News Update - April 13, 2010

News Links

At night, when you close your eyes, think of a woman who never sleeps.

A Letter of Suffering by Bahareh Maghami, A Victim of Prison Rape

Anti-Censorship Software Licensed by US Govenment for Export to Iran

Detained One Million Signatures Campaign Member Mahboubeh Karami Meets with Brother

Anonymous Prisoners and the Charge of Relations with MKO

Akbar Ganji Receives Milton Friedman

Administration Supporters Worry About Rafsanjani’s Participation at Friday Prayers

Iranian professors fired from universities

Jahanbakhsh Khanjani’s Leave not Extended

Seven Publications Received Admonition

Two IUST Professors Expelled

From Twitter

1/14) Translation from Taoon Blog: I have decided to write about one of the un-known political prisoners

2/14) His name is Majid Moghimi. I along with one of the committee members went to Moghimi's home last month

3/14) They have a very simple life, Majid's 60 year old mother talked about how on July 28 they went to their home

4/14) Blindfolded & arrested Majid. His 10 year old son came out of a room, with a polite smile & beaming eyes

5/14) Majid's wife was sitting in a corner & listning to us. Majid's mother said they agents had found a picture

6/14) in his cell phone. In that picture Majid was standing next to a burning motorcycle with his arms up.

7/14) They used that picture in court as evidence, the media published the picture also.

8/14) Majid like the others confessed in court & apologized (He was tried in one of the televised show trials)

9/14) For 12 days they kept him at Gisha Intel center beating him so bad that his body was bruised for long time

10/14) His ribs were also hurting for long time after that. Than they took him to Evin, there, the beatings continued

11/14) At Evin they forced him to sign a pre written confession. Entire time during his interrogation session

12/14) a camera was filming. During the interrogations he was physically & mentally tortured

13/14) Majid was threatened with harm to his family. My Note: Majid was the only income earner for the family

14/14) A blue-collar worker with modest life style, his family has endured financial hardship since his arrest

Abtin Ghafari was tried & sentenced to 3 years in a 2-minute trial without presence of a lawyer. His case is being appealed.

Mousavi & his wife did go to Memeni's home for visit on Thur 4/8 & on 4/12 they took Momeni back to Evin.

One of the instructions interrogators gave Momeni was not to allow Mousavi in his home.

Momeni's wife says they called constantly while he was home on leave asking him for various things.

They arrested Momeni on Mon before his leave on $800,000 bail was up. Momeni is in Evin 209 again.

Abdollah Momeni's wife says they called him 9 AM Mon & asked him to go to court to discuss extending his leave.

Tehran Governor now denies the earlier reports that there was a permit issued for last June 15 rally

1/12) 3 political prisoners in ward 2-A Sepah have written a letter to Judge Salavati with cc to Armed Forced judiciary

2/12) In their letter the 3 prisoners have detailed the torture methods used & the resulting injuries

3/12) Saied Malekpour, Shahrooz Vaziri & Vahid Asghari are the three men that have signed the letter to Salavati

4/12) Saied Malekpour says he suffered fractured skull, broken nose, nose bleed, bleeding in the mouth

5/12) Malekpour also suffered broken vertebra in his back & neck, cuts & bruises on his arms & legs

6/12) Torture methods used: Hitting, & kicking the prisoner, hitting the prisoner w batons, water hose, lashings

7/12) Hanging the prisoner upside down tied to a pole & hitting & kicking the prisoner

8/12) Putting the prisoner in a cabinet with insects, placing prisoner in a bathtub handcuffed & shackled

9/12) Malekpour says they made him sign & give false confession by kicking him, hitting him, lashing him

10/12) While wearing boxing gloves hitting him on his sides, stomach, putting knife on his throat & on his wrist

11/12) They threatened Malekpour with killing him. He was also threatened with gang rape

12/12) The 3 who have signed the letter say they are willing to testify in court & say all their confession were forced.

Reports were Mahmoudian beaten badly by prison guards on 1/16. Currently his is suffering from severe long infection.

