prisoners as bargaining chips: iran’s strategy of coercion
TRANSCRIPT
18 January 2018
Prisoners as bargaining chips:
Iran’s strategy of coercion
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Recent Iran Protests
Prisoners as Political Pawns
Incarcerated European Dual-Nationals
Incarcerated American Dual-Nationals
Freedom of Association and Expression
Journalists in Jail: “Western Infiltration Network”
3 - 4
5 - 8
9 - 11
12 - 18
19 - 23
24 - 31
31 - 34
2
Executive Summary:
The 30 dual-nationals currently detained in Iran marks a sharp increase in political detainees since
2015. Prior to this, the numbers of dual-citizens detained at any given time remained in single
figures. In addition to 7 Iranian-American dual nationals, 19 out of the 30 detainees have European
citizenships this represents a dangerous new trend since most of the previous detainees were of
Iranian-American descent.
The case of Nazanin-Zaghari Ratcli�e a British-Iranian citizen imprisoned on espionage charges,
serves as potent reminder of the threat now posed by the Iranian regime to Europeans visiting the
country. Boris Johnson, UK Foreign Secretary concluded a two-day visit to the Islamic Republic on
the 10 December 2017 to advocate on her behalf, but so far has been unable to secure her release.
IOHR conducted an interview with Dr Homa Hoodfar a Canadian-Iranian socio-cultural anthropolo-
gist and a professor of anthropology at Concordia University in Montreal who was arrested in Febru-
ary 2016 during a visit to her family in Iran. She spent 112 days imprisoned in Evin prison and briefly
shared a prison cell with Nazanin.
Dr Hoodfar argued that the true reasons behind Nazanin’s visit to Iran are irrelevant with regards to
the accusations levelled against her by the judicial authorities:
3
The regime in Tehran continues to show an utter
disregard for the civil and political rights of its
citizens. While the easing of sanctions from the
west was believed to represent a pre-cursor for
greater adherence by Tehran to international and
domestic legal standards following the signing of
the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in
2015, in reality the regime continues its
indiscriminate campaign of repression. The case
studies included in the report demonstrate that
despite public pronouncements to the contrary,
the regime possesses a blatant disregard for any
citizens that seek to exercise their civil rights by
daring to speak against their policies.
“They create a narrative that they repeat to themselves so much they believe it.”
In a recurring theme throughout all the cases included in this report, sources close to the
detainees have repeatedly argued that none of the individuals arrested were involved in
espionage activities of any kind and were arrested because of their second citizenship. Their
dual nationality gives them value and the Iranian authorities have been using them as
bargaining chips in Tehran’s on-going negotiations with the west.
Furthermore, the Iranian regime has also been accused of clamping down on its citizens’
rights to freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly and religious belief. According
to the Iran Prison Atlas compiled by United For Iran a non-profit group based in the US, in
2017 there are currently 138 bloggers, 101 pro-democracy activists, 50 Journalists, 75 civic
activists and 49 Human rights defenders incarcerated in various prisons across the country.¹
Critics of the regime are often detained, sentenced to long stretches in prison after
undergoing grossly unfair trials before Revolutionary Courts. While in prison, many detainees
are forced to endure physical torture, flogging and other cruel inhuman or degrading
treatment or punishment. Ms. Asma Jehangir, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of
Human Rights in Iran noted in the Report for 2017, that 4,332 complaints alleging human
rights violations had been submitted in the past 4 years which included torture and
ill-treatment and that “only a small percentage” warranted action.²
Despite an electoral campaign that saw Mr. Rouhani promise to ease up on the detainment of
journalists and bloggers, Iran remains one the world’s worst jailers of journalists. According to
the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 7 professional journalists are currently behind
bars in the 2017 census.³ Reporters Without Borders ranks Iran as 169 out of 180 countries in
its latest World Press Freedom Index.⁴
Iranian authorities frequently detain and prosecute journalists on vaguely defined national
security charges while granting limited, or no access, to legal defence during the investigative
phase of their detention. Among those unjustly detained are four Iranian journalists arrested in
2015: Isa Saharkhiz, Ehsan Manzandarani, Davoud Asadi and Saman Safarzaei all of whom
were accused of being part of a “western infiltration network” ostensibly due to their collabo-
ration with international media organisations.
4 https://rsf.org/en/ranking/2016 4
5 http://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/03/asia/iran-protests-government-intl/index.html 5
Recent Protests in IranAnger amongst the wider population over economic stagnation and widespread corruption
within the clerical and security hierarchies governing the Islamic Republic have become the most
powerful challenge to the Iranian government's authority since mass demonstrations in 2009.
The motive for the current protests appears to stem from frustration over the slow pace of
economic reforms. Moreover, many slogans amongst the protestors are overtly political, some
directly attacking the theocratic nature of Iran’s clerical regime and demanding greater social
freedoms.
Unlike previous movements, the current protests did not begin amongst the cosmopolitan elite in
Iranian urban centres such as Tehran. Instead the current demonstrations were sparked by a rally
against rising prices of food in Mashhad, Iran’s second largest city and the site of its most holy
shrine, a place traditionally seen as an electoral bastion for clerical hardliners before the protests
spread to many cities and towns across the country.
