Iran: UN expert urges accountability for violent protest crackdowns
NEW YORK (26 October 2020) – The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran must conduct an independent, impartial and transparent inquiry into the violent crackdown against protests in November 2019 and January 2020, and bring human rights violators to justice, a UN expert said today.
Javaid Rehman, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, said in his annual report delivered to the General Assembly that instead of holding those responsible to account, serious violations targeting protesters continued.
“Despite clear evidence that Iranian security forces used excessive and lethal force, which caused the deaths of over 300 people, including women and children, nearly one year on from the protests, the Iranian authorities have failed to conduct an investigation compliant with international standards,” the expert said.
Amongst the thousands who were arrested, credible testimonies illustrate how State officials used physical and psychological torture against detained protesters, including for the pur-poses of extracting forced confessions. Some individuals have been condemned to harsh prison sentences and even to the death penalty on the basis of these forced confessions.
“The Government and judiciary appear to be implementing death sentences against protest-ers to prevent peaceful dissent and restrict civic space. The recent arbitrary execution of Navid Afkari for his participation in August 2018 protests is emblematic of this concern,” said Rehman.
Concerns were also raised in the report about the Government’s treatment of victim’s fami-lies, including reports that some have been harassed and detained for speaking out in calling for justice for their loved ones. Others have reportedly been pressured into accepting com-pensation and to drop their calls for accountability.
Rehman’s report also raised concerns regarding the impact of COVID-19 in Iran, especially in the context of a deepening economic crisis and sanctions. He called on the international community to do all it can to mitigate the negative impact of sanctions, particularly when it concerns the right to health and the responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I echo the call of Secretary-General Guterres and High Commissioner Bachelet that states imposing sanctions must ease these sanctions against countries like Iran given their negative impact on their response to the health crisis. The population of Iran needs unfettered access to vital medication, medical equipment and other hygiene products now,” the expert said.
While initially commending the Iranian authorities’ temporary release of over 120,000 pris-oners during the first few months of the pandemic, Rehman said he is alarmed that these provisions have not been extended to most arbitrarily detained human rights defenders, law-yers, journalists, conservationists and dual and foreign nationals, many of whom have under-lying conditions which make them susceptible to COVID-19.
“I am especially concerned by reports of the critical health condition of prominent human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh. She and all other individuals arbitrarily detained in Iran must be immediately released,” the expert said.
The report of the Special Rapporteur also highlighted other ongoing concerns related to re-strictions on civic space, the use of the death penalty and the high rate of executions, includ-ing against child offenders, as well as gender discrimination and discrimination of religious and ethnic minorities.
Remarks at a Third Committee Interactive Dialogue on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran (via VTC)
Thank you, Special Rapporteur Rehman. The United States is concerned that the Govern-ment of Iran continues to deny you access. We call on Iran to immediately allow a country visit. This carries increased importance this year – there have been no independent or trans-parent investigations into the regime’s killings of up to 1,500 protesters in November 2019.
We remain concerned about death sentences imposed following unfair trials and forced con-fessions reportedly obtained through torture. The most vicious recent example is the execu-tion of wrestler Navid Afkari on September 12.
This is part of a pattern of impunity extends back 41 years. An independent and transparent investigation is needed into the 1988 “Death Commissions”. We call on the international community to carry out an independent investigation, including the alleged involvement of the current head of the judiciary and Minister of Justice.
We strongly condemn the continued targeting and harsh sentencing of those detained for peaceful activism, such as Nasrin Sotoudeh and Narges Mohammadi who endure deplorable prison conditions, including exposure to COVID-19. Foreign nationals are also unjustly de-tained. We call on Iran to release these prisoners immediately.
The United States shares your concerns regarding the continued repression of members of religious minority groups such as Gonabadi Sufis, Baha’is, and Christian converts who all face severe treatment because of their beliefs, including harsh jail sentences. Iran must ob-serve Article 14 of its Constitution and respect the human rights of non-Muslims.
Question: What is your assessment of the government’s accountability measures for the treatment of thousands of Iranians imprisoned during the November 2019 protests?
