Human rights

CHRI – Imprisoned civil rights activist Farhad Meysami was transferred from Evin Prison in Tehran to Rajaee Shahr Prison in Karaj (west of the capital) on November 9, 2019, as punishment for launching a peaceful protest, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has learned. “After taking him away, Evin Prison officials gathered his personal belongings in Ward 4 and refused to answer …

CHRI – Held Almost Six Months, Over Two Months Incommunicado, Even As Family Has Posted Bail Kurdish language teacher Zahra Mohammadi has been in detention in Sanandaj, the capital of Iran’s Kurdistan Province, since May 23, 2019, falsely accused of “propaganda against the state,” and “acting against national security” because of alleged contacts with opposition parties, her sister told the Center for …

Radiofarda – Protests in southwestern Iran that started Sunday evening because of a local poet’s death in hospital, continued Monday during his funeral services. Hassan Haydary (Heydary) a dissident ethnic Arab poet died in Ahvaz, the capital of the oil-rich Khuzestan province. He was renowned among the region’s Arab population for his fiery poems demanding identity recognition for his kinsmen. …

HRANA – On November 11, 2019, at least two prisoners of Urmia Prison were transferred to solidarity confinement cells to get prepared for execution. They were sentenced to death earlier due to their murder felonies. One of them was identified as Mehdi Mostafazadeh. If they fail to get the victims’ family’s consent, they will be executed in few days. According …

HRANA – On November 10, 2019, a prisoner died in Urmia Prison due to lack of medical treatment and negligence of the prison authorities. He was in prison since 2015 on the charge of murder. Maran Khamoui was a prisoner of the public ward 15 of Urmia Prison. According to a close source, he was sick for a week, but …

HRANA – Iranian authorities sentenced three prisoners to death and lashes on the charge of drug felony and sexual assault. Two prisoners were sentenced to death in Najafabad Prison in Isfahan in the past few days. 33-year-old Majid Rezaipour, and 37-year-old Afshin Rezaipour, are in prison for drug felony. Moreover, according to Khorasan newspaper, a 25-year-old man was sentenced to …

RFL/RE – An Iranian provincial official has accused foreign media of misrepresenting overnight funeral gatherings for a popular poet in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz as anti-government protests.Amateur videos posted on social media appeared to show dozens protesting in the streets of Ahvaz, the capital of the oil-rich province of Khuzestan, after the death of poet Hassan Heydari. ۱۹ …

CHRI – More than 200 members of Iran’s film industry signed an open letter dated November 2, 2019, condemning state censorship and demanding  “freedom of expression and thought” in the Islamic Republic. Most of the signatories are based in Iran including Jafar Panahi (director), Nasser Taghvaie (director), Mohammad Rasoulof (director), Rakhshan Banietemad (director), Niki Karimi (actress) and Hamid Farrokhnejad (actor). Those based abroad include …

CHRI – Complaint: Authorities Should Investigate Last Known Person Who Saw Levinson Before His Disappearance, American Citizen Dawud Salahuddin No Mention of Statement or Findings by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Intelligence Organization in Case Files The Iran-based lawyer representing the family of missing American former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who was last seen in the Iranian resort island …

Iran-HRM – A young popular dissident poet has died in hospital – sparking impromptu protests and vigils from hundreds of people in in Ahvaz, the capital southwestern Khuzestan province. Hassan Heydari, a young popular dissident poet, died in the city’s Shafa hospital under suspicious circumstances a month after his arrest by Iranian authorities. Hassan Heydari was initially arrested last year …