Tehran Prosecutor Announces Six Foreign Citizen Arrests

Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi announced the arrests of six foreign citizens during the February 11th protests, some of whom have been released.

According to BBC Farsi and as announced by Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, among those arrested were three Russians, one French, one Japanese, and one Afghan.

In an interview with the Students News Agency of Iran, Dolatabadi said, “All of these individuals were released, with the exception of one Russian citizen and one Afghan citizen for their lack of explanation of the charges.” Dolatabadi described the charges against the Afghan citizen as “participation in an illegal gathering” and said that he had been arrested in Sadeghiyeh Square.

According to the same report, the Russian citizen has been arrested for illegal entry into Iran and his case is currently under review by the Revolutionary Court.

This is not the first time that Iranian police and security agents have arrested foreign citizens during the post election unrest. Iranian officials have also reported the arrests of foreign citizens who were detained during street protests. Officials announced that these individuals had entered the country with the intention of taking advantage of the events (civil unrest) taking place in Iran.

A while back, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, Chairman for the National Security Council of the Majlis in Iran announced, “During the protests on the day of Ashura, a European Charge d’Affaires was arrested in Tehran, however, according to the Geneva convention, the Charge d’Affaires was released with the mediation of the country’s embassy after 24 hours.”

Also in early July, eight employees of the British embassy in Tehran were arrested on charges of “playing an instrumental role in the creation of chaos.”

Other foreigners arrested during the post election unrest include Dubai TV’s Syrian reporter Reza Al-Bashaa, who was arrested on the day of Ashura. Clotilde Reiss, a French citizen was also arrested and tried on charges of participating in post election protests. She was arrested for taking photographs of the protests and e-mailing them to her friends outside of Iran. Reiss was one of the detainees who was a part of the televised mass trial. She is still waiting on her sentence.

It should be noted that on February 11th, during the commemoration ceremony for the anniversary of the 1979 revolution, the popular opposition movement protested against the government in numerous cities across the country and were violently treated by police and security agents.

The Iranian opposition had a strong presence in the cities of Tehran, Isfahan, Ahvaz, and Shiraz despite the preventative measures taken by police, security, and plainclothes agents, which included arresting political activists prior to the ceremony, cutting off the internet, filtering news sites, increasing satellite interference, and disrupting mobile phone and text services.

Police and security forces also used paint guns and daytime flash photography for the first time in order to create systematic chaos and fear.

According to unofficial data, at least 25o women were among the arrested and the number of detained men is much higher. Official authorities have not yet announced the official data of the arrests for February 11th.

For over eight months, the protests against the announced results of the Iranian presidential election have more or less persisted in various cities across Iran; protests that officials of the Islamic Republic and many analysts had considered impossible. It was the brutal treatment of protesters by the government, including violent beatings of protesters on the streets and arrests of political and civic activists, that caused the opposition to continue its protests and synchronize them with official events.

Translation by: HRANA
Persian2English.com
Three students of the Science and Industry University in Tehran were arrested after answering a summons to the intelligence agency on Monday and Tuesday of last week. (Human Rights Activists in Iran – Feb. 18, 2010)
The family of Mahdieh Golro, a jailed student who was banned from education, said that she was severely sick and weakened in prison after a visit with her. According to her family, she has been suffering from severe intestine infection from one month ago in addition to the flu and has lost more than 12 kilos (26 pounds).
Golro said that the head of the infirmary came to her cell to check her and refrained from taking her to the infirmary saying that her situation was not critical.
She is currently kept in a small room with 27 other prisoners with unsuitable food and heating systems. Mahdie Golro was arrested with her husband Vahid Lalipour on December 3. (Committee of Human Rights Reporters – Feb. 18, 2010)
A Tehran University student activist was arrested on Wednesday February 10 in Sabzevar in Mashhad.
Ali Akbar Ajami, a Tehran University student who was constantly put under pressure by the intelligence agency and threatened with arrest was finally arrested and taken to an unknown location.
In the past few weeks, two other student activists, Mohammad Ghazanvian and Hamid Mafi were also arrested in Qazvin by intelligence agents. (Iran Press News – Feb. 18, 2010)
Intelligence and military institutions and systems have a widespread plan to identify and monitor the children and relatives of those executed in the 1980's.
Security institutions believe that one of the main elements in the persistence of protests is the activities of the children and relatives of those who were executed in the 1980's especially those who were executed in 1988 (during the massacre of political prisoners in all Iran prisons on orders of Khomeini).
Currently, a number of intelligence institutions have prepared complete lists of the occupational, and social conditions and also the activities of the children of those who were executed in the 80's and are tapping their conversations and monitoring their internet activities.
In the past few days, a group of the children and relatives of those slain political prisoners were arrested even as people close to them say that they were not involved in any political activities. (Jaras Website – Feb. 18, 2010)


Reporter: A press conference was held following Monday’s (U.N.) gathering on human rights in Geneva. Shadi Sadr, a lawyer and women’s rights activist, was one of the attendants at the press conference. Noting the report that the Islamic Republic has published with regards to the human rights gathering and based on the large number of civil rights and political activist arrests and killings, how will the Islamic Republic be able to defend itself?
Shadi Shadr: A major part of the report published by the Islamic Republic describes our constitution and internal laws, in order to show the international community that we do have the [same] laws in Iran. It is true that these laws exist and these laws can improve the human rights situation in Iran to a point, but only if the [government] abides by the laws. The main question is about the execution of the laws and the rule of law in Iran. In this regard, either the Iranian government’s report is keeping quiet or it is presenting false information.

The issue is not solely restricted to the situation of political prisoners or the human rights violations after the election. For example, the issue of ‘family law’ in Iran. It is interesting to me that after fighting this legislation for three years and exposing it for its misogynistic nature and for the fact that it legitimizes polygamy and encourages ‘temporary marriages’, now the Iranian government has indicated in their report that ’family law’ is one of the laws in the process of being ratified in congress in order to improve the situation of women in Iran. For representatives of other countries who are not familiar with this law, it is sufficient just to think that there is a law being passed that supports women and families. This is because (representatives of other countries) do not really know the contents of our legislation. Our effort here is to expose many articles like the one I just mentioned and to show that the contents of the report are not true.

Another point that has been stressed a lot in this report by the Iranian government is that they refer to international human rights organizations putting pressure on Iran as trying to exert western values and standards, and therefore international human rights organizations are against our culture. Finally, they claim that international human rights organizations are against Islam and that is why we (the Iranian government) cannot accept many of the (human rights) laws. I think the question that needs to be asked here is whether polygamy is acceptable in the Iranian culture. Also, where in the Iranian culture is it permissible to beat up peaceful protesters who are simply looking for their votes and are objecting to the decisions made by politicians? There is no violence in our culture. The extensive violence committed on the streets (by the government) is definitely against our culture.

Justifying human rights violations by using the Iranian culture as an excuse does not help the cause and it also defaces the image of Iranians in the eyes of the international community. The international community is facing a government that admits to execution and stoning, encourages polygamy, beats up protesters, and tortures and kills people in prisons. They commit all these (crimes) and attribute (their actions) to the Iranian culture. Can you imagine what this means?


Reporter:
Do you have any criticism about the way the reports are being written at this very important U.N. gathering? The decisions and statements that result from the U.N. human rights convention are very important. Are there points you want to raise about the way things are going?


Shadi Sadr:
You see, the process of reviewing human rights violations in countries around the world is a new one that has been implemented. Because of all the limitations that the Iranian government has put on civil rights and political activists in Iran, we know very little about the mechanisms and processes of the U.N. Human Rights Commission. This has caused our expectations to be completely unreal at times. We have to be realistic here and realize that it is the governments who are playing a major role in this mechanism. Us, the civil rights and human rights activists, are not the decision makers here; we can only affect the outcome. The processes are very complex and bureaucratic. There are thousands of political matters that are involved. Even those who claim to be very concerned about human rights violations in Iran might even avoid the microphone because of some behind-the-scenes political or economic agreements.

