Dorsa Sobhani Prohibited from Visitation

Committee of Human Rights Reporters /

Committee of Human Rights Reporters - Dorsa Sobhani’s family is prohibited from visiting their detained daughter in the days leading to Norooz, the Persian New Year. Dorsa’s lawyer’s visit to the judiciary has proven ineffective, as authorities have prohibited visitation even to her lawyer. In the previous days, Dorsa’s family have written several letters to the Tehran Prosecutor, the Article 90 Commission, and the Judiciary Commission of National Security, requesting much more investigation into Dorsa’s case.

It is reported that authorities at the Revolutionary Court have refrained from redirecting the inquiries to the head of the judiciary, and have insisted that the efforts of Dorsa’s family are ineffective. The reasons behind Dorsa’s arrest are still unknown. Dorsa Sobhani, the 20 year old member of the One Million Signatures Campaign and activist for educational rights was arrested on March 8, 2010 during an assault on her home by 12 security agents. On the evening of March 2nd her father’s house was raided and her personal belongings were confiscated. March 2, 2010 marks a day of widespread assaults and arrests for a large number of civil and human rights activists in various cities across Iran. Translation by: Xan I. | Persian2English.com

Koohyar Goodarzi’s Sentence Extended Two Months

Committee of Human Rights Reporters /

After the last meeting with CHRR member Koohyar Goodarzi, his mother reported that his sentence has been extended two months.

Kooyhar Goodarzi is reportedly under continuous pressure to reveal the passwords to his email account and the CHRR website. According to Article 38 of the Iranian constitution: “All forms of torture for the purpose of extracting confession or acquiring information are forbidden. Compulsion of individuals to testify, confess, or take an oath is not permissible; and any testimony, confession, or oath obtained under duress is devoid of value and credence. Violation of this article is liable to punishment in accordance with the law.”

While 90 days have passed since the arrest of Kooyhar Goodarzi, many other prisoners of conscience have been released in recent days. Journalist and human rights activist Kooyhar Goodarzi was arrested on December 20, 2009, along with Shiva Nazar Ahari and Saeed Haeri. Also, with pressures from security forces, Koohyar Goodarzi was expelled from Sharif University of Technology. Translation by: Teni K. | Persian2English.com

Uncertainty for Detained Journalists as Nowruz Approaches

Persian2English.com & CHRR /

Despite that the families of many detained journalists have secured the bail to release their loved ones for the Persian New Year, there is still no information on the date of their release. There is no news on the release of Akbar Montejabi, Vahid Pourostad, Ehsan Mehrabi, and Somayeh Momeni, seven days after securing bail for the release. According to opposition news agency Kaleme, after providing a bail deposit for the possible release of Mehrabi, Montejabi, Pourostad, and Momeni, the condition of these journalists has intensified, and again they are under interrogation. They have also returned to solitary confinement. Despite the families following up and meeting with prosecutors and the head of Evin prison, there is no word on when the prisoners will be released, even after bail has been secured. The families of the prisoners are under severe mental stress, yet they are hopeful that their loved ones will be released before Nowruz; Persian New Year which takes place this year on March 20th.

80 days have passed since human rights activist Shiva Nazar Ahari was arrested, and her family is still awaiting her release. Shiva Nazar Ahari was previously arrested by security forces at her workplace on June 14, 2009, and she spent 100 days in prison. The CHRR member spent 190 days of the Persian year of 1388 (2009-2010) in jail, 100 days of which was in Evin prison’s solitary confinement cells. CHRR is an independent body that aims to raise awareness and defend the victims of human rights abuses. During its four years of activity, CHRR has published numerous reports, statements, declarations, and articles on human rights violations. The organization has no political affiliations among domestic and foreign activists. Despite this, nine CHRR members have been arrested by security forces in the past year. Additionally, the other members of the committee have not been safe from pressures by security forces.