Despite President Rouhani’s campaign
promises, youth employment remained at
28.8% last year. Similarly, while the nuclear
accord was successful in reducing
sanctions, these measures were unable to
provide the economic benefits that many
within the country had expected. Instead,
a 50% increase in the price of fuel was
announced, while the prices of basic food
such as egg and poultry have risen
recently by around 40%.⁵
The gravity of the challenge posed by these protests to the Iranian leadership is perhaps best
summarised by Abbas Milani, the Director of Iranian Studies at Stanford University who argues:
Another factor that distinguishes the current protestors is the heavy involvement of the Iranian
youth in the demonstrations. The increased involvement of the youth was highlighted in a
statement by Deputy Interior Minister Hossein Zolfaghari in which he confirmed that 90% of the
individuals arrested by the government during the protests are under 25. This widespread
disenchantment felt amongst Iranian youth is not a surprise. According to the International
Labour Organisation (ILO) almost 26.7% of 15-24-year olds are unemployed. This sentiment is
re-iterated by Amir Ahmadi Arian, a prominent Iranian novelist and government critic who wrote:
6 https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2018/01/03/575276110/dont-oversimplify-the-protests-in-iran 6
“The regime is strategically weak because it faces daunting challenges- from oil price changes and water shortages to a disgruntled, Internet-savvy, youthful population, led by increasingly assertive women, hampered by chronic double-digit inflation and unemployment, and angered by corruption, cronyism and the squandering of massive sums in proxy wars, particularly in Syria.”⁶
Student protestors in Tehran University
Source: Associated Press
Student protestors in Tehran University
Source: Associated Press
7 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-rallies/irans-leader-blames-enemies-for-deadly-unrest-u-s-calls-that-nonsense-idUSKBN1ER1NA
8 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-42553516
9 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/02/opinion/iran-protests-inequality.html
10 https://iranwire.10com/en/features/5073
11 http://techrasa.com/2017/09/06/infographic-telegram-usage-statistics-in-iran/ 7
According to Iran Wire, who have analysed various new reports and public pronouncements
close to 21 people have been killed and more than 1000 people have been arrested during the
nation-wide protests since the beginning of the protests on 28 December, 2017.¹⁰
“Iran has lived through multiple convulsions. The government has mastered the art of survival through crises. They may well survive this round as well, but something has fundamentally changed: The unquestioning support of the rural people they relied on against the discontent of the metropolitan elite is no more. Now everyone is unhappy.”⁹
Policing Cyber Space
In today’s informational age, social media and messaging apps are increasingly playing a crucial role in
anti-government demonstrations across the globe, particularly as a means of both organising and
delivering messages to participants. Consequently, restricting access to such technology has become
as important to repressive government crackdowns as the physical presence of security services. This
trend is exemplified by the current demonstrations in Iran where social media applications have been
utilised by protestors to galvanise and organise the tens of thousands participating in the protests.
As a result, alongside mass arrests of protestors, authorities have responded by banning Telegram, a
messaging app that is widely used in Iran with 40-46 million users in the country,Which has been
blocked.¹¹ Holly Dagres, a Middle East analyst and curator of the The Iranist newsletter spoke on the
significance of this move by the government saying:
12 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/02/technology/iran-protests-social-media.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading& module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
13 https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-iran-rallies-johnson/johnson-calls-for-meaningful-debate-in-iran-respect-for-rights-idUKKBN1EQ19L
14 https://twitter.com/EUCouncilPress/status/948309057915555841
15 https://twitter.com/GermanyDiplo/status/947896338888515584 8
“The Iranian government is active on Telegram, as is the president, and members of Parliament. Iranians use it to sell clothes or find doctors. In the last week it has become a key source of information about the protests.”¹²
In addition to blocking citizens access to Telegram, the government has also blocked access to
Instagram to prevent protestors uploading images and videos of the protest while internet access
has been sporadically cut o� to several cities where the protests have taken place as reported by
Oracle’s Internet Intelligence, a global research site that monitors Internet activity.
International Response
Many Foreign leaders have voiced their concern on the Iranian government’s crackdown on the
rights of domestic protestors. UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson called for Iran to engage in
meaningful debate on the issues raised by those demonstrating saying that:
Similarly, Catherine Roy, the spokesperson for Federica Mogherini, the EU’s High
Representative for Foreign A�airs called for President Rouhani to respect the rights of its
citizens to demonstrate peacefully saying:
German Foreign Minister, Sigmar Gabriel also echoed this sentiment in an o�cial
statement calling on the Iranian government to:
“The UK is watching events in Iran closely. We believe that there should be a meaningful debate about the legitimate and important issues the protestors are raising, and we look to the Iranian authorities to permit this.”¹³
“Peaceful demonstration and freedom of expression are fundamental rights that apply to every country, and Iran is no exception.”¹⁴
“Respect demonstrator’s freedom of assembly and their right to give voice to their opinion freely and peacefully. Following the confrontation of the past days it is more important for all sides to refrain from taking further violent action.”¹⁵
9
Prisoners As Political Pawns In A Bigger Game
The prisoner swap negotiated between Tehran and Washington on the 1 January 2016 was
indicative of an Iranian regime that views human lives in transactional terms. The swap included
4 U.S prisoners; Washington post Journalist Jason Rezaian, former United States Marine Amir
Hekmati, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, Christian pastor Saeed Abedini and Matthew Trevithick.
The U.S. released 7 prisoners of Iranian descent in exchange for the four Americans. A cash payment
was also included in the deal according to The Wall Street Journal:
Clockwise from Top left: Jason Rezaian, Amir Hekmati, Saeed Abedini, Matthew Trevithick
Sources: Various Media
More than half of the dual nationals currently detained have been picked up since the US-Iran
prisoner swap. Other foreign nationals such as Robert Levinson, a former FBI investigator and Xiyue
Wang a US based academic with no Iranian background have also been arrested on charges broadly
related to passing of information and co-ordinating with western humanitarian and democratic
organisations.