I think in this complex process, some points are important. For one, we should not have high expectations. This is a process. What happens on Monday will only be a start. Monday is only the time for opening the file. We will have plenty of time in the coming months, especially in March to affect this process, because that is when the final decisions will be made. It is also important for us to demand international standards and to make it clear as to what it is we are trying to gain from this process. The U.N. and the Human Rights Commission are not going to respond to everything on our wish list. We just have to affect the process.

It is also very important that all civil rights activists participate in the process. This is because the Iranian government has announced in its report that Iran’s national report has been written in cooperation with civil rights groups. But no civil rights groups are named in their report. There are 30 organizations who are representing Iran that claim to be civil rights NGO’s. At a time when almost all of our civil rights activists are either in jail, killed, or have escaped the country, we need to find out who makes up the 30 civil rights groups. Who are these people representing civil rights in Iran?

I also think that in order to affect the process, the demonstrations happening outside the (U.N.) meeting need to be big.

Translation by: Tour Irani
Persian2English.com

Tehran prosecutor Jafar Dolatabadi has personally indicted Bahareh Hedayat during an interrogation session at Tehran’s Evin prison.

Hedayat has been told by Dolatabadi that her 16-count indictment includes heavy charges such as propagating against the regime, actively taking part in post-election events, talking to foreign media organizations, insulting the Supreme Leader, insulting the president (Mahmoud Ahmadinejad), and conspiring to act against national security.

According to a RAHANA reporter, Hedayat has denied all the charges and is resisting the pressure to make a false televised confession. The degree of resistance shown by the rights activist has infuriated her interrogators, who continue to put pressure on her through intense interrogation sessions.

Hedayat’s family was able to visit her for a few minutes today in an Evin visitation cabin. Hedayat was arrested on December 31, 2009. She is currently being held in ward 209 of Evin Prison.

Translation by: RAHANA

The ITF is glad to report that Mansour Osanloo has been removed from solitary confinement and returned to the general section of Iran’s Rajai Shahr prison.

His removal earlier this week to a solitary cell, apparently as part of an increasing attempt to intimidate him, was met by immediate protests by the ITF and others.

Mac Urata, secretary of the ITF’s Inland Transport section, commented:

Such a speedy response to the outrage that was voiced at the stepping up of the campaign to break Mansour’s spirit is gratifying. It’s a relief that he is out of immediate danger. It also underlines the importance of international opinion and solidarity. However, even a positive move like this does not obscure the fact that Mansour should not be in prison in the first place. Whatever promises the Iranian authorities may make to the international community and the UN ring hollow when trade unionists like Mansour Osanloo and Ebrahim Madadi are imprisoned on trumped-up charges.

In July 2007 Mansour Osanloo, President of the ITF-affiliated Vahed Syndicate (Tehran Bus Workers’ Union) was dragged from a Tehran bus by armed men who only weeks later were identified as Iranian security forces. This followed previous attacks and intimidation and happened only three weeks after visiting the ITF and union organisations in London and Brussels.

In October of that year Osanloo was sentenced to five years imprisonment on charges of ‘acting against national security’ and ‘propaganda against the state’. In reality his only ‘crime’ has been to help found a genuinely democratic trade union for his fellow bus drivers.

Translation by: RAHANA

Jinus Sobhani still missing


Jinus Sobhani, of Bahai belief and co worker with the Human Rights Committee has been missing now for 35 days. She was arrested along with her husband Artin Ghazanfari at their home . She has not been allowed a lawyer and no contact with family so far.
Clips received by a reader showing rallies in various cities in support of 11 February Uprisings in Iran and political prisoners and activists in Iran
source : iranntv.com
Canada - Toronto


Montreal


United Kingdom- London




USA-
San Francisco


Los Angelese



France - Paris


Norway


Holland


Germany (Koln) and Belgium











Extracts of interventions by countries over Human Right violations of the Iranian regime in Geneva released by iranntv.com.
According to contacts, activists of NCRI and Human right organizations in co-ordination with UN human right institutions delivered documents to the session which can in no way be neglected by the regime in power in Iran.




Clip exerts of two states expressing concern over the political scandal of the present Iraqi Maliki government working at behest of the regime in power in Iran to suppress activists of opposition groups in Camp Ashraf in Iraq.

Charshanbe Soori: Last Wednesday before Iranian New Year: UPRISING


A new mobilization for yet another Uprising by the brave people in Iran in this Art work:
Channel 4 News

Updated on 17 February 2010

A former member of the Iranian basij militia tells Channel 4 News that he was jailed and mistreated for refusing to assault opposition protesters.

"There was a table. I stood on that table for some hours with my hands tied and a rope around my neck. They came a few times and said they'd come to execute me now, or in an hour."

The words of a former member of Iran's basij militia who refused to participate in the brutal crackdown on opposition supporters after the disputed presidential elections in June 2009.

Before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva today, the Iranian representative said torture was illegal in Iran.

But Ali, not his real name to protect his identity, has talked to Channel 4 News' international editor Lindsey Hilsum about the harsh treatment he said he endured when he objected to the tactics used against critics of the Iranian regime.

She first heard about him in December 2009 when Channel 4 News broadcast a story about basij leaders who had allegedly ordered the sexual assault of young people who had been involved in protests.

Ali was part of a group of basij who refused to take part. He was jailed and then fled to Britain, where he is applying for asylum.

Ali said: "The people were terrified. Some were already injured, their wounds had not been seen to. This was all very distressing for me because until then I had had very different responsibilities, not the beating up and crimes that they were undertaking against the people."

Speaking of his time in prison, he said: "The first time they took me for interrogation they struck me so hard in my left eye that I couldn't see for a while. After the second day I could see a little, I thought I'd gone blind in my left eye. I still have problems with it, it's never returned to normal.

"They created execution scenarios. They said we're going to kill you and we'll link your death to the protests. We'll say that you were killed during a protest. There was a table. I stood on that table for some hours with my hands tied and a rope around my neck.

They came a few times and said they'd come to execute me now, or in an hour. I was very worried. Then they came and pulled the table away. I fell. I thought I was saying goodbye to this world.

"You see your own disintegration. When they pulled the table, the rope wasn't attached to anything. I fell backwards. I fainted.

"When I came to I was wet. They had thrown water over me. I vomited. They took my confession then and I signed."

Ali said his worst experience in prison was seeing his friend, another member of the basij, sexually assaulted.

"My friend, who shared my cell, created havoc. He'd never seen anything like this. Well, nor had I. He was in shock. He was confused. He lost control.

"He screamed and shouted, threw himself against the walls. The guards warned him that if was going to continue with this behaviour they would make things worse for him.

"One of the guards came and beat him. His face was bleeding. He tore his clothes off ... the baton that he had ... he was sexually violated with it.

"One guard was outside, one inside the cell. I wanted to protest, to shout, to help him, but well, I had seen how they dealt with protesters and I couldn't protest. I am thoroughly ashamed. I'm shamed before God, ashamed of my youth, ashamed in front of my friend, ashamed in front of the people.

"I have this terrible feeling of pain, that I spent the best years of my life unaware. And they used this. I was a tool. I was a tool for them to reach their objectives. I unwittingly got involved in their plans. I was unknowingly led by them.

"Their slogan was that we were the force of the people, the eminent ones,that we must lead. We were unaware of what they brought on us. Our thoughts were not our own. "

Channel 4 News has asked the Iranian embassy in London for a comment, but has not received one yet.

In December 2009, in an interview with Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow in Tehran, President Ahmadinejad was asked about claims that members of the basij had assaulted protesters.

