February 25, 2019

IranHumanRightsBulletin

NCRI-USNo.102;February26,2019__________________________________________________________________________________________ Executions: Two prisoners executed in Baluchistan https://www.hra-news.org/2019/hranews/a-19277/ On the morning of February 19, a prisoner was executed in Zahedan Prison. He was identified as Reza Sarani, son of Mustafa and charged with murder. Sarani had been transferred to solitary confinement two days ago. On February 14, Milad Darzadeh, 25, also charged with murder, was executed in Iranshahr Prison. The official media have not announced either execution. (Human Rights Activists in Iran – Feb. 19) Arbitrary Killings: Judiciary denies knowledge of ecologist's prison “suicide” https://www.radiofarda.com/a/29774910.html

A year after Islamic Republic authorities claimed that a prominent Iranian-Canadian environmentalist and university professor had committed suicide in prison, the Judiciary spokesman stated that he did not know anything about it. In January 2018, the intelligence organ of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard arrested several ecologists, chief among them Kavous Seyed Emami, who days later died in prison under suspicious circumstances. Responding to a question at his weekly press briefing on February 17, Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei, said, "I do not

know whether he was the ringleader of the [detained] environmentalists, and committed suicide behind bars, or not." The 63-year-old managing director of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, worked to protect endangered animals and raise public awareness about the environment in Iran. Since January 2018, at least eight of his colleagues have been arrested, charged with spying and "corruption on earth." The trial of his eight colleagues began January 30, behind closed doors. The environmentalists were not allowed access to their own legal counsel and were instead forced to choose from a court approved list of defense attorneys. (Radio Farda – Feb. 17) Executions of Child Offenders: Three juvenile offenders at risk of imminent execution https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/iran-three-juvenile-offenders-risk-imminent-executionThe family of Mohammad Kalhori, sentenced to death for killing his teacher when he was 15 years old, have been told to visit him for the final time, a strong indication that his execution is imminent. Kalhori, now aged 20, was sentenced to death on appeal despite a State forensic institution report that found he was not mentally mature at the time of the crime

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Another juvenile offender Shayan Saeedpour, who was sentenced to death in Iran while under the age of 18, has been transferred to another prison in Kurdistan Province, raising fears he could soon be executed as well. Born in 1997, Saeedpour was convicted of killing a man on August 16, 2015, while under the age of 18. There are believed to be dozens of child offenders on death row in Iran, which reportedly executed at least six child offenders in 2018. Amnesty International reported that it is aware of more than 90 cases of people in Iran currently on death row for crimes that took place while they were under 18, though the real number is likely to be far higher. AI noted that over the past three years the Iranian authorities

have stepped up such executions, and noted an alarming pattern of the Iranian authorities scheduling juvenile offender executions at short notice to minimize public or private interventions. (Amnesty International – Feb. 22) Arbitrary Arrests: Former political prisoner jailed, civil activist denied bail, a third woman activist abducted https://women.ncr-iran.org/2019/02/21/mahin-akbari-former-political-prisoner-jailed-lakan-prison/

A former political prisoner, Mahin Akbari, has been rearrested and transferred to Lakan Prison in Rasht after lengthy interrogations and torture in the detention center of the Rasht Intelligence Department. Akbari, 57, was a political prisoner in the 1980s. She was rearrested some 20 days ago in a raid on her residence by agents of the Intelligence Department of Rasht On February 17, civil activist Rezvaneh Ahmad Khanbeigi was tried in Tehran. She suffers from epilepsy and her condition has deteriorated in prison. An Evin Prison interrogator, Mohammad Nassirpour, illegally turned down the bail bond offered for her release, and extended her detention for an unlimited time. He has also prevented her lawyer pursuing her case. Another civil activist, Mitra Taheri, was abducted in Shiraz on February 5, by security forces who broke into her residence. She has contacted her family

only once, telling them that she is detained in Soroush Detention Center. There has been no information of her since. (NCRI women’s committee – Feb. 21) Mother of jailed labor activist arrested, family threatened to keep quiet https://ir.voanews.com/a/iran-human-rights/4790664.html https://www.radiofarda.com/a/iran_shoosh_hafttapeh_esmail_bakhshi/29776608.html

Mother of jailed Iranian labor activist Ismael Bakhshi was detained by security forced on February 17. The independent news channel of Haft Tappeh workers reported that after the family continued to insist on word of their son’s situation, they were attacked by security forces and his mother detained. Bakhsi’s mother lost consciousness and was sent to hospital. Family members of Esmail Bakhashi and another jailed activist, Ms. Sepideh Qolyan, say they received phone calls from the Intelligence Department of the city of Shush, warning them to keep quiet “or else.” Both labor activists are currently being held incommunicado by Iran’s authorities. Bakhshi is the spokesman for the independent trade union of the

Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane industrial complex, which has seen repeated strikes and protests in recent months, with workers demanding back pay and better conditions. Qolyan is a labor rights activist and journalist. Both were first arrested November 18 during protests at the complex along with more than a dozen other activists

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and workers. Bakhshi and Qolyan were released December 12 after eighty international labor organizations signed a letter addressed to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling for the release of all peacefully protesting workers. After alleging abusive treatment while in detention, the two were arrested again January 20 and their families have not heard from them since. (Radio Farda – Feb. 18, VOA news – Feb. 17) Kurdish environmental activists arrested http://kurdistanhumanrights.net/fa/?p=8186 http://kurdistanhumanrights.net/fa/?p=8203