Ali Beekas is in desperate need of dental work not available in Evin. Authorities will not give him med leave

Ali Beekas holds a PHD in history & was a Mousavi camp activist, he was arrested Jun 14 & is sentenced to 7 years.

Political activist Heshmatolah Tabarzadi in solitary 4 months, still being interrogated & physically tortured

Last night for the second time plainclothes raided home of Journalist&HR activist Hesamedin Bahmanabadi

In a previous raid of Bahmanabadi (March 2), they confiscated his computer, CDs & documents.

Plainclothes attempt to arrest journalist & HR activist Hesamedin Bahmanabadi failed again. He wasn't home.

1/2) On April 6 the campus security at Ghazvin International U interrupted meeting of Reformist Students Group

2/2) Campus security confiscated the student IDs of those in the meeting & locked & sealed their office.

7 newspapers & publications have received warning notices & 1 was banned from publishing.

Former Interior Min official Jahanbakh Khanjani is going back to Evin.He was out on bail & His leave not extended.

Advar Spokesman Abdollah Momeni who was out on $800,000 bail was summoned to court today & rearrested.

News Update - April 12, 2010

News Links

Selected Headlines from the Tehran Bureau - April 12, 2010

Imprisoned Babol student’s short furlough

Student Activist Contracts Infectious Diseases at Mashad Prison

Kouhyar Goodarzi: “I Won’t Be Released Anytime Soon.”

Behrooz Javid Tehrani Transferred Out of the “Doghouse”

Javad Emam hospitalized after heart attack (Farsi)

Members of Iranian reformist group handed prison terms

Testimonials - Iranian Journalists Tell Their Story

Mahdieh Golroo Receives Prison Sentence, Bail Amount Issued

Imprisoned Babol student’s short furlough

Military Agencies Warn Against Majlis-Administration Row

28 Months of Prison for a Protesting Student

Abbas Disnad’s Wife Talks to Rooz: Identify the Murderer of the War Veteran

Photojournalist Babak Bordbar Still Detained

Protest Assembly of University of Birjand Students

Mohammad Esmaeilzadeh Received 4-Day Prison Leave

Emad Bahavar’s Phone Call after One Month

From Twitter

- Javad Maherzadeh, author & journalist arrested Oct 21 & is sentenced to 4 years in prison.

- 1/2) HRA: Death sentences of Ayoub Porkar & Reza Khademi have been overturned by the Appeals court

- 2/2) HRA: Porkar was sentenced to 12 years & Khademi sentenced 20 years in prison.

- HR activist Kaveh Kermanshai under pressure to accept false charges of espionage.He is in Kermanshah Intel prison.

- No news from Attorney & former HRA member Dr. Vahid Ahmad Fakhredin arrested in Ahvaz March 3.

- Blogger Mohamad Pourabdollah arrested Feb 09, 300 days in Evin than transferred to Ghezelhesar, sentence 6 years.

- Bahrami was arrested on Ashura along with husband Mohsen Daneshvar, son Mehdi & friend Rayhaneh Hajebrahim.

- Ashura protester sentenced to death. Motahareh Bahrami charged with Moharebeh, her case is under Appeals.

- Hadi Abed Bakhoda has been sentenced by lower court to 2 yrs. His wife under heavy pressure not to talk to media.

- Bakhoda was a political prisoner in the 80's & sustained life long injuries during the arrest in the 80's.

- Bahrami was arrested on Ashura along with her husband, her son & friends. she is currently in Evin 350.

- Motahareh Bahrami arrested on Ashura is sentenced to death charged with connections with MKO. Her case under Appeals.

- Artin Ghazanfari of Bahai faith was rearrested Sunday, he was recently released on bail after 3 months in Evin.

- 3 people were hanged in Esfahan on Sun convicted of drug trafficking. Total 11 have been hanged since Thurs in IR.

- After one month in Evin Emad Bahavar was finally allowed to contact his wife by phone.

- Tabatabai said due to seriousness of Vallian case he expects Appeals Court review the case in the presence of lawyers.

