Weekly report on Human Right Violation in Iran (20/07/2013)
Reactions to the violation of Human Rights in Iran
1. On Thursday 11th July, Rosemary DiCarlo, the U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, reported on Iran and Syria’s probable plan to become a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council and showed her dislike. The United Nation Human Rights Council with 47 members is located in the city of Geneva in Switzerland.
2. Ahmad Shaheed, the United Nation Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, is travelling to the US and Canada in order to collect information regarding the violations of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
3. During the past week, Mahmood Fazli, Ayatullah Mehr-Ali Bigloo, Latif Hassani, Behbood Gholizadeh and Shahram Radmehr all went on a hunger strike in the central prison of Tabriz. These prisoners started this indefinite hunger strike, in objection to their 9 years imprisonment on charges of forming illegal groups and propagandising against the regime, being confirmed by the third branch of the Revolutionary Court in Tabriz, at the court of appeal in East Azerbaijan Province.
4. The House of Cinema has been shut down! The managerial committee of the Cinema had planned a meeting to be hosted by The House of Cinema of Semnan, for Tuesday 16th July to discuss about the need for cooperation of members in organising general meetings. However, the night before the meeting to be held the security officer of the Ministry of Culture and Guidance, without any court order entered the House of Cinema and shut it down which resulted to gathering and objection of central committee union members representing the cinema lovers.
5. Reporters without Borders, in their recent report about the suppression of freedom of information in Iran, have condemned the heavy sentences issued against the bloggers of the “Majzoobane Noor” website.
6. Furthermore, a number of imprisoned lawyers, and activists to preserve rights of Dervishes in Evin prison of Tehran and Adel Abad prison of Shiraz, wrote a letter to Nelson Mandela. This letter was signed by the following imprisoned activists: Abdolfatah Soltani, Farshid Yadollahi, Amir Eslami, Mostafa Daneshjou, Omid Behroozi, Hamidreza Moradi, Reza Entesari, Afshin Karampoor, Mostafa Abdi, Alireza Roshan, Kasra Noori and Saleh-aldin Moradi.
Women's Rights
1. Last week with regards to installing security cameras in the women’s quarters of prison, the Judiciary of the Islamic republic of Iran’s officials ordered that the female officers to check and monitor the security cameras. However on various occasions male officers have been intruding into the women’s quarters without any legal consent. This has caused the women within these quarters to feel discomfort and unhappy.
Universities and Academics
1. On the 13 July 2013, the students of the University of Tehran have been confronted with an agreement letter in their training book, indicating dressing code at the university. It reads as follows: “I have read the terms and conditions of dressing code of the University of Tehran, and agree to implement it.”
2. According to news reports in recent days, the ministry of National Security have contacted a variety of postgraduate candidates.
Workers and vulnerable Strata of society
1. On Friday 12 July, Dozens of contract workers of Zagros steel melting company, for the second consecutive day, by gathering in front of the city of Sanandaj Province building, protested against their expulsion and not receiving any financial claims.
2. Furthermore, last week on Saturday 13 July, 235 workers of Zagros steel melting company for the third consecutive day, by gathering in front of the city of Sanandaj Province building, protested against expulsion and not receiving any financial claims,.
3. After 29 days of hunger strike by workers of Shahriar Turbine-parts Factory, negotiations between employees’ representatives and managements have not concluded and the strike of the workers continues.
4. Kamal Alipour Khonakdari a member of commissionaires of civil of the parliament by criticizing the method of the parliamentary inspection indicated that: “Steel workers have not received their salaries for three months”.
5. On Monday morning 15th July 2013, in continuation to the protests of the 250 workers of steel factory of the Kurdistan who have been expelled from their jobs, the owrkers gathered outside the office of the supreme leader in Pastor Street in Tehran and demanded to be given the opportunity to go back to their jobs.
6. The physical condition of Reza SHahabi, board member of the syndicate of workers of Tehran and suburb bus, who is currently in prison, has been reported to be critical.
Sentences: death, flogging, amputation, imprisonment and detention
1. Mohammad-Javad Heshmati, Chief Justice of the city of Gilan, has announced execution of 7 citizens of Shamgah city, on Tuesday night 9th July, in the central prison of Rasht.
2. According to the reports of the general relation of justice of Ardebil city, on Tuesday 9th July 2013, three individuals sentenced to death on charges of drug crime were hanged in the central prison of the city. Repots indicates that only in the period of 4 days, the number of executions by hanging has reached to 9 in this city.