Identify and Prosecute My Son’s Murderers

Rooz Online English /

The first day of the trial over the Kahrizak detention facility lawsuit was held yesterday behind closed doors while the real perpetrators of the crimes at the facility continue to hold their posts in the government, military and the judiciary. Meanwhile family members of Ramin Pourandarjani, a resident doctor at the detention facility who had examined some of the murdered detainees there and was himself murdered mysteriously, told Rooz that they demand their son’s murderer to be identified and prosecuted. The public relations office of the judiciary’s military tribunal announced yesterday that the trial of individuals accused of crimes related to the Kahrizak detention facility was being held behind closed doors, without revealing further details or the names of the defendants. In its statement, the public relations office announced, “The indictments for all defendants in the case, numbered at 12, were read and their charges and accusations were explained to them by the judge. Based on the military tribunal’s announcement, Saeed Mortazavi, who was identified by the Majlis special investigative committee as the main accused pepetrator in the Kahrizak case is not among the defendants. Police commanders Radan and Ahmadi-Moghaddam are the other officials who the public views to be the real perpetrators of the crimes committed at the facility.

Some of the individuals who have been released from the horrific detention site have testified that Radan was present at the detention facility during several torture sessions and played a direct role in the horrific crimes at the facility. The two commanders continue to occupy their posts in the Islamic Republic and are not among the defendants in the case. Meanwhile, the Kahrizak case does not include the complaint from the family of Ramin Pourandarjani, a doctor who died mysteriously while serving at Kahrizak. Officials had first announced the cause of death to be a heart attack and then a suicide. The coroner’s office finally announced that the young doctor had been poisoned to death. Ramin Pourandarjani’s father, Reza Gholi Pourandarjani, told Rooz that the latest response he received was the coroner’s report, which the Pourandarjani family view as unclear. He explained, “We filed a complaint and demand that the murderer be identified and prosecuted, and we will follow up on our complaint.” Ramin Pourandarjani’s father clarified, “The coroner’s office has said that Ramin was poisoned to death, but the coroner’s report is very ambiguous and we cannot accept this theory. They must explain how he was poisoned and who poisoned him?”

US 'concerned' at Bahai Persecution in Iran

Agence France Presse (AFP) /

The United States is "increasingly concerned" over the persecution of the Bahai and other religious minorities in Iran, a State Department spokesman said Friday. "The United States is increasingly concerned about the Iran's ongoing persecution of Bahais and other religious minority communities," spokesman Philip Crowley said in a statement. He added that Washington was also concerned about the ongoing espionage trial in Iran of seven Bahai leaders, who have been denied access to their lawyers. The trial, Crowley added, fails to meet its "obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights." Crowley reminded Tehran that last month it pledged to abide by international law during a review of human rights records of UN member states by the UN Human Rights Council.

"Therefore," he added, "we are deeply disappointed that the Iranian government rejected a UPR recommendation to end discrimination against its Bahai religious minority. "We join the international community in urging Iran to uphold its obligations to protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all its people," Crowley added.Followers of the Bahai faith, founded in Iran in 1863, are regarded in the Islamic republic as infidels and suffered persecution both before and after the 1979 Islamic revolution. The Bahais have a sprawling temple in Haifa, in northern Israel, which is the Islamic republic's arch-foe.

IR Iran Jails Top Female Reformist for 3 Years

Agence France Presse (AFP) /

An Iranian court has sentenced a top female reformist arrested after last year's election dispute to three years in jail for plotting to harm national security, her lawyer said on Saturday. Azar Mansouri was arrested in September during a widespread crackdown on opposition supporters who challenged the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June 2009. Mansouri, a senior leader from reformist political party, Islamic Iran Participation Front, was sentenced to a three-year jail term, lawyer Mohammad Reza Faghihi told ILNA news agency. "She has been charged with disturbing public order while participating in gatherings, issuing propaganda against the regime, spreading lies and plotting to harm national security," he said, adding he had filed an appeal against the verdict.