Executions and Death Penalty, Arbitrary Killings
Iran: Prisoner Shahram Takhsha Executed in Sanandaj Prison
Iran Human Rights (IHR); October 21, 2020: A prisoner sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for “premeditated murder during the course of an armed robbery” has been executed in Sanandaj Central Prison.
According to the Iran Human Rights, this morning, Wednesday, October 21, a male prisoner was executed in Sanandaj Central Prison. The prisoner, whose identity was established as 28-year-old Shahram Takhsha, was on death row on the charge of “premeditated murder during the course of an armed robbery.”
Previously, an informed source had told IHR: “Shahram Takhsha was arrested two years and eleven months ago on charges of murder during an armed robbery with his brother Shahriyar. Shahram was arrested after being shot in the leg and sentenced to death as the primary defendant and his brother sentenced to 40 years in prison as his accomplice.”
IHR had reported that Shahram had been transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for his execution on Sunday.
HRANA News Agency, which first published the news, wrote of Shahram Takhsha’s health condition: “Shahram Takhsha was shot and wounded during his arrest and has since been in prison without any medical attention until he was taken limping for execution this morning.”
At the time of publication, the execution of this prisoner has not been announced by the domestic media or officials in Iran.
Man Suffocated to Death After Being Pepper Sprayed by Police in Iran
October 25, 2020 – A young man suffocated to death from exposure to pepper spray after the state security forces harassed and tortured him in public.
A harrowing video shared on social media on Saturday showed a police torturing a detained man handcuffed to a pole with pepper spray and tasers in public.
The young man identified as Mehrdad Sepehri suffocated to death from abuse and pepper spray in a police car prior to reaching a hospital.
Locals said that the police was called following a family dispute. A doctor has verbally told the deceased’s family members that he died of suffocation from pepper spray.
The body of Mehrdad Sepehri was transferred to Mashhad’s Taleghani Hospital where he was registered without a name. His brother identified him in the hospital morgue. His body had numerous torture marks including on his hands, stomach, chest, neck, and head. The torture and beating marks were also evident in the video.
Shortly after the publication of the video which outraged the public, the state-run IRNA news agency reported – citing a judiciary official – that an investigation has been launched into the matter.
The death of Mehrdad Sepehri is not an isolated case.
A video clip circulated in social media on October 22, 2020, of a young woman in Abadan being mistreated by Oil Company’s security forces. The young woman with bloodied face was being held on the ground while one of the security agents put his foot on her chest.
Prisoners of Conscience
Iran: Prisoners Who Reported Abuse Charged
Unfair Trials, Impunity, Pressure to Silence Victims
(Beirut) – Iranian judiciary authorities are prosecuting human rights defenders for reporting abuse in detention, Human Rights Watch said today. Since September 2020, the authorities have brought charges against two imprisoned activists who had published letters alleging mistreatment.
On October 18, Emtedad online news channel reported that in the previous week, authorities had charged Niloufar Bayani, an environmental conservationist serving a 10-year sentence after an unfair trial, with “publishing false information.” In a separate case, the Human Rights Activists Agency (HRANA) reported that on October 11, the authorities charged an imprisoned student activist, Parisa Rafiee, with “propaganda against the state” after she published a letter about her detention conditions.
“Punishing people reporting mistreatment in Iranian detention facilities shows a warped sense of justice,” said Tara Sepehri Far, Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The
judiciary’s recent rhetoric on ‘transparency’ rings especially hollow if prosecutors silence alleged torture victims rather than impartially investigating their claims.”
In February, the BBC Persian website published a detailed account of the alleged mistreatment of Bayani by prison authorities based on her letters, including “1,200 hours of interrogations,” “long hours of interrogation while standing,” “threatening with a hallucinogenic injection,” and “sexual insults.”
On February 24, Iran’s presidential cabinet tasked Alireza Avayi, the justice minister, to investigate the allegations of torture and report back. More than nine months later, there has been no information about such an investigation.