To complicate matters further Tehran does not recognise the rights of dual nationals to seek
consular assistance and leaving their fate solely in the hands of the hard-line authoritarian elements
that comprise the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
European leaders such as Angela Merkel’s administration in Germany have expressed their concern
at Iran’s repeated use of dual-nationals as bargaining chips alongside Tehran’s failure to make
meaningful progress in upholding universal human rights.
Germany also expressed concerns at the increasing number of executions:
17 http://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/German-govt-No-normalized-relations-with-Iran-regime-until-it-recognizes-Israel-466464 10
“The Obama administration said for the first time on Thursday that its $400 million cash payment to Iran in January was used as “leverage” to gain the release of American prisoners.”¹⁶
“We are very worried about the human rights situation in Iran. Hope for an improvement of the situation under the Rouhani government has until now not been fulfilled.”
“The high number of executions, in 2015 reached a record number of at least 765. In the first six months of 2016 the number of executions was 184.”¹⁷
11
Country Map of Political Prisoners detained in Iran
Source: Centre for Human Rights in Iran
A depiction of a Political Prisoner held in solitary confinement
Source: Iran Human Rights Watch
“She was there on holiday, she wasn’t doing anything other than visiting her parents, she had a toddler with her, and it’s just extraordinary that they could even begin to make these stories up.”
18 https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/nov/06/boris-johnson-mistake-could-harm-case-for-nazanin-zaghari-ratcli�e-say-family 12
Nazanin Zaghari Ratcli�e – UK/Iran
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcli�e, a 37-year-old British-Iranian charity worker employed by the
Thomson-Reuters Foundation was arrested at Imam Khomeini airport on 3 April 2016, on her way
out of the country after taking her 22-month year old daughter Gabriella to celebrate the Iranian
New Year with family members living in Tehran. An o�cial statement released by Iranian media
accused Nazanin of ‘attempting to overthrow the Islamic Republic’.
On 9 September 2016 she was sentenced to 5 years. Iranian authorities are now seeking to impose
new charges of up to 16 years. The development came after public comments were made by UK
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson to the press 31 October 2017. He stated that Nazanin was visiting
Iran to ‘teach them about Journalism’.¹⁸
In an interview with IOHR TV, Richard Ratcli�e, Nazanin’s husband also voiced his opinion on the
dubious circumstances surrounding his wife’s imprisonment:
Incarcerated European Nationals
Nazanin with her daughter Gabriella and husband Richard Source: AFP Tehran
13
IOHR conducted an interview with Dr Homa Hoodfar a Canadian-Iranian socio-cultural anthropologist
and a professor of anthropology at Concordia University in Montreal who was arrested in February 2016
during a visit to her family in Iran. She spent 112 days imprisoned in Evin prison and briefly shared a
prison cell with Nazanin.
Dr Hoodfar argued that the true reasons behind Nazanin’s visit to Iran are irrelevant with regards to the
accusations levelled against her by the judicial authorities:
To achieve their goals, the authorities are willing to use any means necessary to coerce prisoners into
signing confessions admitting their guilt. In the case of Nazanin, her child provided the perfect means to
achieve this goal:
IOHR conducted an interview with Mr Hamid Ghassemi-Shall an Iranian-Canadian computer technician
whom was arrested in Iran on similarly trumped up espionage charges in 2008. He was sentenced to
death before the revolutionary court commuted the verdict to 5 years in prison.
“They create a narrative that they repeat to themselves so much they believe it.”
“Nazanin wanted to be with her daughter for her second birthday. The authorities used her child as a way to pressure her to sign documents. Iran wants to be able to defend itself… not so much in the international court, because they know in the opinion of the world they cannot win. Internally they aim to consolidate support of those within the country.”
“The lawyer doesn’t play any kind of role, just fills up the formality of the process. The judiciary is part of the system in Iran and it works in parallel with the security forces. Judges get financial bonuses and benefits from issuing guilty verdicts. They do this for their own personal gain. It is a ladder that they must climb.”
Kerry Moscogiuri, the Campaign Director of Amnesty International UK has condemned news of Iran
preparing to charge Nazanin with new accusations:
Nazanin remains separated from her husband Mr. Richard Ratcli�e a resident of London and her
daughter who is currently being looked after by her parents in Tehran. The deep emotional trauma
su�ered by the separation from her daughter and husband is reflected poignantly in a letter written
by Nazanin from Evin prison published on 10 March 2017 by the Defenders of Human Rights Centre:
At the time of the publication of this report, Nazanin has spent over 643 days imprisoned, Boris
Johnson the UK Foreign secretary voiced his concern at the Iranian judicial authority’s lack of
transparency and commented to the foreign a�airs committee:
19 https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/british-iranian-prisoner-conscience-nazanin-zaghari-ratcli�e-faces-fresh-criminal
20 http://www.humanrights-ir.org/?lan=en
21 https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/nov/06/boris-johnson-mistake-could-harm-case-for-nazanin-zaghari-ratcli�e-say-family 14
“Nazanin is a bargaining chip. This hostage taking will never stop, it has been going on since the storming of the American embassy in 1979. It is a systematic approach and anyone going back to Iran is in danger of being taken.”
“New criminal proceedings were as baseless as the original ones and served only to criminalise this charity workers peaceful exercise of her rights to freedom and expression and association.”¹⁹
“I turned 38 without you by my side and you turned 42 without me, while our dear Gisoo turned 2 years old without both of us.”²⁰
“Neither Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe nor her family has been informed about what crime she has actually committed. And that I find extraordinary, incredible.”²¹
22 https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/oct/14/briton-kamal-foroughi-76-iran-jail-spying-charges 15
Kamal Fouroughi – UK/Iran
Mr Foroughi is a 77-year-old British-Iranian businessman currently serving his 7th year of an 8-year
prison sentence in Evin prison in Tehran. On the 5 May 2011, he was detained by men in plain
clothes at his apartment in the Iranian capital and taken to Evin Prison. At the time of his detainment
he was not told of the reasons for his arrest nor was he shown an arrest warrant.