He said: ""There have been clashes amongst some people. How can you find out if he was basij or another person? In my country the law prevails."

From ICAE

In solidarity with all political prisoners and their freedom

ICAE Report: 55 Political Prisoners in Iran at Risk of Execution


According to a recent report by the International Committee Against Executions (ICAE), the Islamic Republic prevents the names of political prisoners at risk of execution from being released. According to the research team of the ICAE, 56 political prisoners are currently at risk of execution by the Islamic Republic.

The list includes 21 people from Kurdistan, 12 people from Sistan and Baluchestan, 12 people from Ahvaz, and 11 people from Tehran.

The ICAE ask the families and supporters of political prisoners to send any additional information and details of political prisoners sentenced to death.

Contact addresses are as follows:

E-mail: farshadhoseini@gmail.com OR MinaAhadi@aol.com

Phone: Farshad Hosseini: 0031681285184 0031681285184
OR Mina Ahadi: 00491775692413 00491775692413

The ICAE calls on all institutions, political parties, and human rights organizations around the world to stand firm against executions in Iran and to protest by various means.

Names of political prisoners sentenced to death are as follows:

From Kurdistan:

1. Zeinab Jalalian- from Maku – Kermanshah Prison

2. Shirkooh Moarefi – from Baneh – Saghez Prison

3. Habib Latifi – from Sanandaj – Sanandaj Prison

4. Sami Hosseini – from Salmas – Orumiyeh Prison

5. Jamal Mohammadi – from Salmas – Orumiyeh Prison

6. Rostam Arkia

7. Rashid Akhkandi

8. Hossein Khezri – from Orumiyeh – Orumiyeh Prison

9. Farzad Kamangar – from Kamyaran – Evin Prison, Tehran

10. Ali Heidarian – from Sanandaj – Evin Prison, Tehran

11. Farhad Vakili – from Sanandaj – Evin Prison, Tehran

12. Mostafa Salimi – from Saghez – Saghez Prison

13. Anwar Rostami

14. Iraj Mohammadi – from Miandoab – Orumiyeh Prison

15. Mohammad Amin Agooshi – from Piranshahr – Orumiyeh Prison

16. Ahmad Poladkhani – from Piranshahr – Orumiyeh Prison

17. Hassan Talei – from Maku

18. Shirin Alam Hooli – from Maku – Evin Prison, Tehran

19. Mohammad Amin Abdollahi – Mirabad in Bukan

20. Ghader Mohammadzadeh – Mirabad in Bukan

21. Aziz Mohammadzadeh – Saghez Prison

From Tehran:

22. Ali Saremi

23. Ayun Porkar

24. Ahmad Karimi

25. Nasser Abdolhosseini

26. Reza Khademi

27. Amir Reza Arefi

28. Alireza Rami Kheirabadi

29. Khaled Hardani

30. Saeed Shah Ghalei

31. Abbas Deldar

32. Farhad Vakili

From Sistan and Baluchestan:

33. Abdolrahman Narooie

34. Abed Gehram Zahi

35. Abdoljalil Rigi

36. Nasser Shebakhshi

37. Mohammad Rigi

38. Ali Sa’edi

39. Valid Nisi

40. Mahed Faradipour

41. Daer Mahavi

42. Ahmad Sa’edi

43. Yousef Loftepour

From Ahvaz:

44. Avdeh Afravi

45. Ali Reza Salmandalafi

46. Ali Halafi

47. Moslem Alhaei

48. Abdolreza Navasari

49. Yahiyeh Nasseri

50. Abdolayeman Za’eri

51. Nazem Berihi

52. Abdolreza Halichi

53. Zamal Bavi

54. Reysan Savari

55. Leyla Kabi

Translation by:(I.C.A.E)
Additional translation and editing by: Persian2English.com


HRA

Tonight after the courageous gathering of the "Mourning mothers" along with political families around Evin Prison, Parissa Kakaii, Maziar Samiii, Bahar Tarakeme and Nazanin Hassan nia released tonight.

Parissa Kakaii , member of the Committee of Human Rights Reporters, who had been arrested on 1 January.
Maziar Samii was a student activist from Alame Tabatabaii University and member of the 1 million signature campaign.

Bahar Tarakame, arrested since 4 February, and his brother Ardavan Tarakame still in prison.

Nazanin Hassanian , a family member of those massacred in the 1980s was also among those released tonight
INA
According to reports by Human Right Activists for Democracy in Iran, hundreds of members of families of political prisoners had gathered as ritual tonight in front of Evin Prison since the early hours of tonight.
These included the "Mourning mothers" and families of political prisoners and Human Right activists who were determined to ask for the release of their beloved ones.
According to eyewitnesses the crowd reaching more than 500 people lined from the bridge before the prison up to the prison doors.
Each prisoner released followed a wave of claps and applauds for the bravery of those still in the cells. The entire crowd would embrace and welcome the prisoner freed.
The prisoners were released from 10h10 pm tonight. One released student who was passing the doors towards the crowd clapped hands in the sign of victory which apparently reminded all of the days prisoners were released by the Shah, before the uprising.

According to released women political prisoners, the women's ward of 209 Evin is over loaded, and solitary confinements have been turned into cramped cells having many prisoners.
Days before the 11 February uprising, there was news of prison transfers of 100 political prisoners being transferred from 209 to 350 section of the notorious Evin Prison.

Photo fro, qrchive
INA
13 days after the arrest of Maziar Samei, there is still no information on his location or condition.

The only time Samei has contacted home was on February 5th to inform his family about his health. His family has received no further news of him.

Samei was a student activist and member of the One Million Signatures Campaign. He was was arrested by security forces at his home on the night of February 3rd.


Translation by: Bahaar

INA

Alireza Abofazeli, a master’s student at the railway engineering faculty of the Science and Technology University was arrested on Monday February 15th, after being summoned by the Ministry of Intelligence.
INA
On Tuesday February 16, 2010, the arbitrary imprisonment of children’s rights activist Mehdi Amizesh entered its 47th day. The young man is only a defender of the voiceless children of Iran. It has not yet been revealed why he has been arrested.

Mehdi Amizesh was arrested by a number of violent agents on December 31, 2009, while he was eating breakfast at his father’s house. The agents did not present any reason for the arrest.

His family members have contacted Evin prison, Tehran’s prosecution office, and other authorities, but they have not yet received any convincing reply. Mehdi Amizesh has spent his detention in solitary confinement. He is a human rights activist who has contributed to helping the children in southern Tehran.

The concept of solitary confinement is itself a violation of human rights. His family has requested numerous times to meet with their son, but they were not permitted to do so.

Mehdi Amizesh’s family stated: “We desperately ask all children’s rights and human rights organizations to condemn the increasing arrest of social activists, especially children’s rights activists like Mehdi Amizesh, and show your protest in any possible way.”

Translation by: Neda Shayesteh
Persian2English.com

By: Maryam Rajavi

Published in French daily Le Figaro on Feb 12, 2010*

On the day after the anniversary of the revolution, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, Maryam Rajavi, condemns the growing repression against the People's Mojahedin.


The West has committed a serious error in its calculations by investing in the regime's potential to modify its behavior Former Foreign Minister Claude Cheysson asked me one day how the Iranian people, heir to a great civilization, could submit to a regime as backward as that of Khomeini?

I told him that the people had not accepted the regime. The regime had been imposed on people and until now 120,000 people have been executed.


Today, eight months of uprisings prove that the Iranian nation does not accept the fanatical regime and deserves a different fate. They have demonstrated a desire to overthrow the regime and take control of their destiny.
The struggle against the religious dictatorship did not begin after the sham elections in June. Rather, the sham elections exposed the deep division at the top of the regime and served as a catalyst for the outburst of suppressed popular anger. The regime is adopting a harsher tone against an uprising that is becoming more organized by the day.