In January 2018, the Revolutionary Guards’ Intelligence Organization arrested Bayani and seven of her colleagues, all members of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, a local conservation nonprofit group, on accusations of “using environmental projects as a cover for espionage.” On February 10, 2018, family members of Kavous Seyed Emami, one of those arrested, reported that he had died in detention under suspicious circumstances.
The environmentalists’ trial began in January 2019 but was halted multiple times. The defendants were not allowed to have access to a lawyer of their choice. Bayani had interrupted a trial session in February, saying that the defendants had been under psychological torture and were coerced into making false confessions.
On February 18, 2020, Gholamhossein Esmaili, Iran’s judiciary spokesman, confirmed at a news conference that a court of appeal had upheld sentences ranging from 6 to 10 years against seven of the group’s members for “cooperating with the hostile state of the US.” Esmaili said the court also upheld a 4-year sentence for Abdolreza Kouhpayeh, another member of the group, for “assembly and collusion to act against national security.” Authorities released Kouhpayeh in March.
The court upheld the 10-year sentences for Niloufar Bayani and Morad Tahbaz, two of the seven, and ordered them to return allegedly “illicit income.” The court ordered Bayani to return US$360,000 in “illicit funds;” authorities calculated this amount by multiplying Bayani’s last annual salary from the United Nations Environment Programme, where she worked prior to joining the wildlife group, by the six years she worked at the UN, a source told Human Rights Watch.
Over the past two years, several senior Iranian government officials have indicated that they did not find any evidence to suggest that the detained activists are spies.
HRANA reported that the authorities arrested Rafiee, a student activist at the University of Tehran, on February 25, 2018 and released her on bail after 23 days. On August 26, 2018, Saeed Khalili, Rafiee’s lawyer, told the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) that branch 26 of Tehran’s revolutionary court had sentenced her to seven years in prison on
charges of “assembly and collusion to act against national security,” “propaganda against the state,” and “disturbing public order.”
The lawyer said the charges were brought for activities such as participating in peaceful demonstrations on campus after dormitory curfew hours. In November 2019, Rafiee’s sentence was reduced to one year after a clemency order by Ayatollah Khamenei.
In a letter published on May 9, 2019, Rafiee wrote that she had been kept in solitary confinement for 21 days without knowing her location. She also wrote that her interrogator sent her for a virginity test, which she refused. But she said she was not allowed to file a complaint about this degrading treatment.
On June 7, 2020, the authorities arrested and transferred Rafiee to prison to serve her sentence. On August 19, HRANA reported that the prosecutor’s office at Evin prison had opened a new case against Rafiee, charging her with propaganda against the state because of the letter.
On October 15, Ayatollah Ebrahim Raeesi, the head of Iran’s judiciary, published a “document on judicial security” as part of the judiciary’s obligations under the country’s sixth development plan. Among other things, the document emphasizes several key human rights issues, including the prohibition on torture and arbitrary arrests and the right of access to a lawyer. The document also commits the judiciary to publishing final court opinions while respecting privacy rights.
“If the judiciary actually wants to curb ongoing abuse, it can start by quashing abusive charges against human rights defenders who are already unfairly behind bars, investigate their torture allegations, and hold those responsible to account,” Sepehri Far said.
November 2019 Protesters Sentenced to a Total of 159 Years in Prison
October 26, 2020 – The Great Tehran Penitentiary detainees arrested during the protests in November 2019 have been sentenced to a total of 159 years in prison.
The state-run Ensafnews.ir reported that more than 50 detainees in the Great Teh-ran Penitentiary who had been arrested in November 2019, have been sentenced to a total of 159 years in prison. Those arrested include Reza Ghoreishi who has received 10
years. Other detainees have received between 2 and 6 years each. The age of the detained protesters ranges from 19 to 45.
The majority of the detainees in the political ward of the Great Tehran Penitentiary are those arrested in November 2019 protests. They are serving their sentences but some are still held in limbo.
The ensafnews.ir said most of the detainees in GTP’s Ward 5 were arrested during the No-vember 2019 uprising. There is no accurate statistics available on how many protesters have received verdicts.