Kamal was forced to endure 18 months in solitary confinement before learning of the o�cial
criminal charges levelled against him. In an interview with the Guardian newspaper Karman
Foroughi, the son of Kamal commented on the trauma su�ered by the entire family. He said his
father’s unjust detention is a
Kamran said his father
Their fear of reprisal at the hand of the Iranian authorities has prevented them from being able to
visit him in prison.
“Total nightmare for all the family.”¹²
“has not seen any of his family for years- his wife, two children and two granddaughters all live in the UK.”²²
Mr Kamal Foroughi with his Granddaughter
Source: freekamalforoughi.com
23 https://www.unitedagainstnucleariran.com/people/kamran-ghade ri/boris-johnson-mistake-could-harm-case-for-nazanin-zaghari-ratcli�e-say-family
24 https://www.rferl.org/a/iranian-austrian-ghaderi-jailed-wife-proclaims-innocence/28065723.html 16
Kamran Ghaderi – Austria/Iran
Kamran Ghaderi is a 53-year-old Iranian-Austrian businessman and former CEO of an Austrian IT
management company based in Vienna. On 2 of January 2016, he travelled to Iran to attend an
o�cial Austrian-Iranian trade meeting when he was arrested by agents working for the Iranian
Intelligence Ministry and immediately transferred to solitary confinement at Evin prison.
Following his arrest, Kamran was tortured by the authorities to obtain a coerced confession which
was utilised in his trial at the revolutionary court and was one of 6 individuals sentenced to 10 years
in prison for espionage and collaboration with the ‘hostile government of Washington’. An
anonymous source close to the prisoner asserted that the authorities
Speaking out against the spurious nature of the charges levelled against her husband, Mr’s Ghaderi
wife was at a loss to understand
Karman Ghaderi
Source: Centre for Human Rights in Iran
“threatened him that if he didn’t cooperate, his wife would be taken into custody.”²³
“How can they say something like that about Kamran? He had no ties to the United States and was not involved in politics.”²⁴
25 https://www.iranhumanrights.org/2017/01/kamran-ghaderi-prison/
26 https://www.iranhumanrights.org/2017/02/sabri-hassanpour-tv-anchor-arrested-by-irgc/ 17
In an interview with Iran Human Rights another source close to the family o�ered a critique of
the regimes use of dual nationals as bargaining chips saying that:
At the time of the publication of this report, Mr Ghaderi is serving the second year of his
ten-year sentence and remains in solitary confinement.
“we don’t know if Kamran was arrested in connection with some political issues between Iran and Austria or if it’s purely a financial matter. He just a businessman who has done nothing wrong” adding that “if they are looking for spies, they should catch real ones.”²⁵
Sabri Hassanpour – Netherlands/Iran
A resident and citizen of the Netherlands, Mr Hassanpour had travelled to Iran to visit relatives over
the Iranian New Year when he was detained by the Revolutionary Guards Intelligence Organisation
on the 21 April 2016 in the southern city of Khorramshahr and was taken to the Evin prison. Due to
the physical and psychological inflicted upon him by the authorities while detained, Mr Hassanpour
su�ered a heart attack on 15 November 2016 and was transferred briefly to Evin Prison’s clinic. In an
interview with the Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, a source close to the family said that
Mr Hassanpour is a 65-year-old Iranian-Dutch
dissident and civil rights activist. He is well regarded as
an out-spoken critic of the Islamic republic and served
as executive director and host of the Persian-language
online network Simay-e-Rahayi (Vision of Liberation).
He was also a member of the National Iranian
Congress to Save Iran, an organisation that seeks to
establish a shadow government and parliament in exile
for critics of the repressive regime in Tehran.
Sabri Hassanpour
Source: Vimeo
“Prison officials continue to refuse requests by Hassanpour for hospitalisation outside the prison to receive the surgery, which was recommended by a doctor.”²⁶
Mr Ahmadreza Jalali is a 45-year-old Iranian-born Swedish resident Academic and expert in emergency
disaster medicine. A scientist at the Research Centre in Emergency and Disaster Medicine (CRIMEDIN)
run by the University of Eastern Piedmont in Novara, Italy and the Free University Brussels (VUB), Mr Jalali
was arrested by agents of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence on 24 April 2016 in the Iranian capital after being
o�cially invited for a scientific workshop organised by the University of Tehran.
Prior to his arbitrary detention on the charges of ‘working with enemy states’ the non-practicing general
medicine physician had travelled to Iran on numerous occasions on the behest of Iranian and
international state organisations including the Red Crescent. Following his detention, Ahmadreza was
taken to Evin prison and held in solitary confinement for several months before being transferred to a
public ward and being provided with access to a lawyer. This is re-iterated by his wife in an interview with
the campaign for Human Rights in Iran saying:
On 25 December 2016 he began a hunger strike and lost 18 kilograms, to protest his unlawful
incarceration and attempts made by the authorities to coerce him to sign a forced confession. On the
3 February 2017 Mr Jalili was sentenced to death for espionage.
Caroline Pauwels the director of the Free University Brussels and a former colleague of Mr.