The regime’s officials have apparently discovered that "an intelligent and organizing force is behind these events" and that "the PMOI [People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran] led the protests of Ashura [on December 27]. They were taken aback when they heard the slogans that appeared on the websites of our resistance movement chanted in Tehran’s streets. As such, the sharp edge of the suppression is focused on the supporters and families of the PMOI. A large number of families of residents of Ashraf (a city where members of the PMOI reside in Iraq) and former political prisoners have been arrested and tortured in recent weeks. The regime’s officials emphasize that anyone who collaborates with the PMOI is considered mohareb (enemy of God) and therefore sentenced to death, even if the person has merely been involved in political activities.

The trend of suppression has increased. The execution of two young political opponents and the death sentences of nine more revealed signs of panic in the regime. The regime tried to discourage people from participating in protests yesterday on the anniversary of the anti-monarchical revolution on February 11. Despite the high number of arrests, murders and injuries the uprising marks a victory for the people and rings the death knell for the regime in its entirety. The opposing internal faction certainly cannot represent the desire for change, but it can be found on the right side, provided that it distances itself from the mullahs’ Supreme Leader and the regime’s constitution.

The myth of a possible internal reform by the regime was buried for the second time in the aftermath of the sham elections. The West committed a serious mistake by investing in the regime's ability to reform itself. Everyone knows that the system derives great benefit from its relations with the West and even from the nuclear talks. The regime’s Supreme Leader attempts to exploit these as signs of stability. In the midst of the uprising in October 2009, he falsely gave the impression that he would accept the Geneva deal to deliver enriched uranium, in order to take advantage of the appeasement of Western powers and also deter the United States from supporting the uprising.

We should recall that the regime acquires its suppressive equipment, wiretapping instruments, and internet filtering tools from Western companies.
While innocent people are killed during protests or hanged for their alleged “support for the PMOI", some governments continue to place restrictions on our resistance, which are shameful in the current circumstances of uprisings. Avoiding to make diplomatic and trade relations with the regime contingent on ceasing of repression - especially since the economy is monopolized by the Revolutionary Guards which is in charge of the crackdown – is beneficial only to the regime. Make no mistake.

The Iranian people do not seek support from this or that government. I only wish to invite policymakers to stop siding with the regime and avoid interfering in the struggle between the Iranian people and their torturers. The people will continue their vigorous struggle for the establishment of a pluralistic and secular republic. Defending the Iranian people and their legitimate demands will buy honor for any country and will compensate for the past mistakes of any country. That is how we can build the basis of healthy relations with the Iranian people in the future.


*This is the English translation of the article published in Le Figaro


ANSA news agency, Rome, February 11, 2010- The West must wake up and defend its Iranian brothers. Today, we are all Iranians.
The leader of the coalition of centralist parties, Pierferdinando Casini, said in remarks at a rally organized by Iranian exiles in front of Montecitorio (Parliament building) that he strongly supported protests against Ahmadinejad’s visit to Italy.
Casini told the demonstrators: This flag is ideally ours, too. We are on the side of the Iranian people. Our friends are deprived of freedom and victims of a regime that is against freedom. Today, the regime killed a young female student.
Casini concluded his remarks by saying that the attack against the Italian embassy in Tehran does not scare us. We should be thankful of the internet, which is a great democratic tool, something that we should not forget in Italy.

AI Index: PRE01/049/2010


The Iranian government’s view of the state of human rights in the country is severely distorted, Amnesty International said today in an analysis paper prepared ahead of a review of Iran by the UN Human Rights Council.


The Amnesty International paper was prepared in response to Iran’s own submission to the UN in the framework of the Universal Periodic Review. The UN Human Rights Council’s Working Group will evaluate Iran’s human rights record on 15 February.


During the review, UN member states have the opportunity to raise questions about Iran’s human rights record and make recommendations to the Iranian government, which may then say which, if any, it will accept.


“The Iranian authorities seem either to have lost touch with reality or are unwilling to acknowledge it,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International. “The government report reads as if there is no human rights crisis, just politically motivated criticism.”


“UN member states must look at what is actually happening in Iran: mass arrests and detentions, beatings of peaceful demonstrators, torture and deaths in custody, ‘show trials’ and politically motivated executions. Complacency or misplaced solidarity with Iran should not stand in the way of demands for Iran to fulfil its human rights obligations.”


Amnesty International’s analysis includes examples that illustrate Iran’s failure to uphold human rights, such as that those to a fair trial, to freedom of expression and, in the case of women and ethnic and religious minorities, to freedom from discrimination, and highlights obfuscations in the Iranian government report.


Iran’s report states that it prohibits the use of torture to force “confessions” but the reality is very different. Torture and other ill-treatment for the purpose of extracting “confessions” are widespread. Recent Iranian broadcasts of extracts of “show trials” taking place in Tehran, show haggard-looking defendants apologizing and delivering what appear to be coerced “confessions”.


Iran’s judicial system is not the independent force depicted in the government’s report, with sensitive cases heavily influenced by political considerations. It also discriminates against women from top to bottom. Women are absent in any of the senior, decision-making posts, while a woman’s testimony in court is worth only half that of a man’s and she receives only half the compensation of a man for bodily injury or death.


Amnesty International’s report criticizes Iran’s failure to engage with human rights organizations and UN human rights experts, consistently stalling on allowing visits - contrary to Iran’s own assertions that it has co-operated with human rights groups. Amnesty International has been denied access to Iran to conduct first-hand research into human rights violations since April 1979.


Several human rights bills, currently pending before the Majles, have been under consideration for years without progress. These include the Juvenile Crimes Investigation Bill, which could reduce the number of death sentences imposed on juvenile offenders, and the bill setting out “political crimes” which was drafted over five years ago, by a previous parliament.


Amnesty International acknowledged some of the improvements in legislation referred to in Iran’s report to the UN. These include the revival of the Offices of the Prosecutor, the equalization of diyeh for Muslims with non-Muslims and efforts to combat human trafficking.


“It is time for Iran to implement the necessary measures to improve human rights in the

country by allowing human rights defenders to work without fear, journalists to freely report, people to protest without being exposed to violence and ensuring mechanisms are developed to improve justice and ensure accountability,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui.


A full copy of Amnesty International’s shadow report Amnesty International’s Comments on the National Report presented by the Islamic Republic of Iran for the Universal Periodic Reviewis available at http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE13/021/2010/en


A copy of Amnesty International’s Submission of the Universal Periodic Review of Iran is available at http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE13/009/2009

GENEVA - The U.N. Human Rights Council has begun its first review of Iran's rights record since the body was founded in 2006.


Western countries have lined up to criticize abuses in Iran while the country's allies, including Cuba, Venezuela and Nicarague, plan to defend Tehran's human rights record.


U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Michael H. Posner says Iran should lift restrictions on free speech, end prisoner torture and stop show trials of political dissident.
France called on Iran to accept an international investigation into violence following last year's disputed elections.
International call to free political prisoners, halt executions in Iran
NCRI
The Iranian regime has once again, sentenced a 21-years-old political prisoner, Amir Reza Aarefi, on the charge of “mohareb” (enemy of God).


Mr. Aarefi was arrested in April 2009 and he was in prison during the uprising that followed the sham presidential election last June in Iran. He was among those tried in kangaroo trials charged with “moharebeh; association and collusion against the security of the clerical regime, and propaganda against it,” and participation in post election "riots."

The aim of the barbaric executions is to create an atmosphere of terror and fear and to prepare the grounds for suppression of the people’s uprising. But, these crimes would only strengthen the people’s resolve to take part more actively in the uprising to overthrow the regime and establish freedom and democracy in Iran.