Ensafnews.ir wrote that those arrested during the November 2019 protests were beaten and brutalized in the SSF stations, and unofficial centers. The state-run website went on to say that the detainees experienced other bad things as well, without getting into details. It added that the detainees made confessions against themselves because of undergoing torture. Many of the detainees did not have access to lawyer during their trails.
The report by ensafnews.ir points out that the detainees were harassed in prison. They were relocated from Ward 5 to Ward 2, something that they did not want. They want to go back to Ward 5.
On September 30, 2020, the political prisoners and prisoners arrested during the November 2019 protests were moved from Ward 5 in GTP to Ward 2.
The protests in November 2019 broke out on November 15 in protest to the petrol price hike and rapidly spread to more than 190 cities. Over 1,500 protesters were killed by the IRGC, the State Security Force (SSF), intelligence forces, and plainclothes agents.
Those killed included children between 13 and 15 years of age. Some 4,000 people were wounded in these protests. The number of those arrested is estimated to be around 12,000.
In anohter developmenr, the Court of Behbahan issued a total of 109 years of prison sen-tence, 2,590 lashes, and 3.3 million Tomans in cash fine for 36 protesters arrested during November 2019 protests in this city.
Behbahan was one of the hotbeds of protest in the southwest province of Khuzestan in No-vember 2019.
Behbahan’s court informed the convicted of their sentences on the eve of the anniversary of the November 2019 uprising, on October 22, 2020.
Iran: Unexplained transfer of Nasrin Sotoudeh to Qarchak prison
20/10/2020 – Paris-Geneva, October 20, 2020 – Prominent human rights defender Nasrin Sotoudeh has been trans-ferred today to Qarchak prison without any explanation. The Observatory (FIDH-OMCT) and the League for the Defence of Human Rights in Iran (LDDHI) reiterate their call on the Iranian authorities to immediately release her.
While the guards of the women’s dormitory ward at Tehran’s Evin prison told her that she was going to be sent to the hospital, Nasrin Sotoudeh was transferred from Evin prison to
Qarchak prison (south of Tehran), where detention conditions are known to be much worse, especially characterised by overcrowding and lack of medical care.
Ms. Sotoudeh, who suffers from serious cardiac and pulmonary problems, which arose from her hunger strike from August 11 to September 25, 2020, was transferred to Taleghani Hos-pital (Tehran) on September 19, 2020. After a brief 5-days stay, she was returned to prison on September 23, 2020 before completing her full treatment and without any particular med-ical attention. Since then, experts have been saying that she should be transferred back to the hospital for an urgent heart examination and angiography.
The Observatory and LDDHI are deeply concerned about the transfer of Ms. Nasrin Sotoudeh to Qarchak prison, which represents a great risk to her already very fragile health, and call for her immediate and unconditional release.
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was cre-ated in 1997 by FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). The objective of this programme is to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rights de-fenders. FIDH and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil society.
The League for the Defence of Human Rights in Iran (LDDHI) was founded in Paris in March 1983, following the forced closure of the “Iranian Association for the Defence of Human Rights and Liberties” (established in 1977) in 1981, and the departure of its leaders into exile. Since its establishment, LDDHI has consistently reported and campaigned against human rights violations in Iran, concentrating on the abolition of the death penalty in Iran, women’s rights, freedom of political prisoners, rights of religious and ethnic minorities, freedoms of expression, assembly and association among others. LDDHI has been a member of FIDH since 1986.
23 October 2020
Yasaman Aryani and Monireh Arabshahi transferred to Kachuei Prison
On 21 October 2020, Yasaman Aryani and her mother, Monireh Arabshahi were told to prepare themselves for a visit from their lawyer. However, when they made all the necessary arrangements, prison authorities transferred them from Evin Prison to Kachuei Prison in Alborz province. The women’s rights defenders were each serving five year and six month sentences for a number of different offences. Prison authorities have justified their transfer to a public prison through an arbitrary decision to interpret “inciting and facilitating corruption and prostitu-tion” as a non-security related offence. Kachuei is a prison with poor living conditions main-ly intended for women accused of violent crimes. Human rights defenders believe the trans-fer is in retaliation against their work continuing to speak out against human rights viola-tions from prison, with its distance from Tehran will limit their communication with the out-side world.
