University of Technology. OmidKokabi had been scheduled to make a scientific speech on Wednesday 29thof January 2014 about the industrial applications of lasers. However, Mr Kokabi was arrested on January 2011 and is currently serving his sentence in section 350 of Evin Prison.

Workers and vulnerable communities

1. Zagros Steel workers protested against their payment delay of a period of seven month and on Wednesday 29 January, they gathered in front of the city Governor Building in the city of Qorveh (in Kurdistan Province).

2. Furthermore, in the previous week, on Sunday 2nd of February, 65 workers of a textile factory in Kashangathered in front of the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labour and Social Welfare for the second consecutive day.

3. Rahim Bavy, the workers’ representative of the factory of Ajar Jill in Ahvaz, spoke of 8 month payment delay and closure of the factory of more than 220 workers. In addition, he said: “although workers have not been paid for the past 8 month, they’re also not eligible to receive governmental support either”.

4. Furthermore, Mohammad SalehJokaar, the Islamic Parliament Parliamentary Representative of the city of Yazd, has criticized government and judicial officials of the city of Ardakan for being unaware of the reasons for the miners arrest at Chadormlalu. In addition, he said: “dealing with the Chadormalu mine workers crises is unacceptable regardless of the demands of the protesting workers”. So far the number of arrests of Chadormalumine workers has reached 28 people.

5. Reza Shahabi is a Labour activist,a member of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran Bus Company and a political prisoner of Evin Prison by the order of the prosecutor. He was deprived of continuing histherapytreatment.

6. RahmanAjam is a Member of Islamic Council Coal Miner Workers for Eastern Alborz in Semnan province.According to reports,on Monday 3rd of February, he spoke of the delay of over two months in the payment of wages for 1,400 employees working in this unit due to lack of financial resources.

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

1. On Monday 27th January, Mohammad Sadegh (Arash) HonarvarShojaye, acleric imprisoned in Evin prison ward 209, was taken to jail.

2. Abdulghafoor GhalandariNejad, a citizen from Bandar Abbas city and a member of Gonabadi Dervishes order, was summoned by branch two of the Revolutionary Court in Bandar Abbas to face what he is being charged with.

3. On Wednesday 29th January 2014, 9 Kurdish Sunni prisoners who are inward 10 of RajaiShahr prison were interrogated againby one of the Ministry of Intelligence experts. Their names are: VaryaAmiri, YaserSharafipour, VariaQadri-Fard, ShahooIbrahimi, AmjadSalehi, OmidPivand, BahmanRahimi and Mohammad YavarRahimi,

4. Moolana Mohammad HosinGargij is the Friday prayer leader in Azad Shahr and a prominent Sunni cleric in Iran. On Thursday 30th January 2014, the Ministry of Intelligence of Golestanprovince toldhim not talk against the status quo or makemany critically remarks in his speeches.

5. Furthermore, the Revolution Court Branch One of Gonbad-Kavoos, presided by the Mr Ghorbani, four young Sunni Turkmen minorities were charged with insulting the Supreme Leader, satellite maintenance, insulting Shi’a Imams and propaganda against the Islamic Republic. They were sentenced to a total of 69 months imprisonment and a fine of three million and seventy-two thousand Rial and two whip lashes.

6. On Monday 3rd February 2014, nine converts to the Sunni sect in GhalehCheghan in Ahwaz city were arrested and transfer to Karoon Prison in Ahvaz. The arrests were due to religious activities and their change of religion from Shia to Sunni.

7. FarshadFarzan, a student of Shaheed-Bahonar Technical School of Shiraz was banned from studying due to his Baha’i belief. His ban from continuing his education and course selection continues for the second semester.

8. On Monday 3rd February, a person entered the house of a Baha’i family in Birgand, fatally stabbed three members of the family and then without taking any things left the house.

9. Abdul Wahad Maruf zadeh, a Sunni Kurdish citizen and a teacher, recently released from Rajai prison in city of Karaj, has been threatened and put under pressure by the Ministry of Intelligence.

10. Even though it is10 months since the murdering of Saeedulah Aghdasi in the city of Miandoab, there has been no investigation on this event.

Sentences: death, flogging, amputation, imprisonment and detention

1. According to the reports, the Judges of Tehran’s panel court is re-examining the vindication request on amputation of hand of a young defendant who cut off the hand of another person in a fight. This complaint was put forward by a young salesman and very soon will be investigated in the branch 77 of Tehran’s panel court.

2. Two weeks ago, 6 prisoners sentenced to death were transferred to solitary confinement of the quarantine section of the Central Prison of Orumiyeh and on Thursday 30th January 5 of them were hanged.

3. On Thursday 30th January 2014, Mohamad Baagher Alavi, a member of the Freedom Movement of Iran, was sentenced to four years imprisonment on charges of membership in the Freedom Movement in Iran.

4. On Saturday 1st February 2014, Mehdi Khazali who was summoned to the branch 12 of the culture and media court section by the prosecutor of Tehran was finally appeared in court. According to the prosecutor, the reason behind him refusing to attend the court was due to the existence of legal discrepancy.

5. News suggests that on Saturday 1st February, the security officers entered the work-places and houses of members of “Solidarity Front” and confiscated their personal belongings. At present the security officers are at the front of the house of Mohammad Naimi-Pour who is a member of the central committee of the party.

Press and cyberspace

1. Stories suggest that in recent weeks, four cyber activist students were arrested by security forces in Tehran and Mashhad on Sunday 2nd February. Muslim Busherian, a cyber activist, at the arrival in Tehran International Airport, was arrested by agents of the Intelligence Corps and was transferred to an unknown location. In recent months he has been studying Internet and social networks in China and he has been known to be an activist through Internet and social networks.

Other human rights violations

1. State officials refused to hand over the bodies of Hadi Rashidi and Hashem. Shabani and have threatened the families with prosecution if they take any legal action.

2. It has been reported that recently contaminated water in Rajai Shahr prison has been causing diarrhoea and vomiting of prisoners.

3. The files of at least 16 Sunni prisoners who are on death row have been submitted to the Supreme Court to be reviewed. All these prisoners were sentenced to death in branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court by Judge Mohammed Maghiseh-ee.

4. Mehrdad Mehrgan the chief executive of police in Gilan province said: “a person known as A.B has been taken around the Alamalhoda Street to be embarrassed and shamed in Rasht by the officials. He further added that this person had several histories of mischief and disturbing the public order.

5.According to the news, a mine explosion which was remain of Iran-Iraq war in the city of Qasr-e Shirin in Kermanshah caused amputation of a leg of a child.