Iran: Prisoner with Mental Disability Died After Being Beaten by Guards; IHR Calls for Independent Investigations

MARCH 30, 2019

Iran Human Rights (IHR); March 29, 2019: Prisoner Bahman Mirzaei who was reportedly suffering from a mental disability, died on March 6 after being beaten by Rajai Shahr prison guards.

Iran Human Rights (IHR) urges the international community to pay special attention to the dreadful conditions of Iranian prisons and particularly to the reports of suspicious deaths of the prisoners subjected to torture.

IHR director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, said: "We particularly urge UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran and Special Rapporteur for extrajudicial executions, to question Iranian authorities regarding the death of Bahman Mirzaei and others who lost their lives in Iranian prisons during the past years."

Leave No Child Behind: Providing Inclusive Education to Children With Disabilities

The UN held a conference focused on improving access to inclusive education for children with disabilities on World Down Syndrome Day (2019).

MARCH 28, 2019

Among people with disabilities, individuals living with intellectual disabilities experience the highest degree of discrimination when it comes to accessing education, noted attendees at an UN-hosted conference in New York on World Down Syndrome Day, March 21, 2019.

“To achieve the goal of inclusive education, we must recognize the human dignity of these individuals and believe in their abilities to participate and be present in society,” said panelist Rosangela Berman-Bieler, UNICEF’s representative for children with disabilities.

The conference concluded with an announcement that international guidelines on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities (CRPD)—which would also address inclusive education for people with disabilities—would soon be made public.

Peaceful Labor Activist Arsham Rezaee Sentenced to Prison Without Access to Counsel

MARCH 28, 2019

Rezaee Struggling to Financially Support Family from Prison

Labor activist Mahmoud Arsham Rezaee has been issued a lengthy prison sentence at a trial that unlawfully took place without prior notice or the presence of his lawyer, his mother Keshvar Rezaee informed the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) on March 27, 2019.

Rezaee was supporting his family at the time of his arrest and is now struggling to take on any job he can in the prison to continue supporting them.

Iranians Threatened With Prosecution for Online Postings of Disastrous Flooding

MARCH 29, 2019

Iranian authorities have warned citizens that they could be prosecuted for their online postings about the flooding that has resulted in dozens of deaths and destroyed homes and infrastructure in several provinces throughout the country.

“Not only has the Iranian government been negligent, it has also warned victims’ families and those who have suffered losses that they will be prosecuted if they paint a dark picture of this [natural disaster and state relief efforts],” prominent human rights lawyer Abdolkarim Lahiji told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).

A Message of Hope to Mark Nowruz, the Persian New Year

MARCH 20, 2019

Spring is in the air and for millions of people around the world including Iran; it marks the beginning of a new year. The ancient festival of Nowruz (“new day”) is celebrated at the end of winter with festivities symbolizing rebirth, renewal and the possibility of new beginnings. Many Iranians will ring in the New Year with family get-togethers, delicious food and picnics. But for Iran’s political prisoners, this time of year is particularly painful. Separated from their loved ones and serving long jail terms for peaceful actions, Nowruz, which is marked in Iran with flowers and sweets, can be so bitter.

Iran’s judiciary and security forces believe jail cells can silence these individuals but we won’t let them. Following are excerpts of some of their letters that we’ve translated over the years.

“…My children have grown up. They have changed. They only talk about their father. Their mother has no place in their daily lives… I’m not even in their dreams; I have ceased to exist for them.” – Narges Mohammadi, 16-Year Sentence (of Which She Must Serve 10), Letter to her Children

Peaceful Labor Activist Sentenced to Prison in 10-Minute Trial

MARCH 21, 2019

Another Labor Activist Appeals Flogging Sentence

Labor activist As’ad Behnam Ebrahimzadeh has been sentenced to six years in prison (of which he must serve five, subject to appeal) and ordered to copy three books by hand for engaging in peaceful activities including attending protests by sugar mill workers in southwestern Iran.

Ebrahimzadeh told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) on March 16, 2019, that his trial lasted only 10 minutes, that he was not allowed time to prepare a defense and that he was denied access to a lawyer.

“In court I complained that according to the law, I should have been given a week’s notice to prepare for the trial and have a chance to appear with a lawyer,” he said. “But the judge said I don’t need a lawyer.”

Political Prisoner’s Family Faces Homelessness in Iran Due to State Confiscation of Properties

MARCH 21, 2019

Hassan Sadeghi and Fatemeh Mosanna Denied Medical Treatment

The family of two political prisoners is facing homelessness now that they’ve received notice that their family home and only remaining property will be confiscated by the Iranian government, their son Iman Sadeghi informed the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) on March 15, 2019.

“In addition to our house in Kashan, the authorities have confiscated our shop in Tehran. We have no other source of income. Now they are putting their hand on our house where we live in Tehran and if they take that away from us, we will have to live on the street because we have nowhere else to go,” Sadeghi said.

UN Iran Human Rights Rapporteur Mandate Extended

Delegates attend the opening day of the 40th session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council on February 25, 2019 in Geneva. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

March 23, 2019

The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has extended the mandate of its special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran for another year.

During a session on March 22, the representatives of 22 governments voted for and seven (Afghanistan, China, Cuba, Eritrea, India, Iraq, and Pakistan) voted against a resolution for the extension of Javaid Rehman's mandate, while 18 abstained.