On 26 June 2019, Yasaman Aryani and Monireh Arabshahi were convicted of “spreading propaganda”, “gathering and colluding to commit crimes against national security”, and “in-citing and facilitating corruption and prostitution” and sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment
by Branch 28 of Revolutionary Court. However, on 5 February 2020, Branch 54 of the Ap-peals Court of Tehran reduced the sentences of women’s rights defenders Yasman Aryani and her mother Monrieh Arabshahi, to nine years and seven months’ imprisonment. Accord-ing to Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, the most severe punishment, in this case five years and six months imprisonment, is applicable to each of the defenders.
Iran Steps Up Its Repression ‘Plans’ to Terrorize the Public With the increase of the public degradation of “thugs” on the streets of Iran, in what authorities are calling “maneuvers of power”, the regime has spread its repressive plans to other cities and provinces. In recent days regime officials announced the establishment of bases in various cities of Iran.
On October 19, in a broadcast by the regime’s state-run television, Mohammad Reza Yazdi, the commander of the Revolu-tionary Guards (IRGC) Mohammad Rasul brigade in Tehran said, “The Razaviun patrol units started its work in 2018 to maintain security. In 2019, its structure was completed, and their services expanded in 2020… In coordination with our brave brothers in the State Secu-rity Forces and Tehran’s prosecutor’s office, we have deployed Razaviun units in all cities to maintain the security… These efforts will continue until we can stop any attempt at disrupt-ing security in the capillaries of cities.”
Widespread arrests
The regime has resorted to widespread arrests. Though the official motive behind the crack-down is crime prevention, these measures are politically motivated and designed to intimi-date and subdue Iranians to prevent protests against the regime’s absolute rule.
It is worth noting that November 2019, as nationwide protests expanded to most provinces of the country, Ali Fadavi, the deputy commander of the IRGC declared a surge in the de-ployment of the Razaviun security patrol units, which are run by the paramilitary Bassij Force and aim to quell anti-regime protests in every town and city.
On October 14, Abdollah Hassani, the commander of State Security Forces in Semnan prov-ince reported the arrests of 3,000 thieves in six months, according to the state-run Hamshahri Online. Hassani added that 80 percent of the arrested individuals were under the age of 35, and also reported an uptick in “cybercrime” and increased activity by the regime’s cyberpo-lice.
On the same day, Abdollah Hassani, the commander of State Security Forces in Semnan province reported the arrests of 3,000 thieves in six months, according to the state-run Ham-shahri Online. Hassani added that 80 percent of the arrested individuals were under the age of 35, and also reported an uptick in “cybercrime” and increased activity by the regime’s cyberpolice.
On October 17, Nabiollah Ghassemi, the commander of State Security Forces in Kuhdasht, Lorestan province, reported 98 arrests in police operations, as reported by the semi-official ISNA news agency. Ghassemi added, “The continuation of police security plans aims to preempt bad behavior and maintain public peace and security. These goals have been priori-tized by the police.”
On the same day, Nabiollah Ghassemi, the commander of State Security Forces in Kuhdasht, Lorestan province, reported 98 arrests in police operations, as reported by the semi-official ISNA news agency. Ghassemi added, “The continuation of police security plans aims to preempt bad behavior and maintain public peace and security. These goals have been prioritized by the police.”
On October 18, Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the IRGC, quoted Rahim Jahan-bakhsh, the commander of State Security Forces in Zanjan province, as saying that 1,500 “security disruptors” were apprehended in the past eight months. Jahanbakhsh described these people as individuals who “spread rumors and cause tensions in the society” and said, “Cyberspace is a reality of the society, and this space has become a reality, which requires the expansion of security efforts in this domain.”
