Monday, January 10, 2011

Human Rights Violations - January 3rd 2011

Iran hangs eight for drug trafficking, murder
Iran hanged on Monday seven people convicted of drug trafficking in the western city of Kermanshah and a man found guilty of murder, media reports said.
Fars news agency quoted Kermanshah prosecutor Mojtaba Maleki as saying that the seven drug traffickers were hanged 'simultaneously' after their request for pardon was rejected.
‘The hanging sentences were carried out simultaneously today at the central prison following the order of the revolutionary court and the head of the judiciary,’ he said.
The men, who were not identified, were convicted of producing and distributing drugs,  such as heroin and crack,  Fars reported.
The state television reported on its website another hanging in the restive southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan.
Bahman Rigi was executed in the central prison of the provincial capital Zahedan after he was found guilty of murder, 'moharebe' (waging war against god) and drug trafficking, the report said. (AFP – Jan 3, 2011)

Baha’i man sentenced to four years of prison
Foad Khanjani who was expelled from university (for following the Baha’i faith) was sentenced to four years of prison in the 28th branch of the Revolutionary Court headed by Judge Moqiseh.
According to reports, Khanjani was arrested on April 27, 2010 after being summoned to the Intelligence Agency. He was also summoned to the Intelligence Agency on March 2, 2010. (Jaras Website – Jan. 13, 2011)

Jailed student sentenced to seven years of prison
A person close to political prisoner Ehsan Abdi Tabrizi said that he was sentenced to seven years of prison. He was sentenced to two years of prison for insulting the leader, three years for assembling and conspiring and another two years of prison for links to foreign elements. Abdeh who was studying in Britain was arrested upon his arrival in Iran in the International Khomeini Airport and was transferred to Evin Prison. He was detained in a state of limbo in Evin Prison and Intelligence Agency interrogators have refused to release him.
Tabrizi was studying to get his doctor’s degree at the Durham University in Britain... Ehsan Abdi is in cellblock 350 in Evin Prison with other political prisoners. (Jaras Website – Jan. 2, 2011)

Four students banned from continuing education in Bandar Abbas University
A short time after two students and members of the Bandar Abbas University’s Islamic Association (Assadi and Fazel Pour) were sentenced to suspension from university, other students have also become the victim of the harsh judgment of this university’s Disciplinary Committee.
Sajad Abbasi (who is a student activist critical of the university management) was sentenced to one year of suspension for insulting the clergy and the head of the Khoramshahr Friday Prayers.
Another student identified as Fazel Pour was suspended for the same reason before this. (Human Rights Activists in Iran – Jan. 3, 2011)

Two labor activists denied right to work after release from prison
According to reports, the Protection Department of the Tehran and Suburbs bus company have prevented two labor unionists from going back to work after their release from prison.
Morteza Kamsari and Ali-Akbar Nazari were banned from working after their release. The Protection Department has said that they can only go back to work if the Revolutionary Court clears them of all charges.
Officials have suspended these drivers to put economical pressure on them and their families.
Morteza Kamsari was arrested on November 23 while Akbar Nazari was arrested on November 30. They were both released on a high bail after being detained for a couple of weeks under hard conditions. (Human Rights and Democracy Activists in Iran – Jan. 4, 2010) 

Report: Iran jails nuke scientist after US return
An Iranian nuclear scientist who claimed he slipped away from his CIA captors has not been seen publicly since his heroic return to Tehran last year and could be facing an investigation as a possible turncoat, according to an OPPOSITION website.
The report on the website Iran briefing.net says that Shahram Amiri is now being held in a Tehran prison, where he allegedly has faced beatings so severe that he had to be hospitalized for a week.
The website's account could not be verified, but it purports to offer the first details on Amiri's fate since he surfaced in the United States six months ago amid an array of contradictory stories between Tehran and Washington.
Amiri's return to Tehran in July was portrayed by Iranian authorities as a propaganda coup.
The nuclear scientist claimed he was kidnapped by American agents in May 2009 while on a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. Iran's state media said Amiri had snubbed a fortune in payoffs by his purported CIA captors and then escaped with inside information about America's covert operations against Tehran. Officials said a TV movie was in the works…
Iranian authorities have not offered any information on his whereabouts and his family and colleagues have made no public statements as to his fate.
The Farsi-language account posted on the Iranbriefing.net website claims to pick up Amiri's trail after his highly publicized return. It cited anonymous family members as saying Amiri was first held in a safe house in Tehran and allowed weekend visits with relatives at the Talaiie cultural center, which is operated by Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard.
The website quoted family members as being told that Amiri's movements were restricted for 'his own safety’.
The report says - without citing any source - that Amiri was later moved to a former military lockup, the Heshmatieh Prison, in Tehran, where he allegedly faced harsh interrogations and beatings that left him in a military-run hospital afterward for a week… (AP – Jan. 3, 2011)

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