Beaten and Harassed, Dual National Serving 18-Year Prison Sentence in Iran on Hunger Strike

منتشرشده در فوریه 27, 2017

Iranian-American dual citizen Reza (Robin) Shahini, currently serving an 18-year prison sentence in Gorgan Prison (about 190 miles east of Tehran), has gone on hunger strike to protest his unjust sentence.

An informed source also told the Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that Shahini, who is currently being held in solitary confinement, has been beaten and repeatedly harassed by prison staff and inmates.

“Reza (Robin) Shahini has been on a wet hunger strike since Wednesday (February 15, 2017) to protest his conditions in prison,” said the source. “He’s protesting the lack of basic rights, the insulting treatment from prison guards, and his unfair sentence.”

“He had no other choice,” added the source. “Maybe now his voice will be heard and something will be done, but the authorities have responded by moving him to solitary confinement.”

The source continued: “On February 14 the prison staff came inside the ward to carry out an inspection. When they saw Reza’s diary, they beat him up and insulted him. They told him, ‘Do you think this is America? You think you can do whatever you like?’ and took his diary away.”

“But the diary is just one incident… Reza also gets insulted by Gorgan Prison staff because he lived in America,” said the source. “They call him names like ‘foreigner’ and ‘spy.’ He’s completely isolated and has become psychologically weak.”

“Five days after he started his hunger strike on February 15, Reza fell ill and was taken to the prison clinic where he had a short phone conversation with his family,” the source told the Campaign. “But since then we have had no news of him and the family is very worried because he suffers from asthma.”

Born in Iran, Shahini, 48, had been living in the US since 2000, settling in San Diego, California.

He travelled to Iran in May 2016 to see his family, and was arrested on July 11, just days before he was scheduled to return home.

Sources close to Shahini believe he was picked up because of his social media and blog postings on Iranian politics, and because of comments he had previously made to Western media, including in interviews with Voice of America, which is banned in Iran.

On October 15, 2016, Shahini was sentenced to 18 years in prison for “acting against national security,” “participating in protest gatherings in 2009,” “collaborating with Voice of America (VOA) television” and “insulting the sacred on Facebook” by the Revolutionary Court in Gorgan. Based on Article 134 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, he would become eligible for parole after serving at least nine years.

“Reza objects to the harsh 18-year sentence issued against him,” said the source. “All the charges against him are based on his writings on Facebook or his blog.”

“Why should he be punished for 18 years for his personal views?” added the source. “Why did the judge ignore him and his lawyer’s explanations? And why hasn’t his appeal hearing been held yet?”

In October 2016, an informed source told the Campaign that Shahini had not engaged in any political activism since 2011 and that he had travelled to Iran in May 2016 to visit his family believing he had no reason to fear for his safety.

“All the accusations against Reza were based on his writings and photos posted on his Facebook page, as well as his interviews with Voice of America several years ago, and a couple of other articles in the IranGlobal and Khodnevis websites,” said the source.

“For instance, he posted photos on Facebook showing people celebrating and protesting before and after the (contested) 2009 presidential election,” added the source. “He also posted photos of people like [former Crown Prince] Reza Pahlavi, [former President] Abolhassan Banisadr and [political commentator in exile] Akbar Ganji…”

“But after 2011, he had no [political] activities and after hearing (President Hassan) Rouhani’s speeches, he thought he could return to Iran and visit his family without any problems,” said the source.

The Judiciary’s ongoing imprisonment of dual nationals contradicts Rouhani’s repeated calls for expatriates to return to Iran. The growing number of arrests also reflects hardliners’ efforts to prevent the engagement with the West that the Rouhani administration has sought to encourage.

Iranian-British dual citizen Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, sentenced to five years in prison in September 2016, has been held since April 2016; Iranian-American businessman Siamak Namazi, held since October 15, 2015 and his father, 80-year-old Bagher Namazi, held since February 2016, have both been sentenced to ten years in prison; British-Iranian Roya Saberi Nobakht, held since October 2013, has been sentenced to seven years; and Iranian-Austrian dual citizen Kamran Ghaderi, held since January 2016, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Iranian-American Karan Vafadari, held since July 2016, and Iranian-born Swedish resident Ahmadreza Jalili, held since April 2016, have not been sentenced yet.