Also on October 18, Ali Akbar Javidan, the commander of State Security Forces in Kerman-shah province reported that the regime had arrested 5,550 people as “thugs and thieves” in the first six months of the Persian calendar year (March-September), according to IRNA. “[Security forces] will not allow any group to cause tensions and fear in the society and the people,” Javidan said.
Suppressing “thugs” to prevent protests
According to state-media reports published in the 1990s, following major protests in the northeastern city of Mashhad and Tehran’s Eslamshahr, the regime’s security institutions reached the conclusion that “thugs” were important players in protests.
An IRGC official also said that during nationwide protests in 2009, the regime “identified 5,000” people who took part in protests but “were not affiliated with any parties or political groups” and were “thugs and hooligans”.
“We controlled them in their homes. When there were calls for street protests, they were not allowed to leave their homes,” Hossein Hamedani who died in 2015 in Syria added.
Women arrested during November 2019 protests receive jail sentences.
October 26, 2020 – The Court of Behbahan issued a total of 109 years of prison sentence, 2,590 lashes, and 3.3 million Tomans in cash fine for 36 protesters including two women arrested during November 2019 protests in this city.
Behbahan was one of the hotbeds of protest in the southwest province of Khuzestan in November 2019.
Behbahan’s court informed the convicted of their sentences on the eve of the anniversary of the November 2019 uprising, on October 22, 2020.
Ms. Roghieh Taherzadeh was ordered to pay 3.3 million Tomans in cash to replace her three-month prison sentence. She is accused of insulting government agents while on duty.
Maryam Payab was sentenced to 1 year in prison and 74 lashes on the charge of “disruption of public order.”
Another one of the women arrested during November 2019 protests was Fatemeh Khoshrou. She and 69 other citizens were arrested in Khorramabad on November 16, 2019.
Khorramabad is the capital of Lorestan Province in western Iran.
Fatemeh Khoshrou, 32, was informed via email on October 22, 2020, that she had been sentenced to one year in prison.
Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Khorramabad tried her in absentia on October 5, 2020. She is accused of “leading riots disrupting public order by taking part in illegal gatherings on November 16, 2020” and of “collaborating with hostile and dissident groups by preparing and sending film footages of illegal gatherings to some of their operatives in Turkey.”
Ms. Khoshrou was detained in the detention centers in Khorramabad for 18 days and subsequently transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison. After 34 days of interrogation, she was sent back to the Prison of Khorramabad. She was temporarily released after 10 days on a bail of 100 million Tomans until her trial is convened and her sentence finalized.
Fatemeh Khoshrou was brutalized in the IRGC Intelligence detention center and pressured to make televised confessions.
Arbitray Arrests https://www.dw.com/en/german-iranian-womens-rights-activist-detained-in-tehran/a-55377452
German-Iranian women’s rights activist detained in Tehran
German-Iranian Nahid Taghavi’s arrest has come to light exactly a week after she was seized at her Tehran apartment. Her daughter says she’s been accused of endangering security.
German-Iranian women’s rights activist Nahid Taghavi has been arrested in Iran, the Frankfurt-based International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) said Friday.
Citing information provided by her daugh-ter, ISHR said Taghavi was detained on October 16 and accused of “endangering security.”
ISHR said the 66-year-old is being held in solitary confinement at Tehran’s notorious Evin prison.
The jail has housed political prisoners since the 1970s and has been dubbed Evin University because of the number of academics detained there.
“No sign of life from my mother for 7 days! I demand clarification, I demand intervention, I demand her release! #FreeNahid,” Taghavi’s daughter Mariam Claren wrote on Twitter.
ISHR spokesman Martin Lessenthin called on the German government to “act quickly” to pressure Tehran to free Taghavi, saying the allegations against her are unfounded.
“The Islamic Republic pursues political goals with the imprisonment of persons with dual nationalities — they are thus a political bargaining chip for the regime,” Lessenthin said in a statement.
Claren told ISHR she has not heard from her mother since October 15. The family only found out about the arrest when their brothers arrived at their home in Tehran three days later.
