Category: Political Prisoners
Detained journalist released on bail
Marzieh Rasouli Marzieh Rasouli, a jailed Iranian journalist, was released today in Tehran. Neday Sabz Azadi reports that Rasouli was released on bail after more than a month in custody. Rasouli, who has worked with ISNA as well as the Shargh and Etemad dailies, has been accused of threatening national security through cooperation with Persian [...]
Detained Iranian blogger’s fate remains unknown
Radio Zamaneh-Nama Jafari The fate of Nama Jafari, the editor of the 35anj website, remains unknown more than 10 days after his arrest, according to reports from Iran. Jafari, an Iranian poet and blogger, was arrested by security forces in Tehran on February 14. Jafari had compiled a series of protest poems and other writings [...]
Kouhyar Goudarzi sentenced to 6 years behind bars
The Committee of Human Rights Reporters has reported that Kouhyar Goudarzi was charged with “propaganda against the regime” and “assembly and collusion against the regime.” When Kouhyar Goudarzi who was detained on July 31, 2011 there was no news of his condition or whereabouts for 3 months and officials consistently denied his arrest or of [...]
Appellate court upheld 3-year prison sentence for Maryam Ghorbanifar
Rahana-On August 28, 2011, Judge Moghiseh presiding over Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court handed down the 3-year prison sentence for blogger and women’s rights activist Maryam Ghorbanifar. The sentence of 3 years behind bars stemmed from the charges of “acting against national security” and “gathering and collusion against the regime.” Maryam Ghorbanifar was detained [...]
Student Activist Sewed Lips Together in Protest, Now Arrested
Freedom Messenger-Student Activist Dariush Jalali has been arrested for the second time this week. The young student activist was violently detained by security forces on February 23rd and has been taken to an unknown location. Jalali sewed his lips together and chained himself to a metal rail outside of his university as an act of [...]
Activist on trial in Tabriz
RadioZamaneh-Iranian women’s rights activist Faranak Farid went on trial today in Tabriz as several women writers, poets, lawyers and other activists attended. A Zamaneh correspondent reports that Farid has been charged with propaganda against the regime and insulting the leader. The court cited Farid’s attendance at various conferences abroad, interviews with the media and the [...]
Hossein Ronaghi Maleki interrogated at Evin prison’s court
RAHANA-Ronaghi recently wrote a letter from prison criticizing president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Human Rights House of Iran reports that this is the second time this month that Ronaghi Maleki has been transferred to the prosecutor’s office in this prison. He has been put under great pressure and subjected to severe duress along with threats that his [...]
10 prisoners arrested during 25 Bahman protests on hunger strike in Evin prison
(RAHANA) Gholam Hossein Ghasemi, Hamid Abedini, Ali Azad, Toofan Hatefi, Massoud Kermi, Hamed Aslani, Mohsen Moradi, Mohammad Ali Abdali, Gholam Hossein Azari Najfabadi and Ali Shekarji are 10 prisoners who were detained during anti-government protests on 25 Bahman (February 14), and are still being held behind bars in Evin prison. Human Rights House of Iran reports [...]
Mahdiyeh Golrou’s Letter from Evin, Feb. 13th
I have heard distressing news as of late, news that made me want to share a few things with my friends outside of prison. We a group of political prisoners [inside Evin] despite all of our differences of opinion and contradictory viewpoints have managed to live together peacefully, emulating the type of society we all [...]
Khazali collapses after more than a month on hunger strike
(RadioZamaneh) Iranian political prisoner Mehdi Khazali has collapsed from heart complications on the 41st day of his hunger strike in Tehran’s Evin Prison. The Kaleme opposition website reports that Khazali, the director of Hayan publications and a dissident blogger, was admitted last night to Taleghani Hospital. Khazali has announced that he will not end his [...]
Concern for son drives prisoner’s hunger strike
There are growing fears today for the well-being of Moahmmad Seddigh Kaboodvand, the Iranian-Kurdish human rights activist who has been on a hunger strike in Evin Prison since Sunday. Kaboodvand’s spouse, Parinaz Hosseiny, told Zamaneh that her husband began his hunger strike because he has been denied visits with his severely ill son. She added: [...]
Ali Reza Firouzi and Sourna Hashemi summoned to the Revolutionary Court
Journalist and blogger Ali Reza Firouzi was summoned to serve his prison sentence; Sourna Hashemi was summoned for questioning regarding his court dossier. Ali Reza Firouzi, journalist and blogger whose 4.5-year prison sentence was upheld by the appellate court and begins on February 21, 2012, was summoned to appear in court to begin serving his [...]
Akbar Amini known as ‘The Crane’ arrested again
GVF — Akbar Amini, the protester who climbed atop a crane during opposition demonstrations a year ago, was detained after being interviewed by opposition media in recent days. According to the Human Rights House of Iran, security forces raided the home of the activist, inspected it and then took him to an unknown location. The [...]
Young death row political prisoners deny fabricated charges and say they were tortured
After the Supreme Court officially upheld the death sentences of political prisoners Zaniar and Loqman Moradi and the fabricated stories about their ‘crimes’ in state-run media, Zaniar and Loqman published an open letter denying these charges and gave information about their case. They requested a fair trial and due process in a healthy judicial procedure. [...]
Javad Lari’s death sentence replaced with 2 years behind bars, possibility of his imminent release
Javad Lari’s lawyer Manijeh Mohmmadi said in an interview with Human Rights House of Iran that the Supreme Court recently overturned the death sentence and sent it back to the lower court, resulting in the new sentence of 2 years in prison. Mr. Lari’s lawyer who has been representing him for over 2 years while [...]
Inhumane acts for defenseless prisoners
According to reports by “Human Rights and Democracy in Iran” the defenseless prisoners of Ghezalhesar prison are kept outside during heavy snowfalls and storms in temperatures below zero. During daily hours, these prisoners of Ghezalhesar are forced to go out from their cells to the prison yards from 7:30am till lunch time and once again [...]
Javad Lari’s sentence commuted
(The Human Rights Committee) Political prisoner Javad Lari, who was sentenced to death by the 26th branch of court of the “Tehran revolutionary court”, was commuted for 2 years in prison and is likely to be released by any day now. According to the reports; on the morning of 3rd September in 2011, Mr.Lari was [...]
The revolutionary guards demand “confessions” in order to substantiate their cyber “scenarios”
RAHANA-Human Rights House of Iran is very concerned about the reinstatement of Saeed Malekpour’s death sentence, and the revival of the IRGC efforts to extract false confessions from political prisoners under duress. During the past week, 3 imprisoned web developers Saeed Malekpour, Vahid Asghari, and Hossein Ronaghi Maleki were removed from their cells and interrogated [...]
3 Mazandaran University students held behind bars among dangerous criminals
RAHANA-Ali Abassi. Maziar Yazdania, and Rahman Yaghoubi are 3 student activists who were arrested during the student protests at Mazandaran University in June 2009 following the disputed presidential elections. They had spent a period of time behind bars in Sari Intelligence Office holding cells and at Babol’s’s Mati Kola Prison. Human Rights House of Iran [...]
Critically ill political prisoner denied minimum treatment
According to reports, a number of political prisoners are in critical condition in Gohardasht [Rajayishahr] Prison in Karaj and have been denied medical treatment. Political prisoner Abbas Esfandiari, 57, who was a political prisoner during the 80’s has been in critical condition for some months now and is reportedly suffering from leukemia. He has problems [...]