Iranian authorities have sentenced several top reformists and political activists to varying jail terms after accusing them of acting against the regime since the election dispute erupted. In recent weeks several detainees have also been released but Iranian news reports say 10 protesters charged with participating in the post-election unrest have been sentenced to death so far. On January 28, Iran executed Mohammad Reza Ali Zamani and Arash Rahmani Pour, two members of a monarchist group. It was unclear when they were arrested but they were put on trial along with several other post-election protesters.

HRW: IR Iran Should Release or Charge Famed Filmmaker

The Associated Press /

An international human rights group on Saturday called on Iran to either charge or release an acclaimed Iranian filmmaker who backed the country's opposition. Jafar Panahi was taken into custody nearly two weeks ago by Iranian security forces during a raid on the filmmaker's Tehran home. A state prosecutor has said Panahi's detention is not political and that the filmmaker is suspected of committing unspecified "offenses." Human Rights Watch noted that Panahi and fellow filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, who was picked up along with Panahi, have not been charged since being arrested on March 1. In a statement released Saturday, the rights group also criticized Tehran for providing no legal basis for the filmmakers' continued detention. "The Iranian authorities should either charge these men or release them immediately," said Sarah Leah Whitson, the rights group's Middle East director. Human Rights Watch said a third filmmaker was also still in custody. That report could not be independently verified. Panahi, 49, supported Iran's opposition following the disputed June presidential election in which President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner.

He was briefly detained last summer when he visited the gravesides of the victims of Tehran's postelection unrest and was later banned from traveling abroad. The filmmaker has won awards at the Chicago, Cannes and Berlin film festivals, although several of his films have been banned from showing in Iran. Whitson said that by targeting a high-profile artist like Panahi, "the Iranian government is sending a clear message that it is willing to go after anyone it considers a threat." "If well-known figures like Panahi are not immune from arbitrary arrest and detention, ordinary Iranians will think twice before engaging in any activity that may seem critical of the government," Whitson said. Ahmadinejad's re-election has been challenged by a range of public figures, including filmmakers and singers who have expressed support for the opposition and criticized the harsh government crackdown on street protesters. The opposition contends Ahmadinejad won through fraud and that opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi was the rightful winner.

Human Rights in Iran and China 'Worsening'

The New York Times /

At a time of heavy international pressure on Iran, the State Department said on Thursday that the human rights situation there had “degenerated” since the disputed presidential election last year. In a toughly worded analysis, the department cited killings of election protesters and acts of politically motivated torture, beatings and rape. “An already poor human rights situation rapidly deteriorated after the June elections,” said Michael Posner, assistant secretary for democracy, human rights, and labor, as the department released its overview of human rights around the world in 2009. “At least 45 people were killed in clashes,” he said. The voluminous report, an annual assessment called for by law, also broadly criticized practices in China. Mr. Posner called them “poor and worsening.” The report cites increased repression of ethnic and religious minorities, increased detention and harassment of activists and public-interest lawyers, and continuing repression in Tibet. It also criticizes the Chinese government’s control of the Internet in that country, though the report did not include the complaints early this year by Google executives about a series of major cyberattacks originating in China. Beijing has vigorously denied having any role in those attacks.

Mr. Posner said that in places like China and Iran, “connective technologies” had proved to be double-edged. While they allow a ferment of sometimes spontaneous organizational activities by dissidents and government critics, they also give governments “greater energy in curtailing freedom of expression.” In Iran, an opposition Web site reported on Thursday that a prominent political activist who was arrested on June 12, the day of Iran’s disputed presidential election, has been released from prison. Mostafa Tajzadeh, a former deputy interior minister, was released on Wednesday in what was called a “leave from prison,” the Web site, Jaras, reported. Mr. Tajzadeh received a hero’s welcome, and pictures circulated on the Web of two leading opposition figures, Mir-Hussein Moussavi and the former president, Mohammed Khatami, visiting him at his home. Hundreds of opposition activists have been arrested since the presidential election, and most of them remain incarcerated. Human Rights groups have said that none are released unconditionally and that most have posted hefty sums for bail and are summoned regularly to appear in court. The Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York based group, announced this month that at least 52 journalists remain in prison. On Thursday a lawyer for Saeed Leylaz, a prominent journalist and economist, said that his client’s sentence had been reduced from nine years to six, a term that human rights groups said remained indefensible. The sentence for Bahman Amuwee, another journalist, was reduced from seven years to five, the rights group Reporters without Borders said. (Read more...)