Taghavi’s German identity card and passport, laptop, smartphone and cash were confiscated during the arrest, ISHR wrote, citing the family. The Iranian-born architect has lived in Co-logne since 1983 and gained German citizenship in 2003.
For the past 15 years, she has commuted between Tehran and Germany to campaign for women’s rights and freedom of expression in Iran. Her family is concerned that she is being denied medication — including those she takes for high blood pressure.
Inhumane treatment of an injured woman in Abadan provokes public outrage
The video clip reveals the corruption of one of the mid-level managers of the Abadan Oil Refinery. The Security Force of the Berim Dis-trict in Abadan also cooperated with him and brutalized the young woman.
The NCRI Women’s Committee reiterates that the spread of such social disasters is the product of the mullahs’ misogynistic rule. The regime’s misogynistic policies and laws are the prime cause of violence against women, the spread of poverty, corruption and various forms of social crimes and disasters.
October 24, 2020 – Inhumane treatment of an injured woman in Abadan has provoked public outrage.
A video clip circulated in social media on October 22, 2020, of a young woman in Abadan being mistreated by Oil Company’s security forces. The young woman with bloodied face was being held on the ground while one of the security agents put his foot on her chest.
The inhumane treatment of the injured woman in Abadan provoked widespread outrage among Iranians in Khuzestan and across the country.
Social media users said the video clip displayed an example of oppression of women and the corruption and depravity rampant within the clerical regime.
The video clip reveals the corruption of one of the mid-level managers of the Abadan Oil Refinery. The Security Force of the Berim District in Abadan also cooperated with him and brutalized the young woman.
The NCRI Women’s Committee reiterates that the spread of such social disasters is the product of the mullahs’ misogynistic rule. The regime’s misogynistic policies and laws are the prime cause of violence against women, the spread of poverty, corruption and various forms of social crimes and disasters.
The person behind this harrowing incident was Jahan-Nejadian, a high-ranking manager of Abadan Oil Refinery and an operative of the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Religious Minorities’ Rights
Iran Sentences Five Bahai Women to Total Five Years of Prison
October 26, 2020 -HRANA – Nika Pakzadan, Faraneh Daneshgari, Sanaz Ishaqi, Nakisa Hajipour and Naghmeh Zabihian, five Baha’i citizens living in Mashhad, were each sentenced by the Mashhad Revolutionary Court to one year in prison. These citizens were originally arrested by security agents in Mashhad on November 15, 2015, and were later released on bail pending trial.
According to the verdict issued by Branch 3 of the Revolutionary Court of Mashhad and announced to these citizens on Monday, October 19, 2020, Naghmeh Zabihian, Sanaz Ishaqi, Faraneh Daneshgari, Nika Pakzadan and Nakisa Hajipour were charged with propa-ganda against the regime by promulgating the Baha’i faith. They have been sentenced to 1 year in prison. “These citizens are protesting against the verdict, and their case is to be sent to the appellate court,” a source familiar with the status of their case told HRANA.
The trial of these Baha’is was held on September 28, 2019 in the Revolutionary Court of Mashhad.
Naghmeh Zabihian, Sanaz Ishaqi, Faraneh Daneshgari, Nika Pakzadan and Nakisa Hajipour were arrested by security agents in Mashhad on October 16, 2015. Simultaneously with the arrest of these citizens, at least 11 other Baha’i citizens were arrested by security agents in the cities of Tehran and Isfahan. Some time after the end of the interrogation process, they were temporarily released until the end of the trial.
Among these citizens, Naghmeh Zabihian had previously been arrested in the winter of 2011, along with a number of other Baha’is, for setting up a handicraft exhibition at the home of a Baha’i living in the city. He was tried and sentenced to six months in prison for propaganda against the regime.
Baha’is in Iran are prevented from practicing their religion. This systematic deprivation of liberty occurs even though Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights entitle every individual to freedom of religion and belief, as well as to freedom to express it individually or collec-tively, in public or in private.