We agree with the NCRI appeal and


Call on the Secretary General and the Security Council of the United
Nations, the international community and all defenders of human rights to take
urgent and binding measures to prevent implementation of Amir-Reza Arefi’s death
sentence, to get all political prisoners released and put on trial the officials
of the regime responsible for suppression, killings and torture for their crimes
against humanity.
In an interview with Rooz, Fatemeh Karroubi announced that she and her family continues to stand for the rights and aspirations of the people of Iran and the values and ideals of the Revolution. She continued to say that under no circumstances will they cave in or step back from their support of the people’s rights and the ideals of the Revolution.

We spoke to Fatemeh Karroubi, a former member of parliament who is [currently] the secretary general of the Assembly for Islamic Women and editor of the publication Iran Dokht. She is under difficult circumstances after her son Ali Karroubi was released [from prison] physically and psychologically tortured and now her son Hossein Karroubi has been asked to report to the Ministry of Intelligence in order to answer a number of questions. Albeit all these pressures, Fatemeh Karroubi remained determined and said, “The more they pressure us, the more steadfast we will be in the pursuit of the people’s rights.”

This is the first interview with Fatemeh Karroubi since the coup elections in June 2009.

Fereshteh Ghazi: Mrs. Karroubi, aside from publishing two letters, you have remained silent and refrained from making comments regarding the June 2009 [election] and the events that ensued. Is there a particular reason for your silence?

Fatemeh Karroubi: You are very familiar with my mentality and are fully aware of my position from the days when you were a reporter covering the 5th parliament, and we were in the minority. I am an individual who believes in the ideals of the Imam and the Revolution and I have always made great efforts to ensure that my behavior and words do not harm the system/regime or Revolution in any way whatsoever. I did this before the Revolution, when we lived a very difficult life for 15 years, spending most of our time behind prison doors, and also after the Revolution, when we saw it our religious and moral duty to work effortlessly as part of the executive branch. Unfortunately, because of the recent bitter events I prefer to speak less.


FG:
Is this silence due to the fact that you wish to create a more stable and secure environment so that in the event your children and Mr. Karroubi are arrested, you at least remain free to pursue their freedom?

FK: Absolutely not. You have known me for longer than just two days and you are completely familiar with my mindset from the days of the 5th parliament. Even the letter I published three days ago is not just for my own child, but for all the children who are spending time behind prison doors.
FG: You referred to your efforts with regards to the ideals of the Imam and the Revolution both before and after the Revolution, however, today, your husband is referred to by the current regime as one of the leaders of the opposition. They claim that Mr. Karroubi is connected to Israel and the United States and takes his orders from them. How does it make you feel when you have given your life to the Revolution and now you are faced with such issues?

FK: These comments and claims are so meaningless and empty that I will neither respond to them nor put any emphasis on them. The gentlemen who take part in these meaningless discussions will have to respond to God, and realize that slandering and scorning without presenting any evidence whatsoever is meaningless. I am certain that Mr. Karroubi believes in the ideals of the Revolution, and as such I pay no attention to these empty claims. These claims have no effect on our pursuit of the people’s rights and the ideals of the Revolution. My family will continue to stand for the people’s rights and the ideals of the Revolution and we will not compromise. I know my husband well. I also know my children. If they have any evidence of these so-called claims, I ask that they bring them forward.
FG: Prior to publishing this letter, you spoke of the lack of security with regards to your family and stated that you will hold the regime responsible for anything that happens to them. What led you to write such a letter, and do you still feel the same level of fear for your family?

FK: The circumstances at the time were very dire and I wanted to release a statement so that if something were to happen to me or my family, they would not come back later and say that they need to hold meetings and investigate the matter, and so on. Mr. Mozafar, the former minister of education stated on IRIB’s Channel 2 that “we leave the heads of the opposition in the hands of the people.” Mr. Boroujerdi, a member of parliament, had made similar remarks and they were published in [various] newspapers. These comments insinuated that if something were to happen to us, it was because the people had killed us. As such, I was forced to publish a clear statement and warn everyone so the people of Iran would be aware. Today, our security circumstances are slightly better. We are not under as much pressure and feel less threatened.

FG: Is it fair to say that the state of your security and welfare has shifted? One of your sons was summoned, while the other, based on your letter, was raped. Not to mention, Mr. Karroubi is also constantly being threatened aggressively by security forces. In its essence, your second letter provides an insight into the lack of security experienced by your family. Is that true?

FK: I wrote the letter as a mother and only for one reason, because I am extremely worried about the children of our nation and the mothers whose children have been arrested and imprisoned. I wrote this letter with the hope to prevent the arrests. The night my son came back home, I was intensely disturbed by the events that occurred and could not believe how easy it was for them to tell Ali how lucky he was and that if he had stayed a few more hours, his dead body would have been delivered to his family!

FG: Tehran’s prosecutor, however, denied Ali’s arrest yesterday and said that after much investigation it has been concluded that he was not arrested by any government body, requesting that Ali provide proof of his arrest.

FK: I am very sorry to hear that Tehran’s prosecutor has spoken so hastily without a thorough investigation into the matter. However, the prosecutor is correct when he states that Ali was arrested on February 11th by police forces. In fact, his mobile phone is with them as we speak. They actually called this afternoon and asked that Ali come by [the station] to pick up his mobile. In addition to releasing Ali from the police station late in the evening, while he was there, they made him sign a commitment letter that he would not give any interviews upon his release. I must say that in this regard, the prosecutor is completely right, as the judiciary never issued an official warrant for Ali’s arrest. Rather, arrested Ali on the night when we were celebrating our most important national victory. You are aware of the rest of the issues related to this matter as I have spoken at length about them in my letter.

FG: Mrs. Karroubi, what do you think is the solution for the current crisis that our country is facing, and in your opinion, what should be done to resolve it?

FK: I am hopeful that the leaders of our country, our spiritual leader, and those in charge of the government have the foresight to reflect upon their tactics and ways and that they will have dialogue and create an exchange with those sympathetic to the Revolution and who have worked so hard for so many years on behalf of the Revolution and the country. This way, they can find a solution to end this current situation.
FG: But Mr. Karroubi has said that neither the leaders of the Green movement, nor the current regime are ready to negotiate and compromise.

FK: We must see what is meant by negotiation and compromise and whether this negotiation benefits the people or not. In my opinion, the interests of our country and our people’s rights are very important. This discussion is by no means a personal one, and no matter what we do, we must put the country’s interests and the people’s rights first and foremost and move forward only with these two in mind.
FG: I am going to ask you frankly. Mrs. Karroubi, is there a possibility of potential negotiations between Mr. Karroubi and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in which he would compromise and accept Mr. Ahmadinejad as the president of Iran?

FK: This would not be possible in any way, shape or form. We have been living together for 47 years and I know him very well. I know that this would be impossible and would never happen. An important part of the current crisis and the country’s problems are a direct result of Mr. Ahmadinejad’s behavior, deeds, and mismanagement. Many of our economic and national security challenges are also a direct result of how he has managed the country. Our constitution was designed to address exactly these type of issues and we only ask that the constitution be followed, because if it is, we have one of the most advanced constitutions in the world.

FG: Do you mean to say that you can imagine the impeachment of Ahmadinejad by parliament?

FK: Yes, our constitution takes into consideration such a possibility and I am hopeful that if our advanced constitutional laws are utilized to their fullest capacity that this issue will be addressed.
FG: Mrs. Karroubi, in the past eight months we have witnessed the arrests of many newspaper reporters and political activists. Can you please let us know if these arrests will resolve any of the issues facing the Islamic Republic?