We Will Stand by the People

Rooz Online English /

In a gathering to mark the International Women’s Day, Iranian women’s rights activists called for the “eradication of discrimination against women in all laws, the adoption of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination, equal opportunities in politics and management, release of political and ideological prisoners and freedom of peaceful action for women.” They announced, “We will stand by the people and green movement activists while continuing the struggle for the achievement of our independent rights and demands. We will not stop until their full achievement because we are countless.” According to Rooz reporters, the gathering to mark the International Women’s Day was held despite the extreme amounts of pressure and intimidation imposed by the government, at Mir-Hossein Mousavi’s office. Zahra Rahnavard and many women’s rights activists attended the gathering, as many others have been arrested or forced to leave Iran since the June 12 election coup. In previous years also similar gatherings on the International Women’s Day were either prevented or turned violent because of police interference. In 1385 (2007), plain-clothes and special unit forces engaged in violent clashes with the women, dispersing them from the Baharestan square and arresting several activists. In 1382 (2004) the gathering ended before it began as plain-clothes agents surrendered the Laleh park, where the gathering was scheduled to be held, and beat the participants with batons.

Yesterday’s gathering was held while Simin Behbahani, who was scheduled to fly to Paris on an invitation from the Paris city government, was barred by security agents from leaving the country. The feminism school website quoted Simin Behbahani, “I was invited by the Paris city government for March 8, and I had prepared a text on feminism and a poem about women to read at the event and planned to return on Wednesday. Because of my old age and health issues I repeatedly thought about not going, but decided to participate in the event with my poem and text on feminism because of the kindness and persistence of inviters and my love and dedication for my country’s women and respect for this important day. After I passed through the customs gate and received the exit stamp on my passport, two agents called me, confiscated my passport and interrogated me until 5 am with a series of why and how questions, and then gave me a piece of paper asking me to go to the Revolutionary Court to get my passport back.” As such, Simin Behbahani joined the growing group of female civil society activists who have been barred from exiting the country throughout the past four years. Among them are Nasrin Sotoudeh, Mansoureh Shojaie, Narges Mohammadi, Talat Taghinia and Badrossadat Mofidi.

Report: IR Iran Sentences Professor to 6 Years

The Associated Press /

An Iranian appeals court sentenced a university professor to six years in prison for suspected involvement in the country's postelection turmoil, local media reported Thursday. Several pro-reform newspapers, including the Bahar daily, quoted Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabaei, a lawyer for Saeed Leilaz, as saying the appeals court sentenced his client to a six-year jail term. He did not say when the court ruling took place. Leilaz, an economics professor at Shahid Beheshti University, was convicted of insulting the country's supreme leader, violating public order and participating in a plan to disturb the country's security, Tabatabaei said. Leilaz has been a sharp critic of Iran's economic policies. He also has worked as a journalist and analyst for local newspapers.

The reports of Leilaz's sentencing come a day after the pro-reform Web site Parlemannews reported the release of the prominent reform politician Mostafa Tajzadeh. Tajzadeh, who served as deputy interior minister from 1997-2005, was arrested June 13, a day after the country's disputed election that won President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a second four-year term. Both Leilaz and Tajzadeh were among more than 100 political figures and activists that Iran put on a mass trial following a crackdown on opposition supporters who claim Ahmadinejad won by fraud. Tajzadeh's release comes ahead of the Iranian New Year later this month, when authorities traditionally release some prisoners in symbolic acts. Earlier this month, Iran freed six journalists and opposition activists on bail.