Four Azeri Rights Activists Sentenced to More Than 10 Years in Prison for Peaceful Activism

منتشرشده در فوریه 27, 2017 به‌روزرسانی شده در فوریه 27, 2017

Four Iranian ethnic Azerbaijanis have been issued long prison sentences for peacefully defending their rights, the Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has learned.

One defendant, Alireza Farshi, told the Campaign that Branch 1 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court had sentenced him to 15 years in prison and two years in exile while three of his colleagues—Akbar Azad, Behnam Sheikhi and Hamid Manafi—had each been sentenced to 10 years in prison and two years in exile.

The four men were arrested by Intelligence Ministry agents in 2014 during a peaceful event marking International Mother Language Day (February 21) and released on bail after being charged with “forming an illegal group” and “assembly and collusion against national security.”

The written verdict against the four, obtained by the Campaign, alleges that their activities were “secessionist” in nature. They plan to appeal their sentences within the 20-day time limit, said Farshi.

Between 16 to 25 percent of Iran’s population are Turkish-speaking (different from the language spoken in Turkey) Azeris living mostly in Iran’s northeastern East and West Azerbaijan, Ardabil and Zanjan Provinces.

Azeri civil rights activists have been fighting, among other discriminatory policies, a state-imposed ban on Turkish being taught along with the official Persian language in their schools.

On June 3, 2013, days before he was elected to the presidency, Hassan Rouhani pledged to lift restrictions on teaching non-Persian languages, including Turkish and Kurdish, in state schools and universities.

Article 101 of the Charter on Citizens’ Rights, signed by Rouhani in December 2016, also states, “Citizens shall have the right to learn, use and teach their own local language and dialect.”

Detained Iranian-Born Swedish Resident Jalali Starts Hunger Strike After Judge Dismisses Lawyers

منتشرشده در فوریه 20, 2017

Iranian-born Swedish resident Ahmadreza Jalali, detained in Iran since April 2016, began a second hunger strike in Evin Prison on February 15, 2017 to protest against his lawyers being dismissed by the judge shortly before his trial, the Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has learned.

Jalali’s wife, Vida Mehran-nia, also told the Campaign that her husband was moved to solitary confinement as punishment for his decision to go on hunger strike.

“Ahmadreza asked the judge why he had accepted his lawyers at first, but decided to dismiss them now that the trial is approaching,” she said.

“He also called for the [Intelligence Ministry] official who had promised to review his case, but Judge (Abolqasem) Salavati replied that Ahmadreza would never see that official again,” she added. “So, when my husband returned to prison (from Salavati’s office), he phoned the family and told them what had happened and said he was going on hunger strike again.”

“Now we’ve heard he has been transferred to solitary confinement in Ward 240,” she said. “We’re very worried about him. We think he’s under a lot of pressure.”

Vida Mehran-nia, who lives in Sweden, explained that her husband had earlier been tricked into ending his first hunger strike, which he began in December 2016 to protest the denial of due process and being threatened with the death penalty. “About eight days ago (February 8), an Intelligence Ministry official told Ahmadreza in Evin Prison that they would look into his case and asked him to end his hunger strike,” she told the Campaign. “The official swore on the Quran (Islamic holy book) that there was nothing to worry about and his case would be reviewed.”

“So Ahmadreza broke his strike (on February 12) because he thought someone who swears on the Quran would definitely be telling the truth,” said Mehran-nia.

“But on Wednesday [February 15, 2017], Ahmadreza was taken to the office of the presiding Judge Abolqasem Salavati,” she continued. “I don’t know why he was summoned, but the judge said he would not accept Ahmadreza’s lawyers and he should choose others and if he won’t, the court would appoint one for him.”

“The family had introduced two lawyers to defend Ahmadreza: Mr. Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabaee and Ms. Zeinab Taheri, but Judge Salavati rejected both,” she added.

Tabatabaee regularly represents political prisoners in Iran.

