Iranian students threw a graduation dance party. It cost them 99 lashes each.

Iran: 99 lashes, cost of graduation party

See the complete story in Washington Post

It happens behind closed doors in Iran all the time: Young people get together to play music, flirt and generally relax, hidden away from hard-liners who definitely would not approve. Mostly, the parties wrap up without incident: the guys cleaning up any incriminating clues, the girls putting their headscarves back on. Then they all go their separate ways.

This time, however, someone tipped off authorities that a group of students was throwing a bash to celebrate graduation. More than 30 were taken into custody. Their punishment: 99 lashes each.

The report by Iran’s Mizan News Agency gave no details about the students, their ages, their school, or when the arrests took place. But it noted that lashings were carried out with almost unprecedented swiftness: within less than 24 hours after officials raided the villa on the outskirts of Qazvin, a small city about 80 miles northwest of Tehran.

Iran: juvenile executions must be stopped

Fear of imminent mass executions of juvenile offenders

Seven juvenile offenders are planned to be executed by Iranian regime

The Iranian regime in yet another brutal measure has transferred 7 

juvenile offender to the solitary confinement for imminent execution.

As a step prior to carrying out executions, the fundamentalist regime of Iran moves the death row inmates to the solitary confinement a day or days before the sentence is carried out. The 7 are in what is called by Iranian people as Gohardasht prison or as it is called by the regime the Rajaie-shahr prison located some 20 miles northwest of Tehran in the city of Karaj. 

Iran: amputation hand of a defendant as punishment

Cutting hands and limbs of defendants are still a common punishment in Iran

The medieval punishment of cutting hands and limbs of defendants are still a common means in Iran run by the clerical regime. This practice which has been condemned by all international rules and regulations is most of the times done in public and in front of eyes of innocent bystanders including children and women.   

Recently in the city of Mashhad, north-east Iran the fingers of a defendant in his 30s was amputated, the latest in a line of draconian punishments handed down and carried out in recent weeks. 

Iran: growing number of suicides amongst youth

The painful and unfortunate tragedy of numerous suicides in Iran have been gradually on the rise in the past few weeks, with the main reason behind this social phenomenon being widespread poverty and a new wave of hopelessness the people face in Iran under the mullahs’ rule. One may conclude that unfortunately suicide in Iran is considered the last method of protest for the people. When people sees no prospect for the evaluation and resolution of the never-ending dilemmas in a society ruled by fundamentalist mullahs, this is how the youth react and show their protest to the incompetence and repressive measures imposed by the ruling elite.

IRAN: CRACKDOWNS CONTINUE DISPITE RELEASE OF SOME POLITICAL PRISONERS

The Associated Press reports that on Tuesday, the cartoonist and social activist Atena Farghadani had been released from Evin Prison, in line with an earlier reduction of her sentence from a staggering 12 years to only 18 months.

However, despite the greatly diminished punishment, human rights advocates lament the fact that the appeals court upheld any punishment whatsoever, given that her charges were based on her having drawn and shared a cartoon depicting Iranian officials as animals in order to protest policies that restricted the rights of women and greatly reduced access to birth control.

Iran- Denial of Adequate Medical Treatment to Political Prisoners Unacceptable

GENEVA– A group of United Nations human rights experts today warned that over a dozen political prisoners in Iran , including some prominent human rights defenders, lawyers and political activists, are at risk of death in detention due to their worsening health conditions and the continued refusal by the Iranian authorities to provide them with medical treatment.

Mullahs’ using religious beliefs to send teenage boys to Syria war

This is an old, deceitful measure resorted to by the rulers of Iran to lure the general public – taking advantage of their religious beliefs – to provide the soldiers they need in their ongoing wars.

30 years ago these same mullahs faced a major troop shortage and were in desperate need of cannon fodders for their war against neighboring Iraq. Back then they also resorted to such a filthy tactic to dispatch under-aged teenage boys to the frontlines of that horrific war. Boys mostly below the ages of 12 to 14 were essentially used in the frontlines to pave the path through minefields. Revolutionary Guards commanders would wrap these youths in blankets and force them, in large groups, to run through minefields and literally “open” a path for their advancing military columns.

Iran: conditions of political prisoner Hossein Ronaghi Malaki become dire on 30th day of hunger strike

 Political prisoner Hossein Ronaghi Malaki surpassed his 30^th day of hunger strike in dire conditions. This political prisoner, on hunger strike since March 26^th, is suffering from kidney and stomach problems, his internal stomach and kidney bleeding has intensified.

Systematic human rights violations continues in Iran, U.S. State Department annual right reports

The U.S. State Department issued its annual human rights report on Wednesday, April 13^th covering the status of human rights in Iran during the course of 2015.

Flagrant and Systematic Human Rights Violations in Iran

In a segment of this reported allocated to Iran the U.S. State Department covered the flagrant and systematic human rights violations in Iran, including increasing executions, especially against juveniles.

Iran: Political prisoners are living under horrifying situation

Seifzadeh described thedenial of medical care and critically needed hospitalization

Mohammad Seifzadeh, the prominent Iranian human rights lawyer who for years defended political prisoners in Iran and railed against the inhumane conditions of their incarceration, was freed on March 10, 2016 after serving his own five-year prison sentence, and spoke at length about the harsh conditions he experienced first-hand as a political prisoner.

