Human Rights: Brief News

Political prisoner sentenced to 15 years in prisonThe Revolutionary Court headed by Justice Moghise sentenced Hassan Astiani to 15 years in prison after he was convicted of involvement in terrorist activities.

He is being held in Evin prison. According to reports received from human rights activists, the trial judge dismissed his legal defense counsel and appointed a public defender in his case. The trial lasted only 11 minutes before ending with a conviction. Astiani was charged with providing financial assistance to the reformist Islamic Revolution Mojahedin Organization after he sold his sister'‎s house and sent the money to her.

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Inmate at Bandar Abbas Prison dies after violent beating by guards

Muzaffar Dadi, ‎‎24, who had been incarcerated in Bandar Abbas Prison, died after being violently beaten by guards. He ‎was sentenced to one year in prison, but died six months before release. According to reports, ‎he was severely beaten by prison guards and died of internal bleeding after being evacuated ‎for medical treatment.‎

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Women'‎s rights activist and a member of a group supporting human rights in Iran arrested ‎last week

Security forces arrested 25-year-old Maryam Salehi, a student in Tehran, last ‎week. She participated in several campaigns for human right, and was arrested at her father'‎s ‎home by agents in civilian clothing. Her family has not yet managed to obtain any information ‎about her condition or whereabouts.‎

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Condition of student activist continues to deteriorate

Fifty days after the arrest of engineer, ‎Hossein Zadeh Masoud, formerly one of the most prominent student activists from the Azeri ‎minority, information leaked out of jail claims that his physical condition has deteriorated ‎significantly. The ban on phone conversations with his family exacerbates his family'‎s concerns. ‎Masoud was arrested by security forces in front of his home, after they beat him very ‎violently. To date, no official information has been provided about the allegations against him.‎

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Trial of popular website, Asre Iran webmaster and manager of House and Family magazine

The webmaster of Asre Iran was charged with false advertising, while the manager of the House and Family magazine was charged with exploitation of photos of women.

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Secretary of Teachers Association in Kermanshah violently beaten by strangers in civilian clothes

According to Mohammad Tavokoli, several people in civilian clothing arrived to arrest him and several members of the Kurdish Teachers Associations. The teachers demanded to see the IDs of the arresting parties, but were refused. Tavakoli was then beaten violently.

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Student summoned to serve prison sentence

Nassim Soltan Bigi, a student activist from Allameh Tabatabaei University, was summoned to serve a four-year prison sentence on charges of harming national security and anti-regime propaganda.

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Deterioration in condition of arrested blogger over recent weeks

There has been a significant deterioration in the health of Mohammad Reza Pour-Shegera, the blogger imprisoned in Karaj central prison. He is suffering from bleeding from the kidney, but prison authorities are refusing to grant him medical leave.

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Election protest detainee Akhbar Amini summoned for questioning and arrested

Security forces followed Akhbar's brother for several days, summoned him for questioning and conditioned his release upon Akhbar arriving for questioning.

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Political activist prohibited from leaving Iran

Mustafa Sabti, head of the Central Council of the Islamic Iran Participation Front in Golestan Province received the order banning him from leaving Iran when he was at the airport about to go on a trip abroad.

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Wife of former political prisoner refused exit from Iran

Nazanin Zarin Kolah applied to the courts only to be told that she is forbidden to leave Iran, because of her husband's anti-revolutionary activities. She was later summoned for questioning by Intelligence Ministry agents who threatened to arrest her and to charge her with heresy.

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Blogger and political activist summoned for questioning

Journalist Mohammad Safar Lafouty was summoned for questioning at the Revolutionary Court in Mazandaran Province. Mohammad was arrested about one year ago on charges of false publication in order to incite public opinion and anti-regime propaganda. He was released on bail after 35 days in solitary confinement. Mohammad was also the editor of a blog called Friad, which was completely blocked after he posted articles on the blog about the sale of votes in the previous elections for the Iranian Majlis.

Source: Iran Daily Brief