The Intelligence Ministry arrested Jalali, who lives in Sweden with his wife and two children, on April 24, 2016.

A non-practicing general medicine physician, Jalali has a post-doctorate degree in emergency and disaster medicine and computer science applied to medical practice from the University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy.

He was visiting the Iranian capital based on an official invitation from Tehran University. The authorities have not disclosed any details about the charges, if any, have been laid against him.

Jalali began his first hunger strike on December 25, 2016, the day his interrogators told him he would receive the maximum punishment.

“Previously, they had told him that his case had been reviewed and his trial would start soon,” Mehran-nia told the Campaign at the time. “But they put him under so much psychological pressure that he decided to start a hunger strike on the same day.”

About a month later, Salavati threatened Jalali with the death sentence before the trial had even begun.

“Ahmadreza made a short phone call to the family on Tuesday, January 31 and said that on the previous day Judge Salavati had read the indictment in the Revolutionary Court and told him ‘Your sentence is death and it won’t change at the end of the trial… Eat your food,’” Mehran-nia told the Campaign.

The Judiciary’s ongoing imprisonment of dual nationals contradicts Rouhani’s repeated calls for expatriates to return to Iran. The growing number of arrests also reflects hardliners’ efforts to prevent the engagement with the West that the Rouhani administration has sought to encourage.

Iranian-British dual citizen Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, sentenced to five years in prison in September 2016, has been held since April 2016; Iranian-American businessman Siamak Namazi, held since October 15, 2015 and his father, 80-year-old Bagher Namazi, held since February 2016, have both been sentenced to ten years in prison; Iranian-American Robin (Reza) Shahini, held since July 2016; has been sentenced to 18 years in prison, British-Iranian Roya Saberi Nobakht, held since October 2013, has been sentenced to seven years; and Iranian-Austrian dual citizen Kamran Ghaderi, held since January 2016, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Iranian-American Karan Vafadari, held since July 2016, has not been sentenced yet.

Revolutionary Guards Try to Silence US-Based Iranian Dissident by Arresting Her Sister

منتشرشده در فوریه 19, 2017

Leila Haghighatjou, the sister of Fatemeh Haghighatjou, an outspoken critic of the Islamic Republic, was arrested by the Revolutionary Guards to intimidate the former member of Parliament, an informed source told the Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.

“The reality is that they want to put Fatemeh’s sister, Leila, under pressure to force Fatemeh to stop her activities as a civil rights advocate living outside of Iran,” said the source.

Leila Haghighatjou has been detained since December 19, 2016 when she was arrested at her home in Tehran. Her interrogators asked her several questions about her sister, according to the source, including one about a workshop on women’s empowerment that Fatemeh Haghighatjou had organized for Iranian women in Georgia in October 2016.

“Leila didn’t attend the workshop and knew nothing about it, even though organizing or attending a workshop is not a crime,” added the source. “What is a crime is arresting someone for the activities of another person.”

“Leila’s detention is completely unlawful,” said the source. “Her family wants her unconditional freedom. The authorities have not even allowed her to be released on bail.”

“Leila should go free because she has done nothing against the law,” continued the source. “She’s an artist and works as one for a living. She has a 10-year-old son waiting for her at home.”

A former reformist MP in Iran’s sixth parliament (2000-04), Fatemeh Haghighatjou moved to the US in 2005. Western TV news channels have featured her views on Iran, and she currently heads the Nonviolent Initiative for Democracy, based in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has long harassed the relatives of Iranian dissidents living abroad in an effort to silence critical media coverage of the Islamic Republic.

Leila Haghighatjou is a PhD student in art history and works as an appraiser at Iran’s Cultural Heritage Foundation. She previously worked at the Golestan Palace Museum in Tehran as an artwork restorer.

The source told the Campaign that Leila Haghighatjou’s mother visited her daughter in Evin Prison on February 12, 2017: “Leila told her mother that she has had heart problems and is now taking medications for it. She never had problems with her heart before going to prison.”

“She also said her eyes are hurting,” added the source. “Her eyes were weak before, but this pain is something new.”