Iran – University students express their solidarity with deprived workers

Students of Tehran’s free University have issued a statement on the occasion of “International Workers Day” and wrote:

“We, some of the students of Tehran’s free university congratulate all the workers on the occasion of “International Workers Day”. We condemn the oppression and injustices applied to you by the Mullahs wicked government”.

We demand all the workers’ rights activists to stand to bring changes in the conditions of Iranian workers.

Iran: letters of political prisoners to Italian Prime Minister

Gohardasht Prison in Karaj, west of Tehran

Gohardasht Prison in Karaj, west of Tehran – April 10, 2016

Political prisoners Reza Akbari Monfared and Hassan Sadeghi have written separate letters to Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi describing the crimes taking place inside Iran and asking him to inspect these dungeons during his visit to Iran.

Letter of political prisoner Reza Akbari Monfared to the Italian Prime Minister

Dear Mr. Prime Minister of Italy

I have learned of your scheduled visit to Iran.

Iran MP sheds light on notorious detention center southeast of Tehran

Out side view of Kahrizak detention center

Kazem Jalali, a member of Iran’s so-called parliament, said in a recent interview that youths arrested during the 2009 protests were transferred to the Kahrizak detention center.

This site was where many youths were tortured and raped.

“The mere transfer of people’s children to Kahrizak was wrong and a completely inappropriate decision,” Jalali said.

“At that time we were told there was no room in Evin Prison! However, when we went to Evin Prison at that time we saw in fact that Evin had plenty of room and we referred to this matter in our report. There were many such cases at that time.” (State asriran.com – March 31, 2016)

Iranian Political Prisoner Goes on Hunger Strike To Protest Denial of Health Care

Prisoner of conscience Hossein Ronaghi Maleki has been on a wet hunger strike since March 26, 2016 to protest being denied medical care for his kidney disease, according to his mother, Zoleikha Mousavi.

“We had a face-to-face meeting with Hossein in Evin Prison on March 27. He told us that he had started a hunger strike and would not stop until they pay attention to his condition,” Mousavi told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. “I’m tired of seeing my son go on hunger strike several times a year to get medical treatment. I want him free.”

https://www.iranhumanrights.org/2016/04/hossein-ronaghi/

Iran – A graveyard in Zahedan for those executed

Zahedan – Prisoners killed under torture are secretly buried in this graveyard

A graveyard in Zahedan in Bloochestan County, south east of Iran, is allocated to bury the executed political prisoners.

This remote graveyard is located about two miles from “Behesht Mohammad” graveyard on the road from Zahedan to Mirjave.

This graveyard holds the bodies of the executed political prisoners, the secretly executed prisoners; prisoners killed under torture and amputated prisoners. 

Iran – Third inmate joins hunger strike in Gohar Dasht prison

Political prisoner Massoud Choobdar

Karaj, north of Tehran- Gohar Dasht Prion – Tuesday March 29^th, Massoud Choobdar political prisoner started his hunger strike in solidarity with two other inmates Farid Azmoudeh and Iraj Hatami already on strike.

How mullahs in Iran destroy human beings from within

Interview with a prison guard involved in executions

When the noose is prepared and doors leading to the prison courtyard are closed, he realizes an execution will be carried out soon. However, he has no idea he is the very person scheduled to carry out today’s execution.

“Rasoul” is a simple private 3^rd class soldier assigned in the units protecting the Prisons Organization in Iran. There was five months left to his duty period and one day his commander calls him over and says, “You have to be the guard carrying out the execution today.”

Iran- Female political prisoner deprived of medical attention

  

Ghadrieh Ghaderi was arrested in 2010 on charges of collaboration with Kurdish political groups. She then went through two months of torture and interrogations, in a solitary confinement, and finally was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.

Ghadrieh who is now in a prison in Yassoge, south central Iran, is suffering from multiple diseases such as severe headaches and anesthesia. The prison authorities, however, do not allow her transferee to hospital although her family is willing to put a bond of about $25.000 for her return.

Iran – Rouhani is fed on Juveniles’ blood

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Amnesty International warns juvenile offender could be executed soon

Himan Uraminejad is on death row in Iran for an offence carried out when he was a child.

Himan Uraminejad aged 21 is on death row in Sanandaj’s Prison, western Kurdistan Province, where he has been told he will be executed after the Iranian New Year holiday period ends on 1 April.

Amnesty International has warned, “In its ruling, the court ignored the absolute prohibition, in international law, on using the death penalty against people who were under 18 at the time of the crime, and the fundamental principles of juvenile justice that require all those under 18 years old be treated as children,” .

Amnesty has called for an Urgent Action and added, “Amnesty International has recorded at least 73 executions of juvenile offenders between 2005 and 2015. According to the UN at least 160 juvenile offenders are now on death row. Amnesty International has been able to identify the names of 49 of these juvenile offenders, some of whom have been on death row for over a decade”.

Political prisoners ask the UN to investigate Iran’s human rights dossier

Political prisoners at Gohardasht prison

Nine political prisoners of Gohardasht prison, in Karaj, north of the capital Tehran, have written an open letter and expressed their support for Ahmad Shaheed, the UN special Rapporteur’s report on human rights violations in Iran. 

The letter reads in part, “we the political prisoners not only reiterate and support the contents of this report, but also ask the UN to investigate Iran’s human rights dossier independent of the its’ nuclear and state terrorism files.”