3. Farhad Fatahi, the secretary in organising student reformist group in the city of Ghazvin, who was jailed after the protests of 11th February 2011, has been sentenced to five years imprisonment.
4. On Saturday 13th July 2013, the death sentences of the following victims were confirmed, and announced to them and their families, with charges of violence; they are as follows: Alireza Amir Khanafereh, Judge Abbasi, Abdolamir Majdami, and Shahab Abbasi,
Religious rights of ethnic diversity and beliefs in Iran
1. On Saturday 13th of July, during the gathering of a group of Yarsan’s followers regarding the fortieth day of Nikmard Taheri’s death, Mohammad Ghabooli, the speaker of the event was arrested in the city of Sahneh. After the spread of the news within participants about Mohammad Ghaboooli arrest, they gathered in front of the governor office in Sahneh city and stated that they will not end the gathering until Mohammad Ghaboooli was released or they are informed about his fate.
2. On Friday 12th July ‘’Nasim Zanjani’’ a citizen in the city of Tehran who is a new convert to Christianity was arrested by Security forces in her parental home.
3. Shamim Etehadi’’ a Baha'I from city of Yazd who had been in detention since last March was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment.
4. The health of ‘’Mustafa Daneshjoo’’, an imprisoned Gonabadi Dervishes’ lawyer deteriorated after he was returned to prison from the emergency department of the hospital without finishing the treatment.
5. Seven Gonabadi Dervishes consisting of managers of Majzoban Noor website and Dervishes’ lawyers were sentenced to over 56 years of imprisonment, in branch 15 of Tehran Revolutionary Court by Judge Salavati. Accordingly ‘’Hamid Reza Moradi Sarvestani’’ was sentenced to ten years and six months, Reza Entesary to eight years and six months and Mustafa Daneshjoo, Farshid Yadollahi Farsi, Amir Eslami, Omid Behrozi and Afshin Karam pour, were each sentenced to seven and a half years imprisonment. Additionally, they were banned from participating any group, parties, sects, media and cyberspace.
6. Sentence of four Arab citizens in the city of Shadegan who were previously sentenced to death in Revolutionary Court in the city of Ahvaz, were confirmed by the country’s Supreme Court.
Media and cyberspace
1. News indicate that the secretary of the council of cyberspace has informed about review of a project which due to the change in the refinement and filtering system, the users must disclose their identities before entering and using the internet.
2. On Thursday morning, 11th July Fariba Pajohe, a reformist journalist was arrested at her home and transferred to Evin prison.
Other human rights violations
1. Family members and relatives of R. Bedaghi, political prisoners and a board member of teachers' union in Tehran were intimidated in Koohdasht and Islamshahr by member of authority.
2. The son of Mohammad Amin Aagooshy, a prisoner in the central prison of Zahedan announced the start of his father’s hunger strike.
3. Contradictory to what Tehran’s prosecutor’s office has been saying in the past several months that the ministry has opposed to the release of Majid Tavakoli, the student sources report that Tehran Prosecutor had been opposing the release of Majid.
4. Khsrou and Masud Kordpour continue to live in limbo in Mahabad prison.
5. According to reports, with the intense heat, power failure, lack of segregation in prisoners based on their charges and the problem of long distance for his family, the condition of Amir Reza (Pyman) Arefi has been reported to be very poorly.
6. Dr Ali Nazeri, a dentist, political and civil right activist with affiliation to National Front of Iran in Evin prison was sent to exile on a stretcher to Zabul prison.
7. According to the news received, Mr Mohammad Reza Poor Shajari a 51 years old blogger who is suffering from heart problem and prostate has recently been faced with new problems.
8. Gholamali Riyahi Faezah the lawyer of Hashemi Rafsanjani’s wrote: “In order to deal with my client’s charges of disorderly conducts during her 6 month in prison, it has been planned to have arraigned in the branch 15 of revolutionary court on Wednesday 7th August”.
9. Following the transfer of Ali Nazeri from special care of Evin prison to Zabol prison, prisoners of ward 350 of Evin prison protested against this action and consequently, 6 political prisoners were transferred to solitary confinement.
10. A twenty –year-Old Iranian youngster was killed in Uromiyeh border. He was shot dead by Islamic republic patrol guards, when he was about to be smuggled from Iran to Turkey.
