IRAN weekly HR report:Basic freedom and rights abused

Iran forces Ashtiani, son and lawyer to make false confession on state TV

Iranian state television has broadcast a purported statement by an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery in which she calls herself a 'sinner’.
The stoning sentence against the 43-year-old Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani has been put on hold and is now being reviewed by Iran's supreme court, but she still faces a possible death sentence by other means.
The outcry over the case is one of the latest thorns in Iran's relationship with the international community, as the U.S., EU and international human rights groups have urged Tehran to stay the execution.
A woman identified as Ashtiani said in the state TV report shown Monday: 'I am a sinner.' Her face was blurred and her words were voiced over in what the TV report said was a translation into Farsi from Azeri Turkish, which is spoken in parts of Iran.
The report also broadcast purported statements by two men whose faces were blurred that state TV identified as Ashtiani's son, Sajjad Qaderzadeh, and her lawyer, Houtan Kian, both of whom were arrested last month. It also aired comments from two Germans who were detained allegedly while trying to interview Ashtiani's family in October…
The broadcast of the purported statements appeared to be an attempt by Tehran to deflect international criticism of the case and focus attention instead on the West by accusing it of stirring up controversy over the case to damage the reputation of Iran's Islamic leadership. (AP – Nov. 15, 2010)

Still no news on student activist after 60 days
Sixty days after the arrest of Foad Farimian, an Amir Kabir University student, those close to him still have no news on his whereabouts.
This master’s degree student in Amir Kabir University was arrested two months ago by the intelligence unit of the Revolutionary Guards Corps. This student was active in Mir Hossein Moussavi’s election staff in this university.
His family and friends are extremely worried because officials refuse to answer their concerns about his condition and whereabouts. (Human Rights Activists in Iran – Nov. 18, 2010)

Right to education

Iran expels student activist from medical university
Yaser Rahmani, a medical student at the Shiraz Medical Science University and the political secretary of the Islamic Association in this university was finally expelled from university after being kept in a state of limbo for one and a half years. He was expelled in a sentence by the Central Disciplinary Committee of the Ministry of Health and Hygiene…
Notably, in this time, the Protection Department of his university and security officials in the province of Fars tried to ruin the image of this student activist and member of the Office for Consolidating Unity by saying that he had given interviews and had made confessions under pressure whish he has strongly denies. (Daneshju News – Nov. 15, 2010)


Suppression of religious and ethnic minorities

Religious freedom deteriorates in Iran: US
The US government said Wednesday that respect for religious freedom deteriorated in Afghanistan and Iran while China and Indonesia earned mixed scorecards.
In its report on international religious freedom for the last year, the US State Department also raised sharp complaints about Myanmar and North Korea as well as US allies Egypt and Saudi Arabia…
The report said 'government respect for religious freedom continued to deteriorate in Iran, with which the US government is locked in a showdown over its nuclear ambitions and human rights.
‘The government severely restricted freedom of religion and reports of government imprisonment, harassment, intimidation, and discrimination based on religious beliefs continued during the reporting period,' the report said.
Iranian Muslims who were not from the majority Shiite group faced 'substantial societal discrimination,' it said.
‘And government rhetoric and actions created a threatening atmosphere for nearly all non-Shia religious groups, most notably Bahais, as well as Sufi Muslims, evangelical Christians, members of the Jewish community,' it said. (AFP - Nov 17, 2010)

ايران آشتياني, پسر و وكيل وي را مجبور به اعترافات ساختگي در تلويزيون دولتي مي كند
تلويزيون دولتي ايران اظهارات يک زن ايراني که محکوم به مرگ از طريق سنگسار شده است را پخش کرد، که در آن، او مدعي شد گناهکار است.
حکم سنگسار سکينه محمدي آشتياني 43ساله، فعلاً متوقف شده است و دادگاه عالي ايران در حال باز بيني آن ميباشد. اما او بهخاطر اتهامات ديگر، هنوز با حکم اعدام روبهرو است.
اعتراضات بينالمللي بر سر اين موضوع، تازهترين خار در روابط ايران با جامعه بينالمللي ميباشد. آمريکا، اتحاديه اروپا، و گروهاي بينالمللي حقوقبشري، از تهران خواستهاند تا از اين اعدام کوتاه بيآيد.
در برنامه دوشنبه تلويزيون دولتي، زني که بهعنوان سکينه محمدي آشتياني معرفي شد گفت: ”من گناهکار هستم“. صورت او تيره شده بود و کلمات او از ترکي آذري به فارسي ترجمه شده بود.
اين برنامه هم‌چنين اظهارات دو مرد که صورت آنها هم تيره شده بود را منتشر کرد. تلويزيون، يکي از آنها را سجاد قادرزاده، پسر آشتياني و ديگري را هوتن خان وکيل وي معرفي کرده است. اين دو نفر ماه گذشته بازداشت شدند. اين تلويزيون هم‌چنين اظهارات دو آلماني که در ماه اکتبر در حال تلاش براي مصاحبه با خانواده آشتياني بازداشت شده بودند را پخش کرد. … (آسوشيتدپرس- 24/8/89)

پس از ۶۰ روز، کماکان بي خبري از فواد فريماني دانشجوي زنداني در بند سپاه پاسداران
شصت روز است که از بازداشت فواد فريماني دانشجوي دانشگاه اميرکبير مي گذرد و نزديکان وي کماکان از وضعيت وي بي خبرند.
به گزارش دانشجو نيوز، فواد فريماني دانشجوي کارشناسي ارشد دانشگاه اميرکبير است که از دو ماه پيش در بازداشت نيروهاي اطلاعات سپاه پاسداران به سر مي برد. اين فعال دانشجويي از فعالين ستاد انتخاباتي ميرحسين موسوي در دانشگاه...
عدم پاسخگويي مسئولين نسبت به وضعيت سلامت و وضعيت بازداشت اين دانشجو، باعث نگراني شديد خانواده وي و دوستان اين دانشجو شده است. (هرانا – 27/8/89)



حق تحصيل

اخراج ياسر رحماني، فعال دانشجويي دانشگاه پزشکي شيراز
ياسر رحماني دانشجوي رشته پزشکي دانشگاه علوم پزشکي شيراز و دبير سياسي سابق انجمن اسلامي اين دانشگاه، پس از يک سال ونيم بلاتکليفي، بالاخره در حکمي توسط کميته انضباطي مرکزي وزارت بهداشت، درمان و آموزش پزشکي از دانشگاه اخراج شد...
خاطر نشان مي شود در طول اين مدت حراست دانشگاه و مسئولين امنيتي استان فارس براي خدشه وارد کردن به فعاليت هاي اين فعال دانشجويي و دفتر تحکيم وحدت دروغ هاي بسياري مثل مصاحبه و اعترافات ساختگي را به اين فعال دانشجويي باسابقه و خوشنام نسبت دادند که قويا از سوي وي تکذيب شد. (دانشجو نيوز – 24/8/89)


آمريکا: آزاديهاي مذهبي در ايران و افغانستان بدتر شده‌اند
خبرگزاري فرانسه، 17نوامبر، 2010 - واشنگتن - دولت آمريکا روز چهارشنبه گفت محترم شمردن [عدم رعايت] آزاديهاي مذهبي در افغانستان و ايران بدتر شده است و دراينحال چين و اندونزي کارتهاي متفاوتي به‌دست آوردند. …
مسلمانان ايران که از گروه شيعي اصلي ايران نيستند با تبعيض اجتماعي اساسي مواجه هستند. … (خبرگزاري فرانسه- 26/8/89)