Ahmadreza condemned the sentence:
1827 https://www.iranhumanrights.org/2017/01/ahmadreza-jalali-iranian-swedish-disaster-relief-expert/
28 http://www.vubtoday.be/nl/node/4455
“Ahmadreza had always travelled to Iran by invitation of state organisations’ and had ‘never experienced any problems before.”²⁷
“This situation is one of ‘a scientist performing important humanitarian work’ and in return getting ‘sentenced without trial’. Ahmadreza’s case represents ‘an outrageous violation of universal human rights, against we should react decisively.”²⁸
Ahmadreza JalaliSweden permanent resident/Iran
Ahmadreza JalaliSource: Iranhumanrights.org
1930 https://www.princeton.edu/node/92896
“We are distressed by the charges brought against him in connection with his scholarly activities, and by his subsequent conviction and sentence.”²⁹
“Devastated that her husband’s appeal had been denied and that continues to be unjustly imprisoned in Iran on groundless accusation of espionage and coloration with a hostile government against the Iranian state.”³⁰
Xiyue Wang - Source: CNN
Incarcerated Iranian-American Dual Nationals
Xiyue Wang – US/China
Xiyue Wang is a 37-year-old American scholar and
historian, a fourth-year graduate student in the Department
of History at Princeton University. He was arrested on 7
August 2016 by Iranian authorities while conducting
research on the administrative and cultural history of the
late Qajar dynasty as part of his doctoral dissertation.
Princeton University issued a statement expressing concern for his well-being:
Since his arrest, Mr Wang has been detained and confined in Evin prison in Tehran. In February 2017,
he was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of ‘spying’ and ‘collaborating with a
hostile state’.
Hua Qu, his wife spoke out against Iranian Judicial authorities saying that she was
2031 https://www.unicef.org/media/media_92929.html
Siamak Namazi – US/Iran
Since his arrest, numerous international humanitarian and media organisations have reported a sharp
decline in Mr Namazi’s health due to the emotional and psychological trauma su�ered from
prolonged periods of interrogation and a hunger strike undertaken by Siamak in protest of the
arbitrary nature of his detainment.
Siamak Namazi is a 46-year-old Iranian-American businessman
residing in Dubai who worked as head of strategic planning for
Crescent Petroleum, an Oil and Gas company founded in the
United Arab Emirates.
On the 15 October 2015, while visiting relatives in the country
he was arrested by members of the Revolutionary Guard
intelligence unit and immediately transferred to Evin prison. It
was not until the 11 July 2016, that Tehran’s state prosecutor
announced that Siamak had been indicted but did not specify
on what grounds. Siamak NamaziSource: The New York Times
Baquer Namazi – US/Iran
Alongside his son Siamak, Mr Baquer Namazi an 80-year-old
Iranian-American dual national was also detained by members
of the Revolutionary Guard Intelligence services on the 22
February 2016 when he flew into the country to advocate for
the release of his son.
Baquer Namazi served as a UNICEF representative promoting
human rights causes in many countries such as Kenya, Somalia
and Egypt where his work focused on providing aid to women
and children a�ected by war. Following his arrest, the
organisation issued a statement saying:
Baquer Namazi with his son Siamak, both currently detained in Evin prison - Source: Reuters
“Baquer has been a humanitarian all his life. The ‘entire UNICEF family are deeply concerned for his health and well-being.”³¹
2132 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/siamak-baquer-namazi-americans-prison-sentence-iran-lose-appeal/
Most recently, Mr Baquer Namazi founded Hamyaran, an umbrella organisation of di�erent Iranian
NGO’s. The detention of Baquer and his son Siamak came shortly after the prisoner swap agreement
between the US and Iran that took place on the same day as the formal implementation of the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal between the two countries.
Jared Gesner the family lawyer condemned the use of the Namazi’s as political pawns:
“They are innocent of the charges on which they were convicted, and they are prisoners of conscious detained in Iran because they are American citizens.”³²
Karan Vafadari & Afarin Niasari – US/Iran
Mr Vafadari a businessman and his wife Afarin Niasari an architect, are an Iranian-American couple
whom also managed the Aun art gallery in Tehran. Mrs Niasari was detained in late July 2016 by
members of the intelligence branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard at the Imam Khomeini
airport on her way to attend a wedding abroad. She was asked to call her husband in order to secure
her release, but upon Mr Vafadari’s arrival he too was detained, and both were immediately
transferred by the authorities to Evin prison. The following day, the couple were brought in
handcu�s to their home where security agents destroyed and confiscated several pieces of artwork
in the house and the art gallery as well.
Karan Vafadari with his wife Afarin NiasariSource: International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
22
33 https://www.iranhumanrights.org/2016/12/karan-vafadari-afarin-neyssari-arrest/
34 http://www.pobletetamargo.com/news-media/uncategorized/the-continued-unlawful-detention-of-nizar-zakka-unconditional- release-on-humanitarian-grounds-urged
Details about their incarceration were not published until December 2016. Hadi Ghaemi, the
executive director of the Iran Human Rights Campaign commented about their unjust
incarceration and ill-treatment:
“Yet another case of a dual national snatched and held without charge or access to a lawyer’ and was simply an ‘alarming continuation of a judicial system run by intelligence agencies with no respect for the law and no accountability.”³³
“When he was kidnapped, he was in Iran at the invitation of senior Iranian government officials.”³⁴
Nizar Zakka – Lebanon/US-Permanent Resident
Mr Zakka a Lebanese national and permanent U.S resident was detained in Iran on his way to the
airport on 18 September 2015. Nizar is an information and communications technology expert and
served as general secretary of the Arab ICT Organisation, known as IJMA3, an industry consortium
comprising of experts from 13 countries that work towards promoting the spread of information
technology in the Middle East. Mr Zakka had travelled to Tehran on the 15 September 2015 after
receiving a formal invitation from the Iranian government to participate in the second international
Conference and Exhibition on Women in Sustainable Development. Mr Jason Poblete, his lawyer
released a statement calling his client’s imprisonment a case of kidnapping:
Nizar ZakkaSource: Iran Human Rights
23
Since his detention, Nizar has been held at Evin prison and denied access to legal representation or
contact with his family. Additionally, through the course of his internment Mr Zakka was repeatedly
interrogated about his work with the Arab ICT and accused of working as a foreign spy. On 20
September 2016 his lawyer announced that he had been sentenced to 10 years in prison and $4.2
million fine for ‘collaborating with hostile powers against the state’. To protest the psychological and
physical torture inflicted upon him by his captors, Mr Zakka has repeatedly gone on hunger strikes
and most recently on 27 June 2017.