FK: These arrests will never benefit the Islamic Republic. All those arrested care deeply about their country. If they didn’t care, they would have left the country. Despite all the limitations, they have decided to remain in Iran. Our constitution supports the freedom of speech and none of these individuals have said or wanted anything that is against our constitution. Arresting people will not solve any problems. The challenges facing our society and country will not be resolved by arresting individuals. If anything we must resolve these problems judiciously and with foresight. I am very saddened, particularly when female journalists and political activists are arrested, and I hope that they will all be released as soon as possible. I recall when I was a member of The Committee for the Freedom of Press. We always sought to minimize the number of women sent to prison. At the time, the publications had more female editors than newspapers did.

FG: Mrs. Karroubi, as my last question, I would like to ask you how far you are willing to go to stand up for the people’s rights? Do the pressures on your children and Mr. Karroubi not influence this matter?

FK: I am not a newcomer to politics or these difficulties. I was 15 years old when I entered Mr. Karroubi’s house. It was the start of our struggles for the Imam, and until this day we have lived through many trials and tribulations. In the previous regime, we faced the constant stress and concerns of arrests by the Savak. Now that the children have grown up, because of the recent events, I have once again been under a lot of stress. But my worries and stresses are not for my husband and children but for my country, my people, and the Revolution. Some people might think that I say these things because I am being interviewed, but that is not true. I worry for the security of our people. If our people live in a secure environment, my family and I will have security too. I would like to reiterate that the more pressure they exert on us, the more determined my family and I will be.


Translation by: Negar Irani
Persian2English.com
Firuzi and HashemiThe families of Surena Hashemi and Alireza Firuzi, two Zanjan University students who have been banned from continuing their education, have no idea where these students have been detained 44 days after their arrest.
These two students who disappeared on January 3 in Orumieh are still kept in an unknown detention center after the office of the Assistant Tehran Prosecutor confirmed their arrest. (Human Rights Activists in Iran – Feb. 15, 2010)
Sam Mahmoodi-Sarabi, who was arrested during the wave of arrests that followed the Ashura protests, was released on Wednesday, February 10th, on $300,000 bail.
Mohmood-Sarabi spent more than one month of his 44-day detention in a solitary cell at ward 209 of Evin during. During his interrogations, Mahmoodi was accused of acting against national security and insulting the Supreme Leader.
RAHANA
Fakher Abdollah Zadeh Fard, a teacher at a school in a Western Azarbaijan village was fired because of his civil rights and political activities.
This Kurd teacher was fired from the Education Department because of his political and social activities and because of the history of his family and was later summoned to the Orumieh Intelligence Agency.
His father was killed in 1994 by intelligence agents because of his political activities and links to Kurd parties and three of his brothers have been forced to leave Iran because of pressures by the intelligence agency. (Human Rights Activists in Iran – Feb. 15, 2010)
In the past few days, a number of Bukani citizens including Yasin Moradi, Sadegh Ahangari and Jafar Rahmani were arrested by security forces in this city.
Bukan officials have not announced the reason behind this arrests yet but according to their families they were arrested because of their political activities. (Human Rights Activists in Iran – Feb. 15, 2010)
Alireza Saghafi, a journalist and editor of the 'Rah-e Ayandeh' Monthly Journal was sentenced to three years of prison. This civil rights and labor activist was arrested before the elections and was released on bail. He was once again arrested last week and transferred to Evin Prison.
His son Mohsen Saghafi was also sentenced to two years of prison. (Neda-ye Sabz-e Azadi – Fe. 15, 2010)
According to reports, on February 8, political prisoner Zahra Asadpour Gorji, 51, and her son Reza Joshan, 25, were taken to the first branch of the Revolutionary Court and sentenced to one year of prison in exile to be served in Zanjan Prison and 4 years of exile to the Gheilar Village in Zanjan by Asef Hosseini, the head of this branch.

Political prisoner Zahra Asadpour suffers from severe heart problems and high blood pressure and had an operation before her arrest.

Mrs. Asadpour was arrested on December 7 after an attack by agents of this Ministry. She was thrown in a solitary cell in section 8 in Gohardasht Prison which belongs to the intelligence agency. She was under torture and interrogated for several weeks by a man named Mohebi, head interrogator for the Intelligence Agency. This political prisoner and her son were arrested before this and imprisoned for 16 months in Gohardasht Prison for visiting their relative in Camp Ashraf in Iraq.

Reza Jushan, her 25 year old son was arrested on December 1 and thrown in solitary in section 8 of this prison which is known as the RGC section. He was kept in solitary for close to 2 months and was then transferred to section 4.

Attacks against students, political activists and families are carried out by Mohebi. He is a head interrogator in the intelligence agency in section 8. This ward is made up of solitary cells like Evin Prison's section 209 and is under the control of the Ministry of Intelligence. Mohebi, interrogates and tortures political prisoners in this section in addition to threatening and abusing families (of political activists). (Human Rights and Democracy Activists in Iran – Feb. 15, 2010)
Reports from HRA

After spending 60 days in solitary confinement, Shiva Nazar Ahari has been moved to a cell she shares with another prisoner.
According to CHRR, Saeed Ha’eri, another detained member of CHRR, has also informed his family that his interrogations have ended. Ha’eri’s family hopes that he will be released on bail when his detention order expires on February 18th, 2010.
Parisa Kakayi, also a member of CHRR, told her family during a visit that she has been moved to the women’s ward in Evin Prison.
Currently 7 CHRR members are held by intelligence forces in Tehran’s Evin Prison. Shiva Nazar Ahari and Saeed Ha’eri were arrested on December 20th, 2009 while Parisa Kakayi was arrested on January 1st. 2010.
Two Kurdish political prisoners arrested at the same time, Ghader Mohammadzadeh and Mohammadamin Abdollahi, residents of Bookan (a Kurdish town in the West Azarbaijan province of Iran), were sentenced to death in the second trial held for them. They were found guilty of “cooperation with Kurdish Parties.”

In the first trial, the court sentenced Ghader Mohammadzadeh to 23 years and Mohammadamin Abdollahi to 20 years in prison. Fatemeh Mohammadimaram, Ghader Mohammadzadeh’s mother, spoke publicly for the first time after the verdict was issued. In an interview with RAHANA, the she stated that Ghader Mohammadzadeh and Amin Abdollahi are innocent, and, “As if prison was not enough, they now issue death sentences!”

The following is the interview with RAHANA:

RAHANA: How and when was your son arrested?

Fatemeh Mohammadimaram: He was arrested along with his friend Mohammadamin Abdollahi in 2005, after two of their friends reported some information to the Office of Intelligence. They were arrested in the suburbs of Bookan by Intelligence agents.

RAHANA: What happened after the arrest?

FM: They were kept in the prison of the Office of Intelligence for one month, under heavy torture and terrible conditions. They were then transferred to Mahabad (a city in West Azarbaijan province). The Mahabad court sentenced my son to 23 years and Mohammadamin Abdollahi to 20 years in prison. They were then sent to Urmia prison (Orumiyeh) in Urmia (the capital of West Azerbaijan province).

RAHANA: What is your son accused of?

FM: My son and his friend are accused of “cooperation with Kurdish parties,” “Moharebeh (waging war against God),” and “taking actions against national security.” In the second trial held for them, the court did not consider their time in prison as sufficient so they were sentenced to death.

RAHANA: What do you think of the accusations?

FM: These accusations are untrue and insubstantial. My son was kept under extreme pressures and tortured. He confessed to lies. Later he was very surprised to see the accusations in his file.

RAHANA: What legal steps have you taken to reduce the verdict?

FM: So far my son has only had a public defender. Our family struggles financially so we are not able to afford a lawyer. Also, no lawyer has accepted to take on the case.

RAHANA: So you have referred to lawyers, but they have not accepted?

FM: Yes. We contacted {…} in Bookan and {…} in Mahabad, but they did not accept my son as a client. They told us that the case is political and would not be easy. Besides, they requested at least ten million toman (about ten thousand USD) for each of them, without any guarantee of winning the cases. So we are not able to give the case to them or to anyone else, since we have financial problems.