One Man Was Hanged, Two More Will Be Soon

Iran Human Rights /

One man was hanged in public in the southwest Iranian city of Ahvaz yesterday March 10, reported the official Iranian news agency IRNA. The man who was identified as "S. M." was convicted of drug trafficking ans was hanged in the "Ramedan Alley" (kooye Ramezan) of Ahvaz said the report. Two other people are scheduled to be hanged in public in Ahvaz on Saturday (March 12) and Sunday (March 13) convicted of Moharebeh and drug trafficking respectively, according to the report. The men are not identified by name. Iran Human Rights warned about public executions on March 9.

According to the annual report published by Iran Human Rights, more than 400 people were executed in Iran in 2009. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson of Iran Human Rights condemned the public hangings and said:"By public hangings the Iranian regime wants to spread fear among the people in hope of preventing new uprisings on March 15". There are new protests planned for March 15, the last Tuesday of teh Persian new year.

Farzad Kamangar Writes a Letter from Evin Prison

Persian2English.com /

I was listening to my cellmate’s lullaby, he was singing for his daughters Parya and Zahra. His melancholic lullaby was followed by the sobs of another cellmate, and I burst into tears too. It was the second time that he was arrested. The first time, he was sentenced to one year in jail, and this time he has to serve another 10 years. All his joy and excitement was about seeing his children who would visit him on Monday. On the day of the visit, the children, without caring that they were surrounded by people and before their parents’ eyes (and in the middle of the seats and chairs of the visit hall), jumped up and down and performed hand stands to show their father their progressing athletic abilities. The father, who was proud of his children, wore a smile. The mother, with her innocent expression, was trying to deny her pain of solitude and expectation. She was looking at her husband with joy and at her children’s excitement with love. And I, who had been away from the school environment for months, kept staring at Parya and Zahra, and would tell my mother about them. One of the most memorable moments which has been carved in my mind is the moment this family spent together. They were as though in a vacuum, in the heavens, in a place outside this world, not surrounded by anyone. They only had their compassion for each other.

Without paying attention to the guards, the walls, and other prisoners, they shared their smiles. I always hope to see Parya and Zahra outside prison, or wish that they were able to visit thirty minutes longer. As they said their farewell, I tried not to look at them, so that the spectacular moment of their reunion would be etched in my mind forever. The beautiful girls mocked the fake world around their father with every move and jump. The fate of children like Zahra and Parya is the story of our time. It has been written for years now, and every day, another Zahra and Parya visit their father. Or a child like “Ava” would sit next to the Haft-Seen table (The table arrangement made by Iranians for Norooz), sing to her fish, and cry,“This year daddy is in jail!” I saw Parya and Zahra about to depart, still holding on to their father’s hand. They walked toward the exit with a smile on their face as though they were going to the fair. I wanted to hold their hands too and share their joy. Before the father said goodbye, I turned my face so I would not be able to see his tearful eyes. However, now, I was watching the tearful eyes of my mother who was getting ready to separate from her son. I mimicked Parya and Zahra in my embrace with my mother. When Parya and Zahra were calling us, I couldn’t keep my eyes away anymore. The two angels waved at me. They are angels, except that they don’t have wings.

Farzad Kamangar
Evin Prison
March 10, 2010

Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran

Iran Human Rights /

According to the annual report on the death penalty in Iran, number of executions in 2009 in Iran were the highest in the past 10 years. Commenting the annual report, the spokesperson of Iran Human Rights Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: "This reports confirms that the situation of the human rights in Iran is worse than in many years". He continued: " We are especially concerned about the high number of arbitrary executions and execution of those convicted for Moharebeh in 2009". Moharebeh (meaning at war with God) is a charge Iranian authorities use for those who are involved in the struggle against the regime. Recently an Iranian court sentenced a 20 year old Iranian student Mohammad Amin Valian to death convicted of Moharebeh. He was convicted of Moharebeh because he confessed that he has thrown stones against the security forces under the Ashura protests in December 2009. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam asked the world community and the international civil society to condemn the violations of the human rights in Iran and show their support to the Iranian people’s movement for democracy and the human rights:" Many of those who have demanded their legitimate human rights in the past months in Iran are at risk of death penalty in the Iranian prisons. The international community should not get used to the repression and death penalty in Iran even though it happens everyday. Iranians are living under one of the world’s most repressive regimes. Iranian people need the world’s support today, and we should keep in mind that the world needs a democratic Iran".