According to unofficial sources, there are more than 300,000 Baha’is in Iran, but Iran’s con-stitution only recognizes Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism; it does not rec-ognize the Baha’i Faith. For this reason, the rights of Baha’is in Iran have been systematical-ly violated for many years.
More Baha’is Begin Serving Prison Sentences in Iran Simply for Their Beliefs http://iranpresswatch.org/post/21456/bahais-begin-serving-prison-sentences-iran-simply-beliefs/
October 22, 2020
Farid Zirgi Moghaddam began serving his five-year sentence in the central prison in the city of Birjand, in South Khorasan province in eastern Iran, on October 19, 2020—a prison sentence that was based solely on his belief in the banned Baha’i faith, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has learned.
Initially, in July 2020, Moghaddam had been sentenced to six years in prison by Judge Jafar Eslamkhah of Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court in Birjand: Five years for “membership in the outlawed Baha’i organization” and one year for “propaganda against the state.”
In late September, Branch 4 of the Appeals Court in South Khorasan Province struck down his conviction for “propaganda against the state” but upheld the five-year sentence for “membership in the outlawed Baha’i organization.”
Moghaddam is also awaiting the decision on his appeal against a one-year prison sentence for the charge of “insulting the sacred” issued in August 2020 by Branch 2 of the Criminal Court in Birjand, in connection with posts about the Baha’i faith on the Telegram messaging app.
“Farid is in charge of his family’s livelihood,” a source close to the Moghaddams told CHRI on October 19. “They are not in a good financial situation.”
The prosecution of the 25-year-old cobbler’s apprentice has taken place for his religious beliefs, including postings on Telegram channels – “Baha’i Call for Peace” and “Baha’i Ocean of Knowledge.” (The channels no longer exist.)
Baha’i Minority Subjected to Most Severe Religious Discrimination in Iran
While discrimination against all of Iran’s religious minorities is significant and widespread, the Baha’i religious community in Iran, which is believed to number some 300,000, is considered the most severely persecuted in the country, discriminated against in both law and practice.
In addition to exclusion from schools and employment, the shuttering of its businesses and the confiscation of Baha’i-owned land, leaders of the Baha’i community are routinely imprisoned for many years simply for openly practicing their faith and peacefully leading their communities.
Meanwhile two other Baha’is – Banafsheh Mokhtari and Arezou Mohammadi – also reported to the central prison in Birjand on October 12, 2020, to begin their sentences.
It followed the decision by the Appeals Court in South Khorasan Province to confirm sentences against eight Baha’is on September 7, 2020.
Prison Sentences for Eight Baha’is Recently Upheld
The court upheld 15-month prison sentences each against Banafsheh Mokhtrari, Nasrin Ghadiri and Farzaneh Deymi, as well as 18-month prison sentences each against Arezou Mohammadi, Ataollah Malaki, Roya Malaki, Atieh Salehi and Saeid Malaki for their belief in the Baha’i faith.
Nasrin Ghadiri, Farzaneh Deymi, Ataollah Malaki, Roya Malaki, Atieh Salehi and Saeid Malaki remain free as the judiciary considers their request for a delay in the enforcement of their sentences because of the high risk of catching the COVID-19 virus in Iran’s overcrowded and unhygienic prisons.
A resident of the city of Mashhad, 237 miles north of Birjand, with close ties to Baha’i families, told CHRI that increased pressure from Iran’s security establishment had made life even more difficult for the severely persecuted minority.
“[State-sponsored] hatred against Baha’is has intensified”
“In recent years, [state-sponsored] hatred against Baha’is has intensified and, unfortunately, the climate for Baha’is all over Iran has become very bad,” said the Mashhad resident on condition of anonymity.
The source added that Baha’is only want to go on with their lives but they are denied full rights as citizens and their belief in a different religion is treated as a national security threat by the Shia Muslim establishment. They are handed heavy sentences simply for practicing their religion.
“At a time when Iranians are going through increasingly difficult economic times, denying people the right to make a living because of their religious beliefs is a sign of blatant and systematic discrimination against this religious minority,” said the Mashhadi source.