RAHANA: Are you informed on the physical and emotional state of your son?

FM: Yes. We see him every week on Wednesdays. He seems to be mentally and physically OK.

RAHANA: Have you taken any steps other than the regular legal path to reduce the verdict against your son?

FM: No, we have not done anything yet. What can we do?

RAHANA: What is your request from human rights organizations and government authorities?

FM: I ask all human rights organizations to help us in any way they can, and I desperately ask the authorities not to execute our sons. They are innocent and their mothers are waiting for their return.


Translation by: Neda Shayesteh
Persian2English.com



According to reports, political prisoner Arjang Davudi has gone on a hunger strike in protest to being transferred to a solitary cell in section 1 of Gohardasht Prison known as the 'dog house' and being deprived his medication.

Davudi was suddenly summoned on February 10 from section 4 in this prison by Kermani, the head of prison and Faraji, the deputy head of the Prison Intelligence Department and was then transferred to a solitary cell in section 1. He has been denied his medication since his transfer which can have dangerous consequences for this political prisoner.

Mansour Osalu, the head of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company Syndicate, has been kept in solitary in section 5 of this prison from February 6 despite his heart problem and there has been no information on his condition since then. (Human Rights and Democracy Activists in Iran – Feb. 15, 2010)

The identity of another Ashura protester in Tehran was determined.
Mehdi Farhadi Rad (Balayi) killed by plainclothes agents and security forces on Ashura (December 27, 2010), was the son of a well-known religious family in Shahre-Rey.
Regime forces took his family to the Behesht Zahra Cemetery on Ashura evening to show them the body of their son who was being buried.
Mehdi was killed with two bullets, one in the chest and one in the head. His family was forced to pledge that they would not hold any kind of ceremony for him. The family's friends and neighbors put up a gravestone with the name of this slain protester to mark his grave but government forces pulled out the gravestone a few days later. (Jaras Website – Feb. 15, 2010)

Photo by Pars daily :
http://parsdailynews.com/60368.htm

One clip of Ashura :



The site promoting the clip above at the time released the following information :

Here is the list of those killed in Iran, updated as information becomes available. The list is by no means comprehensive and does not include the great majority of people arrested at protests on the streets

Killed by Government Forces:
Saeid Abbasi(far Golchini)
Abolfazl Abdollahi
Morad Aghasi (?)
Neda Agha Soltan
Younes Aghayan
Hossein Akbari
Vahed Akbari
Hossein Akhtar Zand
Hossein Alef (?)
Kaveh Alipour
Nasser Amirnejad
Sohrab Arabi
Kianoosh Asa
Neda Asadi (?)
Mohammad Asghari
Fatemeh Barati
prof. Jafar Barvayeh
Yaghoub Barvayeh
Mohammad Hossein Barzegar
Hamed Besharati
Hamid Hossein Beyg Araghi
Sarvareh Boroumand
Moharram Chegini Qeshlaqi
Abbas Disnad
Meysam Ebadi
Alireza Eftekhari
Mobina Ehterami
Mohsen Entezami (?)
Saeed Esmaili Khanbebin
Arman Estakhripour
Hadi Fallah Manesh
Reza Fatahi (?)
Ali Fathalian (inc. Fatualian)
Mohammad Hossein Feizi
Sajad Ghaed Rahmati
Behzad Ghahremani (?)
Ramin Ghahremani (?)
Mostafa Ghanian
Salar Ghorbani Param
Mansour Ghoujazadeh (?)
Mohsen Hadadi
Iman Hashemi
Masoud Hashemzade
Farzad Hashti (?)
Mehrdad Heydari
Mohsen Imani
Farzad Jashni
Amir Javadifar
Bahman Jenabi
Majid Kamali
Mohammad Kamrani
Mehdi Karami
Ahmad Kargar Nejati (?)
Amir Kaviri (?)
Hassan Kazemini (?)
Shalar Khazri (?)
Nasser Kheirollahi
Amir Khodaie (?)
Masoud Khosravi
Mostafa Kiarostami (?)
Parisa Koli
Maryam Lotfi (?)
Hamid Maddah Shourcheh
Pooya Maghsood Beigi (?)
Dr.Mohammad Reza Maghsoudlou
Maryam Mehr Azin
Milad - last name unknown (?)
Amir Mirza
Mr. Mo'azez
Behzad Mohajer
Mohsen Moradi (?)
Taraneh Mousavi
Mohammad Naderipour
Ahmad Naiem-Abadi
Iman Namazi
Nader Nasseri
Mohammad Nikzadi
Mohammad Javad Parandakh
Saeedeh Pouraghaee
Mahmoud Raisi Najafi
Dr. Rahimi (a lady)
Fatemeh Rajabpour
Ramin Ramezani
Mohsen Rouholamini
Davood Sadri
Fahimeh Salahshoor
Morteza Salahshoor (?)
Yousef Saleh (?)
Fatemeh Samsarian (?)
Babak Sepehr
Ali Shahedi
Hassan Shapoori (?)
Kasra Sharafi
Kambiz Shoaee (Shojaee)
Ashkan Sohrabi
Tina Soudi
Seyed Reza Tabatabayee
Vahid-Reza Tabatabayee
Hossein Tahmasebi
Salar Tahmasebi
Hossein Toufanpour
Milad Yazdan Panah

Iranian regime and Cyber-terrorism

Regime is blanketing Tehran with security, are escalating a cyberwar to combat the increasingly powerful role of the internet in mobilising their opponents.
Visitors to the website of the main challenger in last June’s disputed presidential election were greeted by an image of the Iranian flag and an AK-47 assault rifle. “Stop being agents for those who are safely in the US and are using you,” they were told.
Another prominent opposition site was sabotaged, the internet was slowed down and threats were made to close Google’s Gmail system and set up Iran’s own national email service, a move that would allow government surveillance of the net.
A group calling itself the Iran Cyber Army has claimed responsibility for hacking into both opposition sites. This is the outfit that brought down Twitter for several hours last December when huge antigovernment protests were shaking the regime…
Although there is no admitted link with the regime to prove the Iran Cyber Army is an official group, the type of site brought down and the language used suggest it is connected to the government.
The opposition suspects it is a subsidiary of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, the force that has played the key role in suppressing dissent.
"We do not know for sure but we all assume it is an offshoot of the guard, which has its own cybercrime unit,” one Tehran source said last week. (The Sunday Times- Feb. 14, 2010)
Regime authorities detained five more members of the Baha'i minority, a hardline newspaper reported on Sunday.
The daily Javan newspaper, which has ties to the elite Revolutionary Guards, reported that the five included Niki Khanjani, who is the daughter of Jamaloddin Khanjani, one of seven Baha'i leaders jailed since 2008 on charges of harming national security.
The report did not describe the current charges, but said many Baha'is have escaped to neighboring countries and the remote border areas of Iran after allegedly fomenting postelection unrest…
In January, the Tehran prosecutor said several followers of the Baha'i faith were detained in December protests for 'organizing the riots and sending pictures of the protest abroad'…
Previously there had been reports that as many as 48 Baha'is were imprisoned in Iran solely on the basis of their religious beliefs. (AP – Feb. 14, 2010)
According to reports, on February 7, security and intelligence agents cracked down on sellers of VPN in Tehran.
A number of people who sold VPN's (to bypass internet filtering) were arrested by security forces.
So far the identity of three of them has been verified in Tehran but their names will not be disclosed because of requests by their families. According to the families of one of the detainees, their main offense was cooperating to carry out seditions for February 11 in the virtual realm. (Committee of Human Rights Reporters – Feb. 13, 2010)
According to reports, the pressure and limitations against political prisoner Dr. Ahmad Zeid Abadi, the Secretary General of the Iran Alumni Organization and other political prisoners is ongoing in Gohardasht Prison in Karaj.
Political prisoner Zeid Abadi is detained in section 6 along with ordinary and dangerous criminals. All prisoners have been warned in this section that they have no right to have any kind of contacts with him and if they do, they will be thrown in solitary in section 1 for 'those at the end of the line'.