2435 https://www.facebook.com/page.masihalinejad/videos/10154625811052740/
Shahnaz Karimbeigi has been incarcerated
in Evin prison since 25 January 2017. Mrs
Karimbeigi took up activism following the
murder of her son Mostafa, one of several
unarmed protesters shot and killed by the
government during the anti-government
protests that took place on 27 December
2009. Authorities arrested Mrs. Karimbeigi
at her workplace on the morning of 25
January 2016.
Mrs Karimbeigi spoke about the threats
levelled against her and her family in a
video aired on Voice of America Persian
service shortly after her arrest:
Freedom Of Association And Expression
“They (Iranian Authorities) called me again and said we will kill your daughter the same way we’ve killed your son, so shut up. Stay home and just recite Qur’an for your son.”³⁵
The Case Of Shahnaz Karimbeigi
Shahnaz Karimbeigi standing next to her son’s photograph.Source: Human Rights Watch
Despite receiving these death threats Mrs Karimbeigi remains determined to continue her campaign
for justice asserting:
Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East Director of Human Rights Watch commented on Mrs. Karimbegi’s
unlawful detention: to assert that:
Arash Sadeghi, an Iranian activist was arrested
on 9 July 2009 after the results of the
elections were announced. He was accused
of ‘demonstration and collusion against the
regime’, ‘spreading propaganda’ and ‘insulting
the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran’.
Drewery Dyke a representative of Amnesty
International commented on the case in the
Guardian:
In an interview conducted by RoozOnline and translated by persian2english.com Arash provided
insight into the torment he has endured over the course of his incarceration:
25
36 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/17/campaigners-urge-iran-to-free-shahnaz-akmali-mother-of-shot-protester
37 https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/02/16/iran-slain-protesters-mother-arrested
38 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/nov/23/iran-activists-jailed-speaking-out
“Kill me too, kill my daughter, but I will not keep quiet and will follow my son’s path.”³⁶
“Arbitrarily detaining a woman who has repeatedly asked for justice for her son is simply shameful.”³⁷
“The criminal justice system of Iran was in something of a shambles, the plight of Arash Sadeghi was typical as he is held on a temporary order, with cases based on vaguely worded criminal charges before him.”³⁸
The Case Of Arash Sadeghi
Arash Sadeghi & Golrokh Ebrahimi-IraeeSource: OpenDemocracy
2639 http://persian2english.com/?p=16674
In addition to physical duress Mr Sadeghi has also su�ered gross emotional and psychological damage.
His mother died of a heart attack when the authorities raided his house and arrested him on 30 October
2010.
Mr Sadeghi’s wife Golrokh Ebrahimi-Iraee was also detained by the authorities and sentenced to six years
in prison for writing a fictional and unpublished short story highlighting the barbaric practices of stoning
still prevalent in the Iranian justice system. In protest to the unlawful detainment of his wife, Mr Sadeghi
began a hunger strike on the 24 October 2016.
Following a 71-day hunger strike Mr Sadeghi is now critically ill and su�ering from worsening digestive
and respiratory problems in addition to the physical injuries su�ered due to mistreatment by his
interrogators.
“I was beaten so severely that my shoulder was dislocated twice, and my teeth were broken. The beatings, slaps, and kicks were bearable. The most difficult part to endure was when they removed the hair on my body. The worst thing they did to me was remove the hair on my face, arms and chest. For this reason, my face was scarred. They blindfolded us and punched and kicked us severely in the face. As a result of these beatings, my eyes were bleeding and I couldn’t see for a long time.”³⁹
The story of Saeed is one that demonstrates the systematic
approach employed by the Iranian regime to instil fear
amongst its citizens by making examples of others.
Born and raised in Tehran, Mr Malekpour had subsequently
immigrated to Canada in 2004 and was living with his wife in
the country as a permanent resident in Richmond, Ontario
where he was employed as a web developer. In 2008, he
embarked on a short trip back to Iran to spend time with his
dying father. Upon arriving to the country, he was immediately
detained by members of Tehran’s cyber-security forces for
creating an open source code program designed to allow
others to share photographs on the internet that that was
used by an unknown third-party to upload pornography.
The Case Of Saeed Malekpour
Saeed MalekpourSource: IranHumanRights.org
2740 https://www.e�.org/o�ine/saeed-malekpour
“They took him to a detention centre and later Evin Prison, where he was beaten and tortured by a group who told him they were the "Revolutionary Guards Cyber Counterattack.”⁴⁰
The fact that Saeed’s open source program had been misused by a third party, whom he had never
met nor had contact with, did not prevent the authorities from charging him with ‘threatening the
nation’s Islamic ideals and national security’ by disseminating propaganda against the system.
