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Political prisoner Houshmand Alipour has been deprived of his right to leave and visits because of the media coverages of his hunger strike in Sanandaj Prison.

Under pressure of the Intelligence Department of Kurdistan, Khosravi Zadeh, the judge in charge of Sanandaj Prison, and the head of the prison, informed Houshmand Alipour that since the issue of his hunger strike had been reported in the media, they could not grant him leave and he could not have visitations with his family.

According to Hejar Alipour, Hooshmand’s brother: “Government officials and officials in charge of Sanandaj prison continue to refuse to grant leave to this political prisoner under pressure and threats from the General Directorate of Intelligence of Kurdistan Province.”

Mr. Alipour said: “On November 16, 2021, after a 15-day hunger strike, Houshmand was promised leave by the judge in charge of Sanandaj prison, Khosravi Zadeh, and the head of the prison. He was told that they would allow him to leave in two months. But now they say that since the news of his hunger strike has been covered by the media, they could not send him on leave.”

The Revolutionary Court of Tehran has sentenced labor activist Hirad Pirbdaghi to 4 years and 8 months in prison, two years of deprivation of membership in political and social groups, and a two-year ban on leaving the country.

Pirbdaghi has been charged with “propaganda activities against the state and society and collusion against national security.”

Hirad Pirbodaghi is a writer, labor activist, and member of the editorial board of the labor magazine Gam (Step).

This labor activist has been arrested several times for his activities.

Hirad Porbodaghi was first arrested in August 2019 during a gathering in front of the Revolutionary Court, supporting the Haft Tappeh Sugar Factory’s imprisoned workers, and spent three months behind bars.

A few weeks after his release, he was detained again for 10 days, this time because he still hadn’t stopped his activities.

Political prisoner Maryam Akbari Monfared is serving her 13th year in exile in Semnan prison. She is suffering from fatty liver disease and is deprived of minimal facilities in Semnan prison.

“Maryam Akbari is unable to provide the food needed to maintain her minimum health as the doctor has set,” an informed source said. “Because there are no facilities for cooking food even for the sick inmates in Semnan Central Prison.”

“This political prisoner has been forced to eat bread and cheese for about a year. Because she cannot eat prison food and this food has endangered her health.”

Maryam Akbari was arrested on December 31, 2009, after the tremendous uprising on December 27 that year which shook the pillars of the regime. In June 2010, the Revolutionary Court of Tehran handed down a 15-year prison sentence for Moharebeh on the alleged charge of “membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran,” a charge which Mrs. Akbari has never accepted.

Reports on social media indicate that civil activist and former prisoner of conscience Hossein Ronaghi has been arrested by security forces.

Ronaghi is an advocate for human rights and Internet freedom, and has spent several years in prison for his peaceful activities.

Officials have not yet responded to reports of his arrest.

Meanwhile, his brother, Hassan Ronaghi tweeted yesterday that “my brother has not been heard from since the morning he left home. Some friends said that he has been contacted several times with an anonymous number.”

“Whatever happens to Hossein, the office of the supreme leader, the IRGC and the judiciary are responsible,” he added.

Majid Tavakoli, a civil activist, also tweeted yesterday that “there is no news of Hossein Ronaghi since this morning and his family and we (his friends) are worried.”
He added: “Hossein is a hero who has worked hard for the freedom of the Internet in the last two decades. He has always been the voice of the people with courage and has fought for democracy, human rights and a free Iran.”

In his latest Twitter post published on Tuesday, Ronaghi criticized “the Bill for the Protection of the Rights of Cyberspace Users” which would drastically increase the Iranian authorities’ ability to censor and surveil activity on the internet in Iran. He said that the proposed bill it based on the “opinion and wishes” of the regime’s Supreme Leader.

Prison authorities in Rajai Shahr Prison have prevented the continuation of treatment and surgery of the gums of political prisoner Hassan Sadeghi.

Hassan Sadeghi went to the hospital for several sessions and his gums were operated on and sutured, but he was told that he was no longer allowed to be sent to a hospital outside prison.

“Political prisoner Hassan Sadeghi received treatment at his own expense and was sent to a dentist outside the prison for several sessions,” a reliable source said. “But suddenly he was prevented from being sent for further treatment and he was informed that he was no longer allowed transfer to hospital.”

“He had a gum surgery and his gums are sutured and treatment has not yet been completed,” the source added. “This condition can definitely lead to gum infection and further complications. How he should take out the stitches?”