According to other reports, yesterday two people arrested on Ashura identified as Farid Rohani, 29, and Alireza Shetabi, 27 have been transferred from solitary cells in section 5 to the public ward in section 6. Intelligence interrogators have put pressure on them telling them that they have to claim that they were arrested on financial charges and not (for protesting) on Ashura (December 27, 2009).
They have been threatened that if they do refrain from doing this, they will be transferred to section one 'for those at the end of the line' and will be killed there. These political prisoners were kept in solitary in Evin Prison for 10 days with blindfolds where they were tortured. They did not know exactly where they were detained in Evin Prison. Shetabi and Rohani were then transferred to solitary cells in ward 5 and were faced with degrading and insulting treatment and physical torture for 37 days.


(Human Rights and Democracy Activists in Iran – Feb. 13, 2010)

Iranian forces beat the son of an OPPOSITION leader for five hours after events marking the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Republic.
The bearded men in plainclothes who grabbed Ali from a crowd of anti-regime protesters and hauled him to a nearby mosque had no idea who they had arrested.
It wasn't until the regime thugs had finished beating him and the 50 or so other young men they had rounded up that they checked his identity papers.
Then, when they realised that Ali Karroubi, 36, was the son of Mehdi Karroubi, a leader of Iran's opposition Green Movement, they started beating him again - this time with sticks and batons.
'When they recognised who my brother was, the militia tried to punish him so badly,' said Mohammed Taghi Karroubi, the reformist politician's eldest son.
'His wrist was fractured, he received so many lashes on his back and legs and his internal bleeding was so bad he was vomiting up blood. He was tortured by the basij and the police for five or six hours before they released him'. (The Telegraph – Feb. 13, 2010)

In a seperate letter, Fatime Karoubi, his mother, and wife to MehdiKaroubi, writes to Khamenie, and while attaining her loayalty to all Velayat faghih rituals and his Leadership, complaints of the fact that her son was dragged into a mosque and beaten and threatend with rape. This is where Mrs. Karoubi is very annoyed and writes that "Those who took my son and other youth and used the house of Islam to insult them of un imaginable sins that are punishable by death under Islamic Laws" are smearing the Islamic republic by these actions.
On the morning of Wednesday February 10, agents of the Ministry of Intelligence in Semnan stormed the home of Seyed Zuhor Nabavi, 51, while he was asleep and arrested him. This attack was carried out under the command of Erfani, the head interrogator of the Intelligence Agency and two other agents. Seyed Nabavi was taken to the central Semnan prison and thrown in a solitary cell.
These agents also searched his home and confiscated his computer and other personal belongings. These agents used abusive treatment against Nabavi and his family and threatened his wife with arrest. Seyed Zuhor Nabavi was a former political prisoner in the 80's. He was sentenced to four years of prison for writing a series of articles in the Sarzamin-e Ariayi Magazine and was released after two years and 8 months in November 11, 2009 because of international pressure.
Agents of this agency also stormed the home of Ali Nabavi on February 9 in Qom and arrested his wife Mehri Nabavi who is a housewife and mother. She was detained in the Intelligence Detention Center. Ali Nabavi was detained before this in this detention center.
Intelligence agents summoned at least three other members of this family in Semnan to the Intelligence Agency and interrogated and threatened them for more than 12 hours. (Human Rights and Democracy Activists in Iran – Feb. 13, 2010)
Human Rights and Democracy Activists in Iran

The gathering of families of (recent) detainees across the main gate of Evin prison resulted in the release of a number of prisoners.

On the evening of Sunday February 14th, families of political prisoners, recently released prisoners, the Mourning Mothers, and other citizens of Tehran gathered in front of Evin to demand the unconditional release of their detained family members and friends.

In order to disperse the demonstrators, the prison wardens announced that no prisoner would be freed that night. The protesters refused to leave and vowed to return every night until their loved ones were released.

Around 8:15pm, the persistence of the protesters paid off when the wardens began releasing a number of those arrested on Ashura and 22 Bahman (February 11, 2010). As of an hour ago [editor's note: the original Farsi article was written on the 14th of February. The number of released prisoners may have increased] sixteen people have been released. The released political prisoners were embraced and met with tears of joy from their loved ones. The sound of clapping, whistling, and Salavaat (Shia chant) turned the cold winter of oppression behind the gates of Evin into the spring of happiness and freedom.

The released political prisoners lifted their hands and smiled in a gesture of gratitude to the gathered protesters.

The families distributed food, water, and sweets. The sense of solidarity that permeated the event is indescribable. The families of those released in the past nights were also present and distributing sweets. The demonstrations continued until 11:30pm.

Families of recent detainees have been gathering in front of Evin prison since Ashura (December 27, 2009) to demand the immediate and unconditional release of their loved ones

Based on reports received by Human Rights and Democracy Activists in Iran, Arzhang Davoodi, a political prisoner has gone on hunger strike in protest to his unjustified transfer to solitary confinement in ward 1 and deprivation of his medications.

On February 10th, Davoodi was unexpectedly summoned by Kermani and Faraji (Head and Vice-President of the Prison’s Intelligence) from ward 4 of Gohardasht prison. He was transferred to a solitary confinement cell in ward 1, which is known by the infamous name, the “doghouse.”

Since the day of his transfer, Davoodi has been deprived of his medications, which creates serious dangers for his health and life.

The primitive conditions in these solitary confinement cells are similar to those of Kahrizak detention center. Political and common prisoners held in these cells are allowed to use the sanitary services only three times a day, and can only take showers once every few days. They are completely deprived of any medication or necessary treatment, and they have no contact with the outside world. The prisoners are subject to vicious forms of torture by batons, and their food portion is minimal and inedible.

Prisoners are left with handcuffs and shackles on while in their cell for long periods of time. Constant harassment and insults are also among many other inhumane conditions imposed on the prisoners.

Mansour Osanloo, a political prisoner and the President of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, has also been kept in solitary confinement in ward 5 of Karaj’s Gohardasht prison since February 6, 2010. He is suffering from life threatening heart problems, yet there is no news on his conditions.

Pressure, harassment, and abuse are ordered by the Ministry of Intelligence interrogators, and they are executed by Ali Haj Kazem (Director of the prison), Ali Mohammadi (Vice-Director of the prison), Kermani, and Faraji. These individuals are involved in murder, torture, selling of the prisoners’ organs, forming mafia-like gangs inside prisons (for espionage as well as distribution and selling drugs), smuggling drugs into the prison, violent raids on prisoners by the guards, amongst other crimes.

It should be mentioned that political prisoner Davoodi was arrested in October 2003, and was tried by Hassan Zare Dehnavi (A.K.A Judge Haddad), and was sentenced unjustly to 15 years in prison and 70 lashes. Dehnavi never gave Davoodi or his lawyer an official sentence written. Despite that several years have passed since his arrest, the official and final sentence is still unknown, and Davoodi is awaiting trial. Davoodi has spent all these years in various prisons. He was exiled from Evin prison to Bandar Abbas prison and from there to Karaj’s Gohardasht prison.

Human Rights and Democracy Activists in Iran (HRDAI) condemn the unjustified transfer of Davoodi to torture chambers, and denounce deprivation of this defenseless political prisoner, who is serving his unjust and inhumane sentence. HRDAI asks the Human Rights High Commissioner and other human rights organizations to defend political prisoners, [and to do all they can to secure] their unconditional and immediate release.

Human Rights and Democracy Activists in Iran

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