IOHR interviewed Maryam Malekpour, Saeed’s sister who currently resides in Vancouver. She
clarified how the judicial system works and spoke openly about his arrest and the role played by the
Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps. (IRGC)
The released a statement from Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) which provided details about the
torture Saeed endured in prison. The Foundation called on the Canadian government to intervene to
secure the release of Malekpour since he was a permanent resident at the time of his arrest and
married at the time to a Canadian woman.
Upon his arrest, Saeed was taken to Evin prison and spent large swathes of time in solitary
confinement, in the course he su�ered torture, beatings, electrocution and threatened with
rape to extract a confession that was widely publicised in Iranian national television in 2010.
In an open letter smuggled out of his prison, Saeed explains how the confession was
extracted under extreme duress:
“His arrest happened before the Presidential election as they (Iranian authorities) wanted to establish a cyber-army in Iran. They always use religion to try and convince people. They kill people in the name of God.”
“Judges are members of the revolutionary guard they are not judges. I remember Saeed’s first court case took a total of 3 minutes.”
2841 https://www.e�.org/o�ine/saeed-malekpour
42 https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2012/02/17/iran_moves_saeed_malekpours_death_sentence_ahead_prompting_canadian_outrage.html
So far, the Trudeau administration has barely mentioned Saeed’s case. Canada’s former foreign
minister, Stephane Dion told Maryam Malekpour that he has a “limited ability” to intervene in Saeed’s
case because he is an Iranian citizen. However, this statement appears contradictory considering
that Members of Canada’s government and its Parliament issued strong protests in 2010 that Saeed’s
case had been transferred to the Iranian court that schedules executions.
IOHR interviewed Mr Mostafa Azizi, a famous Iranian television producer who was detained from
seven months detained with Saeed in Evin prison. Azizi described the prison conditions and gave
insights into Malekpour’s situation.
“Most of the time the tortures were performed by a group. While I remained blindfolded and handcuffed, several individuals armed with their fists, cables, and batons struck and punched me. At times, they would flog my head and neck. Such mistreatment was aimed at forcing me to write what the interrogators were dictating and to compel me to play a role in front of the camera based on their scenarios. Sometimes, they used extremely painful electrical shock that would paralyze me temporarily. Once in October 2008, the interrogators stripped me while I was blindfolded and threatened to rape me with a bottle of water.”⁴¹
“Canada condemns Iran’s reported decision to execute Mr. Malekpour,” said a statement from Foreign Minister John Baird’s spokesman Joseph Lavoie. “We hold Iran accountable for his treatment and well-being.”⁴²
“Saeed has never had a temporary leave from prison. He has been in prison for almost 10 years now without a single day out. It is incredible to think, as a computer expert, he has not seen Instagram, Twitter, touch screen smartphones etc. I remember talking to him about these and how surprised he was. This is in itself a kind of gradual death!”
“The Iranian government must end this practice of using dual nationals as bargaining chips. I hope they will now release Saeed Malekpour and put an end to it.”⁴³
2943 http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadian-o�cials-first-visit-iran-1.4105811
Mrs Narges Mohammadi is a world renowned Iranian human rights defender and investigative
journalist. She the President of the National Council of Peace in Iran, and Deputy Director of the
Centre for Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shrin Ebadi.
As a life-long defender of civil liberties she has spent numerous stretches in jail in 1998 as a student
and once again in 2010. Despite her early incarceration, she became a journalist for
Payaam-e-Hajaar a publication that discussed women’s rights, equality, and women’s roles within
the Islamic revolution and subsequently joined the banned CHRD to advocate for the creation of
Iranian civil society and adherence to International Human Rights standards.
Payam Akhavan, an associate professor of international law at McGill University also o�ered a
critique of Iran’s utilisation of Saeed as leverage in its negotiations with Canada asserting that:
The Case of Narges Mohammadi
Narges Mohammadi – Source: Amnesty International
3044 https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2012/05/profile-nationalist-religious-and-steadfast-narges-mohammadi.html
45 http://www.humanrights-ir.org/?p=1568
She was banned from leaving the country before she was detained in July 2011 and accused of
‘acting against national security’ and ‘spreading propaganda against the regime’. Narges was
sentenced to 11 years. In March 2012, the sentence was upheld by an appeals court, though it was
reduced to six years.
The mistreatment su�ered by Narges at the hands of the prison authorities during her incarceration
in 2011 led to a severe decline in her health, causing her to develop an epilepsy-like disease due to
which she would periodically lose muscle control. The trauma inflicted on her and her family is
highlighted in a letter written by her in the same year to the Iranian Judiciary:
After being briefly released to seek medical treatment, she was once again arrested on 5 May 2015,
and sentenced to 16 years in on charges of ‘propaganda against the state’, ‘assembly and collusion
against national security’ and ‘establishing the anti-security and illegal ‘Step by Step to Stop Death
Penalty’ group, a campaign that aims to abolish capital punishment in Iran.
Narges launched a hunger strike on 27 June 2016 after the authorities did not allow her to use the
phone in prison to call her son and daughter who live in Paris with their father, Taghi Rahmani. In an
open letter written by Narges and published by the CHRD on 27 June 2016 she writes:
“I do not know how to write of the suffering and pain inflicted upon my young family. When I first entered prison, I was a healthy individual, but when I left the prison I was frail and overtaken by a disease for which I cannot find a remedy or a cure. Physicians and specialists have examined me, but no one can figure out what is wrong with me. I have repeatedly asked for my passport so that I can travel outside the country in hopes of finding the right care, but my pleas fall on deaf ears. I have two four-year-old children who need me, but how can I care for them?”⁴⁴
“I am asking for nothing other than being allowed to talk to my children on the phone. If this demand is too great, irrational, immoral, unlawful, or against national security, please let me know, convince me, please. Clarify why a mother, declared a criminal by the state, must be denied hearing the voices of her children.”⁴⁵
3146 https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-human-rights-defender-narges-mohammadi-prison-sentence/27745679.html
Speaking out against the imposition of such harsh charges on Mrs Mohammadi, Christopher Deloire,
the secretary-general of Reporters Without Borders condemned the sentence arguing that:
Some of the most high-profile journalists imprisoned as recently as 2016 remain
incarcerated in di�erent prisons across Iran.