Two environmental activists and members of the Kurdistan branch of the Wahdat National Party in Sanandaj, Arman Vafaei and Shaho Faraji, were arrested by security forces on February 18. Faraji was arrested on the street and Vafaei in his home. Security agents simultaneously searched their houses and seized a number of personal belongings and even mobile phones of family members. Four other conservationists were also arrested by

security forces. Reza Asadi and Fazel Qeitasi were detained on January 31. Zakaria Naqshbandi, a member of the Kurdistan’s Green Population Association, was arrested at his workplace on February 17. Iraj Rahimzadeh, was arrested by Security forces at his home in Marivan on February 18. Authorities have denied the arrests ever took place. Other Kurdish activists including Hadi Kamangar, Farhad Mohammadi, Rashid Montazeri, Hossein Kamangar, Isa Feizi, Amanj Ghorbani, Sirwan Ghorbani, Zanyar Zamiran and Bakhtiar Kamangar are still being held in solitary confinement at the Ministry of Intelligence Detention Center in Sanandaj. (Kurdistan Human Rights Network – Feb. 18 & 20) Labor activist arrested in Sanandaj http://kurdistanhumanrights.net/fa/?p=8191 According to reports received by Kurdistan Human Rights Network, Iqbal Shabani, a labor activist and inspector of the Sanandaj Bakery Association, was arrested by security forces on a street in Sanandaj on February 18. There is no information about the reasons for his detention or whereabouts. (Kurdistan Human Rights Network – Feb. 19) Travel ban extended for widow of ecologist who died of unknown causes in prison https://bit.ly/2tF9XrX

Mobeini’s attorney, Payam Derafshan, told the Iranian official news agency (IRNA) February 18 that the order barring her client Maryam Mobeini, the Iranian-Canadian widow of the late ecologist and professor Kavous Seyyed-Emami, from leaving the country had been extended. Mobeini was stopped at Tehran’s airport by plainclothes IRGC agents last March when she attempted to board a plane bound for Vancouver. A source close to Mobeini and her family says agents recently forced their way into her home and pressured her to make false statements about her late husband on camera while denying her access to a lawyer. (IRNA state-run News Agency, Radio

Farda – Feb. 19, 2019)

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Kurdish activist arrested in Sanandaj http://kurdistanhumanrights.net/fa/?p=8197 On February 17, Afshin Sheikholeslami Vatani was arrested by security forces at his family home in Sanandaj. His sister, Negin Sheikholeslami Vatani, reported: “Five Iranian security agents entered our family house with a court order to arrest my brother. We are still uncertain to which agency they belonged. Authorities have not revealed his whereabouts despite our family’s enquiries. Afshin recently returned from U.S. to Iran to look after our parents, both of whom are sick and in need of care.” (Kurdistan Human Rights Network – Feb. 19, 2019) Persecution of Religious Minorities Crackdown on Christians continues with eight more arrests https://www.hra-news.org/2019/hranews/a-19280/

Two Christian coverts identified as Hossein Kadivar and Khalil Pourdehghan were detained on January 29 in a house church. Abdolreza Ali Hagh Nejad was detained in his home on February 10. Three other men identified as Mohammad Vafadar, Mohammad Islamdoust and Kamal Na’manian were arrested on February 15 in a church congregation held in a home. All were taken to unknown locations. In Shiraz, plainclothes agents of the Intelligence Ministry arrested Christian convert Esmail Maghrebinejad. On January 23, 2019, the state security forces violently arrested Sina Moloudian during a raid on his home, physically

assaulted him and took him to an unknown location. In another development, security forces called the wife of detained pastor Yousef Nadarkhani and threatened that if she left Rasht, she would be arrested. The Telegraph reported in December 2018 that 114 Christian converts were detained in the span of just one week. According to Iranian law, evangelism and converting to Christianity can merit a sentence of more than 10 years imprisonment. Despite there being no official civil law of apostasy, judges may still sentence a defendant to death if they rule based on religious fatwas. (Human Rights Activists in Iran – Feb. 19, 2019)

Violence Against Women: Morality police fire shots in air to disperse compulsory hijab protesters http://www.irna.ir/tehran/fa/News/83211445 https://iran-hrm.com/index.php/2019/02/17/morality-police-fire-in-air-disperse-compulsory-hijab-protests/ Morality police agents stopped two young women in Narmak, a neighborhood in northeast Tehran, on February 16 for violating hijab rules, and tried to arrest them. The women protested, and onlookers intervened and ripped open one of the vehicle’s doors to free the women. The morality police began firing in the air to disperse the crowd. In February, Iran said it had arrested 29 women for protesting obligatory hijab. A video clip went viral on social media on April 18, of at least four agents attacking four young women in a park, beating and shoving them around for improper veiling and refusing to get into the patrol’s van. One of the young women suffered from a heart condition and fainted. (IRNA state-run News Agency – Feb. 16, Iran HRM – Feb. 17) ____________________________________________________________________________________ These materials are being distributed by NCRI-US on behalf of the National Council of Resistance of Iran. Additional information is on file with the Department of Justice, Washington, DC.