The present report is primarily based on the information published by the official Iranian media and gathered by members of the organization “Iran Human Rights” in the period of January 1. to December 31. 2009. Iran Human Rights has also used its own sources or reliable sources belonging to other human rights networks. Since the protests after the presidential elections in June 2009, transfer of information has been increasingly difficult. Besides, the Iranian authorities have imposed a more strict control on what information they choose to hand out to the media, compared to the previous years. There are several lines of evidence suggesting that the actual number is significantly higher.

- The vice prosecutor general of Ahwaz (capital of the southwestern province of Khuzestan) the number of executions in the past 11 months were 38. This is about than 3 times higher than the executions announced by the official media and our own sources. The situation could be similar in several other Iranian cities.
- We have reason to believe that the numbers of the executions in the Kurdish regions of Iran are significantly higher than those presented in the present report.

This indicates that the present report is a strong underestimation of the real numbers of the death penalty carried out in Iran in 2009. But still Iran stays at the top of the world, along with China, as the country with highest number of executions. These executions do not include those who were killed under the post-election protests. The total number of those who have been killed in connection to the protests is not known but according to different sources it could be between 70-150 people. (Read more...)

Human Rights Abuses in Iran are Severe

Rooz Online English /

Joe Stork is deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa division. Before joining Human Rights Watch in 1996, Mr. Stork co-founded the Middle East Research & Information Project (MERIP) and served as chief editor of Middle East Report. Rooz had talked with Joe Stork about the current situation of human rights in Iran.

Fariba Amini (Amini): Having been in this position for a number of years, how do you assess the current human rights situation in Iran?

Joe Stork (Stork): I think the situation is terrible. Looking back, the state of human rights in Iran has been a problem for many years, a real crisis, even dating back to the Shah’s time. But I think the situation today is particularly bad because we are seeing the level of confrontation between the state, the government, and the very large sectors of population; it is quite severe. So I would say the scale of arbitrary arrests, though not unprecedented, is certainly bad. I don’t think we have seen certain phenomenon, such as show trials and so forth, stand out. They are similar to the 1980s when show trials were pretty common in the Islamic republic. The fact that we are seeing it again is very worrying.

Amini: Why do you think the regime is using such violent tactics? It seems to me the tactics are similar those used in the early days of the Islamic Republic. Then there were systematic mass executions and now the torture and killings seem somewhat random.

Stork: Well we can’t and should not compare the two periods. If you look at the different periods, (and I have worked for HR Watch since 1996, more or less coinciding with Mohammad Khatami's presidency) the situation today is very serious, the worst it has been. There have not been mass executions; there have been a number of unexplained deaths of demonstrators in the streets, as well as people who have been in custody and unaccounted for. We are probably talking about several dozen in total, as compared to hundreds in the 1980s, so I am not sure whether it is correct to make the comparison. In terms of killings, yes, it was a lot of worse, but that is no comfort today when you have this severe oppression going on and you have people challenging the regime, unlike 20 years ago. Iranians are challenging the abuses on a massive scale. (Read more...)