“Such a heavy sentence shows the iniquitous character of Iranian Justice. President Rouhani cannot remain silent in the face of such a judicial outrage even if everyone knows the judicial system takes its orders from the supreme leader.”⁴⁶
Ms. Chitsaz a columnist for Iran, a popular state newspaper
a�liated with the IRNA, Iran’s o�cial news agency was
arrested on 2 November 2015 during a security sweep which
included other journalists such as Isa Saharkhiz, Ehsan
Mazandarani, Davoud Asadi and Saman Safarzaei. The
journalists were dubbed as an ‘infiltration network with links
to Western countries’. Chitsaz was sentenced to 10 years on
March 2016 and convicted of “assembly and collusion against
national security’ and ‘collaboration with enemy states’.
On 29 April 2016, Maryam Azadpour, the mother of Chitsaz told the BBC Persian service that her
daughter had been held in solitary confinement in Evin prison for 6 months and had been subjected
to intense physical torture. In a statement she accused the prison authorities of blindfolding and
beating her daughter to extract a false confession. On 5 July 2016, Afarin was transferred to medical
facility under heavy security after posting a bail of 10 billion Rials ($320,000). However due to the
ongoing nature of her medical treatment, her medical leave has been extended several times.
Afarin Chitsaz
Afarin Chitsaz – Source: Iran Wire
Journalists Accused:“Western Infiltration Network”
32
Mr Saharkhiz is an Iranian journalist, former minister and
notably a prominent member of the Association for the
Defence of Press Freedom in Iran. Throughout his career
he has been publicly critical of the regime. In the last
seven years has spent numerous stretches in jail from
2009 to 2013.
His latest detainment took place on 2 November 2015 for
‘insulting the Supreme Leader’ and ‘propaganda against
the regime’. On 8 August 2016, Branch 28 of Tehran’s
Revolutionary court sentenced Saharkhiz to 3 years in
prison on charges of ‘insulting the supreme leader’ but
subsequently on 19 September reduced his sentence to
21 months without o�ering any legal or procedural
justification.
Isa Saharkhiz
Isa SaharkhizSource: Journalism Is Not a Crime
On 30 September 2016, local media outlets reported that he had started a hunger strike to protest
the authority’s refusal to grant him a conditional release or proper medical treatment. As of late 2016
Mr Saharkhiz still faces charges in another case of ‘insulting the head of the judiciary’, for which he
has received an additional 1-year jail sentence which was handed down on 26 April 2017.
Mr Safarzaee a reporter for the monthly Andisheh
Pouya was arrested on 2 November 2015.
On 26 April 2016, Branch 28 of the Revolutionary
Court convicted Safarzaee of ‘assembly and
collusion with the intent to disrupt national security’
He was sentenced to 5 years in prison. Saman
appealed and received a reduced sentence of 2
years on 20 August 2016.
Saman Safarzaee
Saman SafarzaeeSource: Centre for Human Rights in Iran
3390 Atika Shubert, Jailed journalist remains ‘patient’ despite 150 days of solitary, wife says, CNN [online], 31 July 2017
Due to the emotional and psychological torture he endured and the long bouts of solitary confinement
Mr Pourheydar’s health deteriorated and he lost more than nine kilos of his weight. During his
interrogation he was beaten, deprived of sleep, thrown into a barrel of cold water and forced to stand
outside in freezing weather.
Saeed Pourheydar is a prominent Iranian journalist and
blogger. He was first arrested on 5 February 2010 at his
home and forced to spend 1 month in solitary
confinement without a trial or charges.
He was briefly released and then re-arrested on 10
October 2010 and put in solitary confinement for
another 52 days before being formally charged by the
Revolutionary Court for ‘Conspiring against national
security’, ‘insulting President Ahmadinejad’ and
‘spreading propaganda against the Islamic republic’.
Saeed Pourheydar
Saeed PourheydarSource: Human Rights Activists News Agency
Anthony Bellanger, the general secretary for the International Federation of Journalists condemned the
charges against both men:
On 13 August 2017, Sasan Aghaei the
34-year-old deputy editor of Etemad and on
22 August 2017 Yaghma Fashkami a
journalist with Didban Iran were arrested on
charges of ‘action against national security’.
Both men were accused of collaboration
with overseas media. The journalists denied
the charges but remain incarcerated in
solitary confinement at Evin prison.
Sasan Aghaei & Yaghma Fashkami
Yaghma Fashkami and Sasan AghaeiSource: International Federation of Journalists
3447 http://www.i�.org/nc/news-single-view/backpid/1/article/iran-two-journalists-imprisoned-since-august/
“These arrests constitute a gross violation of our colleague’s human rights as well as rights afforded to journalists and reporters. The IFJ demands that the Iranian government release Sasan Aghaei and Yaghma Fashkami immediately.”⁴⁷
In October 2011, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan E. Mendez called for the practice
of solitary confinement on inmates to be banned, saying it could amount to torture.
Mr Iraj Jamshidi is the editor in chief of the Asia
Economic Newspaper. On 9 May 2017, unidentified
agents arrested him as he left his home for work.
Iraj Jamshidi
Iraj JamshidiSource: Journalism Is Not A Crime
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