News

Political prisoner Zahra Safaei is in dire health conditions after suffering a heart stroke and undergoing heart surgery. She is being detained despite the forensic’s confirmation that she cannot endure imprisonment.

Zahra Safaei has undergone a heart surgery in a civic hospital after hinderances by prison authorities. In the hospital, her hands and feet were chained to the bed.

She was having heart problems and pain in the chest for two months but the authorities of Qarchak Prison ignored her conditions. Ultimately, she suffered a heart stroke on August 31.

Despite the fact that she cannot endure prison conditions after the heart surgery, the authorities have returned her to Qarchak and detained her alongside ordinary prisoners, which is a violation of the principle of separation of crimes.

Security forces arrested Zahra Safaei in Tehran on February 24, 2020. They also arrested Parastoo Mo’ini, her daughter, as well as Forough Taghipour and her mother, Nasim Jabbari. They were subsequently transferred to the Intelligence Ministry’s detention center (Ward 209 of Evin Prison). Parastoo Mo’ini and Forough Taghipour were transferred to Qarchak Prison in early March 2020.

The court of appeals in Mazandaran Province recently upheld Baha’i citizen Manijeh Azamian’s one year prison sentence.

According to a news agency of Human Rights, Manijeh Azamian, 52-year-old, had previously been sentenced on a charge of “propaganda against the regime” by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Babol.

On April 10, security forces searched Azamian’s house and confiscated several of her personal belonging such as her cell phone, PC hard drive, flash drives, and books about the Baha’i faith. They summoned her to appear at the Ministry of Intelligence office on the same day afternoon.

An informed source said: “During the interrogation, they called several phone numbers from the list on her cell phone and at least three of her non-Baha’i friends or neighbors were summoned for interrogation.”

Political prisoner Khaled Pirzadeh, imprisoned in Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz, is still on a hunger strike. He has suffered various physical problems during his hunger strike.
Political prisoner Khaled Pirzadeh has been on a hunger strike since August 23, 2021. So, he has been on hunger strike for 68 days in protest to the authorities’ refusal to accept his request for conditional release.

He is also protesting the violation of the principle of separation of crimes, and the State Security forces’ violent treatment of his family.

Due to his long hunger strike, he is presently under serum injection. There is high risk for Mr. Pirzadeh once the serum injection is interrupted.

Security forces arrested and beat Mr. Pirzadeh on May 26, 2019 and transferred him to Evin Prison after his interrogation were finished. In February 2020, Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran sentenced him to five years in prison on charges of “conspiracy and collusion,” and to two years in prison on charges of “insulting the leadership,” adding up to seven years in prison.

Political prisoners Soheil Arabi and Behnam Mousivand started a hunger strike since Tuesday after they were violently taken to the quarantine ward of Rajai Shahr Prison.

According to reports, the order to beat and the forcible transfer of the prisoners was issued by Allah Karam Azizi, the director of Rajai Shahr Prison.

On October 6, the two activists refused to attend a court hearing related to a case filed against them during their imprisonment.

After their refusal to attend the court, Valiullah Mohammadi, the deputy director of Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj, threatened to beat them.

The charges against the activists in this case are “disturbing the order of the prison” and “insulting the Supreme Leader.”

Soheil Arabi was recently sentenced in another case by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran to two years in prison, a fine, and a ban on leaving the country.

In a separate case in June, Arabi had been charged with “propaganda activities against the regime and disturbing the public opinion”.

Amnesty International is urging Iran halt the planned execution of a young man who was sentenced to death for a crime that took place when he was a child, following a grossly unfair trial marred by torture-tainted “confessions”.

Arman Abdolali was moved to solitary confinement in Raja’i Shahr prison in Karaj, west of Tehran, in preparation for his execution on Wednesday October 13. His execution was scheduled twice before – in July 2021 and in January 2020 – but was halted both times after an international outcry, Amnesty International said in a statement on October 11.

Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty’s deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa, called on the authorities to “immediately halt all plans” to execute Abdolali, saying the use of the death penalty against people who were under 18 at the time the crime was committed is prohibited under international law and constitutes an “abhorrent assault on child rights.”

Arman Abdolali was first sentenced to death in a grossly unfair trial in December 2015 after being convicted of murdering his girlfriend. The court relied on torture-tainted “confessions”, in connection with the disappearance of his girlfriend in 2014, according to Amnesty International.

October 10 is World Day Against the Death Penalty. More than 140 countries have agreed to abolish the death penalty, according to Amnesty International. The Iranian regime, however, holds the world record for both executions of women and the highest per capita execution rate.
The death penalty is a violation of Articles 3 and 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which emphasize the right to life of every human being.
It is also contrary to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The Iranian regime continues to use the death penalty as a tool to intimidate and repress dissidents; And many regime officials also defend it.

With Iran’s new academic year, beginning on September 23, 2021, several Iranian teachers are imprisoned solely for peacefully exercising their human rights, including through their peaceful activism.

More than three weeks after the arrest of the Chemistry teacher Gholamreza Gholami Kandazi, he remains in a state of uncertainty in Adelabad Prison in Shiraz.

He was arrested by security forces on September 8 and taken to an unknown location.

He was held in solitary confinement for some time and was transferred to Adelabad Prison after the end of his interrogation. The prosecutor has set a heavy bail for his temporary release. Since his family do not afford to pay the bail, his illegal temporary detention has continued.

Mr. Gholami Kandazi is a teacher union activist in Fars province who is about to retire after 30 years of service.

Mehdi Fathi, another trade union activist in Fars province, was violently arrested on September 14. He has had only a brief contact with his family since he was arrested.

Authorities have denied him medical treatment despite his heart condition.

Iran’s parliament voted to restrict the internet amid growing popular discontent and escalating protests, calling for Khamenei’s ouster.
Iran’s parliament on 28 July approved a bill to ban foreign messengers and step up internet censorship. During the unofficial parliamentary session, 121 members voted in favour, and 74 voted against the bill.

The parliament agreed to discuss the bill requiring social media companies to have an office in Iran and be registered with the government.

Failing to do so would see them banned by the authorities. The bill also takes control of the internet away from the civilian government and places it under the armed forces.

After the passing of the bill, it will be forwarded to the Cultural Commission, where it can be put in pilot implementation. The pilot implementation will last between three to five years before it is finalized.
The “Protection of the Rights of Cyberspace Users” project severely restricts the Internet access in Iran.