Rehman, 32, a Pakistani-born British legal scholar and professor of Islamic law, was appointed to the position in July 2018 after former rapporteur Asma Jahangir passed away in February 2018.

Iranian Human Rights Lawyer Sentenced to '38 Years in Prison, 148 Lashes'

March 16, 2019

New Delhi: Nasrin Sotoudeh, an internationally renowned human rights lawyer jailed in Iran, was handed a new sentence on Monday – 38 years in prison and 148 lashes, according to her husband.

Sotoudeh, who has represented opposition activists including women prosecuted for removing their mandatory head scarf, was arrested in June and charged with spying, spreading propaganda and insulting Iran’s supreme leader, her lawyer said.

She was jailed in 2010 for spreading propaganda and conspiring to harm state security – charges she denied – and was released after serving half her six-year term. The European Parliament awarded her the Sakharov human rights prize.

Human Rights Organizations Support UN Special Rapporteur for Iran

March 17, 2019

In a letter published on March 15, more than 40 human rights organizations have supported the renewal of the mandate for the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Situation in Iran.

In the letter, a copy of which was published by the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), 42 organizations have called the members of the UN Human Rights Council (UHRC) to extend Javaid Rehman's assignment.

Rehman, a Pakistani-born British legal scholar and professor of Islamic law, was appointed to the position in July 2018 after former SR Asma Jahangir passed away in February 2018.

Iran Appeals Court Upholds Lengthy Prison Sentences, Lashings against 23 Dervishes

MARCH 15, 2019

Sentences Range from Six to 26 Years Including Lashes

March 15, 2019 – The mass conviction of 23 dervishes of the Sufi Gonabadi Order to prison terms of up to 26 years as well as lashings further curbs religious freedom rights in Iran.

“It’s a clear assault on a religious minority,” said Hadi Ghaemi, the executive director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). “This was a political decision to send a signal that anyone who associates with Sufis in Iran risks paying heavy costs.”

Iran: Imprisoned Dual Citizen Ahmadreza Djalali Denied Proper Medical Treatment

March 17, 2019

Iran Human Rights (IHR); March 17, 2018: Imprisoned Iranian-Swedish Scientist Ahmadreza Djalali (Jalali) who is sentenced to death in Iran suffers from various types of illnesses but the authorities deny him proper medical treatment. He has had almost 30 per cent weight loss since he was imprisoned in 2016.

According to Vida Mehran-Nia, Ahmadreza Djalali’s wife, doctors who had visited Dr. Djalali 40 days ago, had told him that he might be suffering from a type of cancer and ordered medical examinations for him. However, prison authorities have not yet sent him to a hospital for the examinations.

“He is very sick and extremely thin. His weight is reduced from 81 kg to 51 kg. Despite the recommendation of the Evin Prison doctor, authorities deny sending Ahmadreza to blood oncology ward in a hospital. There is high probability that he might be suffering from a type of leukaemia,” his wife, Vida Mehran-Nia, told IHR.

New UN Report on Iran Notes Decline in Executions, Ongoing Executions of Child Offenders

FEBRUARY 27, 2019

The report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran has now been made available on the documentation webpage of the 40th session of the Human Rights Council.

The present report, submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 37/30, comprises two parts. In the first part, the Special Rapporteur Javaid Rehman describes how the protests in the Islamic Republic of Iran reflect long-standing grievances related to human rights. An amendment to the drug trafficking law has led to a decline in executions. Nevertheless, increasing economic challenges have intensified grievances, which may be exacerbated following the re-imposition of unilateral sanctions. Discontent has been expressed through disparate protests by different groups across the country. The Government has introduced some measures aimed at addressing economic challenges, but the arrests of lawyers, human rights defenders and labor activists signal an increasingly severe State response.

Lawyer of Juvenile Offender on Death Row Says Client Mohammad Kalhori Should be Pardoned

MARCH 1, 2019

Despite being diagnosed with mental and emotional disorders, Mohammad Kalhori is facing imminent execution in Iran for a crime he allegedly committed at the age of 15, his attorney Hossein Aghakhani told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) on February 28, 2019.

With the sentence already issued and confirmed, Kalhori’s lawyer has asked the victim’s family to pardon him on the grounds that he was just a minor without mental maturity at the time of the crime, as allowed by the presiding court in the city of Boroujerd, Lorestan Province.

Political Prisoner Sews Lips Shut to Protest 13-Year Prison Sentence for Peaceful Online Activities

MARCH 1, 2019

Twenty-seven-year-old political prisoner Ali Bazazordeh has sewed his lips shut and started a hunger strike in Evin Prison’s Ward 4 to protest an Iranian Appeals Court’s decision to uphold a 13-year prison sentence against him for his peaceful online activities.

Former cellmate and civil rights activist Reza Khandan told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) that Bazazordeh was initially verbally told that the Appeals Court had reduced his sentence to two years in prison but the written verdict was much worse.

Millions of iPhone Users Unable to Use Iranian Apps Due to Apple Certificate Revocation

MARCH 1, 2019

A new move by the Apple Corporation aimed at protecting user data has resulted in Iranian apps becoming unusable on the iOS mobile operating system as of February 27, 2019, for some 9 million users.

Apple said it revoked enterprise certificates to prevent gambling and pornography companies as well as social media networks such as Facebook from collecting private user data via apps.

Most iPhone users around the world won’t notice a difference. But Iranian apps are no longer useable on iPhones used by an estimated more than 9 million people because the apps require the certificate to operate on iOS.