- Tabatabai 1 of the attorneys for Vallian(20 y/o student sentenced to death) said his case is still in the Appeals Court.

- Attorneys for Mohamad Amin Vallian were finally able to visit him in Evin & get his signature on power of attorney.

- A Christian named Saied arrested in Tabriz Mar 6 & later released on bail continues to be threatened by agents.

- Defense attorneys for Gonabadi Sufis are being tried for defending the Sufis.

- Kurdish activist Mohayedin Azadi sentenced to 4 years convicted of espionage & sending classified docs to foreigners.

News Update - April 11, 2010

Petition: Stop the execution of Naser Abdolhosseini in Iran!

Petition: Protect Human Rights in Iran

News Links

Iranian journalists demand release of their peers

Selected Headlines from the Tehran Bureau - April 11, 2010

Interview with 19 Year Old Sentenced to Execution

Kouhyar Goudarzi: “I Won’t be Released Anytime Soon,” Trial Date Unknown.

Two Death Sentences Overturned: Reza Khademi, 12 Years, and Ayoub Porkar 20 Years

Ali Kalayi Summoned to the Revolutionary Court

Arab-Sorkhi’s Prison Leave Not Extended

Tehran’s Prosecutor: Etemaad’s Publication Ban Still Valid

Previously-Banned Shargh Newspaper Returns

Mental Patient Transferred to Ayatollah Boroujerdi’s Ward

Death Convict Hossein Khezri Transferred to Unknown Location

Maryam Zia Summoned to the Revolutionary Court

From Twitter

- No news from HR activist Mehdi Khodai since his arrest on March 2.

- There has been no news from Hr activist & Blogger Dr. Dr. Hesam Firoozi (In Evin).

- HR activist Abdolreza Ahmadi is under extremely heavy pressure at Evin 2-A (Sepah).

- Families of HR activist are under heavy pressure & being threatened by Sepah not to talk to media.

- 3 political prisoners in Ardebil (Azarbayjan) have been on hunger strike for 11 days & are not doing well.

- Ardebil prison officials have put the 3 on hunger strike on "no visitation allowed list" preventing families to see them.

- 1) Journalist Mehdi Mahmoudian is in desperate need of medical help in Evin which he is being denied

- 2) Mahmoudian real crime is 2 years ago he revealed the crimes & atrocities occurring in Kahrizak prison

- 3) Mahmoudian has been suffering from lung infection & is in need of proper medical help.

- Abedini sentenced to 11 yrs. Upon his arrival at ward 2-A(Sepah) was beaten so bad that ended up in hospital.

- Ali Mohamad Islampour Editor-In-Chief of Navaye Vaght in Kermanshah arrested Feb 3.

- Ayt Rafsanjani: Our relationship (him & Khamenei) is a friendly one with deep roots, disagreements are normal

- Ayt Rafsanjani: We all have to follow The Leaders views & recommendations.

- Ayt Rafsanjani: I know of no one else better than him to be The Leader.

- Farrokh Mohammadi, an Iranian refugee, died in Turkey due to the deplorable conditions & the UN's utter neglect.

- Farrokh Mohammadi was a political activist with a wife and 2 children & was seeking political asylum.

- Kurdish political prisoner Masoud Housein Panahi has been sentenced to 1 yr in prison.

- 100 journalists have signed & sent a petition to AG Larijani asking him to release the imprisoned journalists.

- Kurdish HR activists are voicing concern over Housein Khazri who is sentenced to death.

- Kurdish political prisoner Housein Khazri has been moved out of general ward of Orumiyeh prison to unknown location.

- Shahram Shokoufian arrested March 2 during the coordinated mass arrest of HR activist has called family only once.

- Judge has set bail for Mahdiyeh Golroo at $700,000 which her family can not afford.

- Golroo was tried on April 4 without presence of a lawyer. She was not allowed to defend herself on MKO charges.

- Member of Education Rights group Mahdiyeh Golroo has been sentenced to 2 years & 4 months.