Hassan Sadeghi is currently being held in Rajai Shahr Prison. Due to his many years in prison, the political prisoner suffers from various illnesses such as eye condition, severe back pain and foot pain, and gum disease.

Political prisoner Forough Taghipour has been taken to a filthy cell with no access to hygiene or medical care after she contracted the omicron Covid variant in Qarchak Prison in Varamin, in Tehran Province.

She suffers from lung disease and asthma and has symptoms of the virus since last week. Alarm is growing over the danger the poor condition poses to her.
An informed source said, “Instead of properly treating the political prisoner, prison officials transferred her to a dirty room and there is a threat of her contracting other diseases.”

“In this room, called quarantine, Forough, who was already in critical condition, is being held in a dirty place with no access to hygiene or medical care,” the source said.
Born in 1994, Forough Taghipour has graduated in accounting with a bachelor’s degree.

Forough Taghipour and her mother, Nassim Jabbari, were arrested on February 24, 2020.

Mrs. Jabbari, 58, was released on bail in mid-March and eventually exonerated of her charges.

Forough Taghipour, however, remained in detention and under interrogation in Ward 209 of Evin Prison. She was pressured to cooperated with the Ministry of Intelligence and appear on TV making false confessions against herself.

Mohammad Habibi, a spokesman for the Iranian Teachers’ Trade Association (ITTA), said that Ministry of Education has issued some directives aimed at “terrorizing” teachers and preventing them from attending protest rallies.

On his Twitter account Habibi published the pictures of two directives recently issued by the Ministry of Education.

He criticized education officials for “terrorizing” teachers instead of “meeting their legitimate demands.”

In one of these directives, all school principals in Zarrin Dasht in Fars province were ordered to “explain” teachers that “taking part in gatherings and sit-ins inside and outside the schools is against the law,” and any teacher who takes such an action will be referred to the Board of Administrative Violations of Education Staff.

Another directive issued in Khorramabad, states that “foreign media” have “lined up” to “target” the Teachers Ranking Plan. The directive instructed all the principals in the area to be “vigilant”, to have “complete control” over the forces under their cover, and to “persuade” their colleagues to avoid gatherings and sit-ins.

Political prisoner Ebrahim Seddiq Hamedani has been on hunger strike in Marivan Prison since February 12. He has been on a medication strike since Monday, January 24, and now faces physical problems such as hyperglycemia.

Mr. Ebrahim Seddiq Hamedani’s strike is to protest prison officials’ failure to fulfill their promises that he and his son would be transferred to Sanandaj Prison.
This prisoner’s son, Salar Seddiq Hamedani, started a hunger strike at Kamyaran Prison on Thursday, February 3. He ended his strike a few days later.

Ebrahim and his son, Salar, were previously transferred from Urmia Prison to Marivan Prison, and then Kamyaran Prison. The two political prisoners had started their hunger strikes on Monday, January 3, to protest the lack of implementation of the principle of segregation of crimes. The father and son simultaneously held a sit-in in front of the security office of Urmia Prison. The two ended their strike about 10 days ago following a favorable promise by the authorities.

Ebrahim Seddiq Hamedani, his son Salar Seddiq Hamedani, and his daughter Maryam were arrested on February 23, 2019. They were transferred to the city’s central prison on Tuesday, April 23, 2019, after being subjected to 2 months of interrogation. Maryam Seddiq Hamedani, who was transferred to the women’s ward of this prison, was released on bail on April 25, 2019.

Branch 2 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court eventually sentenced Ebrahim and Salar Seddiq Hamedani to 16 years in prison. The charges against them included “acting against national security through membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK)” and “propaganda against the state.”

Political prisoner Khadijeh Medipour was beaten by several violent criminals and injured in the eye on Thursday.

Iran’s Prisons Organization confirmed the news on Friday, February 11, saying that the reason for the “conflict” was “obscenity and insult” to Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the regime, Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, and Qassem Soleimani, the leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in January 2020 in Iraq in a US drone strike.

Agents of the IRGC Intelligence arrested Khadijeh Mehdipour on October 10, 2021. Two days later, they transferred her to the women’s ward of the Central Prison of Ilam, where she has been serving a 20-month prison term.

She has been detained there since in violation of the principle of separation of crimes.

Mehdipour, 34, had been arrested once before on October 3, 2020, for her activities on social media. Her sentence was to pay 3 million Tomans in cash.