US Lifts Web Sanctions on Iran, Cuba and Sudan

guardian.co.uk /

The US yesterday said it will allow export of instant messaging, web browsing and other communications technology to Cuba, Iran and Sudan, in an effort to facilitate the flow of information and promote freedom of speech. The move by the US Treasury department comes after Iranian anti-regime protesters used Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and other sites to great effect in the aftermath of the disputed June elections. In the months since, anti-regime forces have used the technology to organise demonstrations, spread news and communicate with the outside world, including western journalists largely barred from covering the protest movement. "The issuance of these general licenses will make it easier for individuals in Iran, Sudan and Cuba to use the internet to communicate with each other, and with the outside world," deputy Treasury secretary Neal Wolin said.

"[Yesterday's] actions will enable Iranian, Sudanese and Cuban citizens to exercise their most basic rights. As recent events in Iran have shown, personal internet-based communications like email, instant messaging and social networking are powerful tools. This software will foster and support the free flow of information - a basic human right - for all Iranians." Most US trade with Iran and Cuba is barred under US sanctions. Congress is considering banning government contracts with foreign companies that sell technology which the Iranian regime can use to suppress or monitor citizens' internet use, after it was revealed Nokia, the Finnish mobile phone company, and Siemens, the Germany technology giant, had sold such technology to Tehran in 2008.

Google Welcomes Chance to Export to Iran, Cuba

The Associated Press /

A senior Google executive welcomed on Tuesday a U.S. decision to relax restrictions on exporting Internet communications services to Iran, Sudan and Cuba. Bob Boorstin, Google's director of policy communications, said the Web search company would now be able to offer some of its other products in those countries, such as the mapping satellite software Google Earth, photo management program Picasa and Internet chat client Google Talk. "This is a great accomplishment," Boorstin told a human rights meeting in Geneva. "We are hopeful this will help people like yourselves in this room and activists all over the world take a small step down what is certainly a long road ahead." The U.S. Treasury Department said the change to existing trade sanctions was intended to help people "exercise their most basic rights" with the help of instant messaging service and e-mail. Google itself has come under fire recently in countries where it operates. Last month, an Italian court held three Google executives criminally responsible for violating the country's privacy laws for allowing a video of an autistic teenager being bullied to be posted online.

In January, Google threatened to leave China over attempts to snoop on Chinese dissidents' Gmail accounts from inside the country. China's government denies any involvement. Boorstin described the Italian court's decision as a form of "Internet censorship" that would "encourage repressive regimes." "From now on, you're criminally responsible for anything that appears on your Web site," he said. "That's certainly going to have a chilling effect on what people are willing to put up." On China, Boorstin said Google was already offering a "a censored search engine" through the Google.cn domain to avoid meeting Chinese requirements for storing sensitive data about its users on servers in the country. "If and when we pull out of China and turn off Google.cn, I'm afraid that we will be taking away from the Chinese populace a tool that they have come to value," he said. Boorstin encouraged human rights activists also to rely on platforms other than the Internet for transmitting information.

Interview with CHRR Member Hesam Misaghi

Persian2English /

The following is an interview with human rights activist Hesam Misaghi, conducted by the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. Hesam Misaghi is an activist for the Committee of Human Rights Reporters (CHRR) and spokesperson for the Population of Combat against Educational Discrimination. In the interview, Hesam Misaghi explains the situation of Baha’is and students who are active in civil and political activities. Misaghi also exposes lies told by Mohammad Javad Larijani, the head of the human rights council in the judiciary.

Campaign: Mr. Misaghi, you are a member of the Population of Combat against Educational Discrimination. Why did you form this Committee and what is the situation with the Committee members right now?

Hesam Misaghi: This Committee was formed as an independent organization to regain the general right to education. Most of its members were Baha’i students who had been deprived of education, but the committee works to regain the rights of all students deprived from education on grounds such as gender discrimination, suspension, and dismissal orders for critical students, as well as deprivation of education for Baha’i students which has a long record. This Committee held several meetings last May and June in different Iranian cities with the aim to disseminate information, something which was unprecedented under the oppressive conditions of Iran. The first meeting was held in Tehran. I participated in the meetings as the spokesperson for the organization, so I delivered speeches. Navid Khanjani is the founder and head of this independent organization. The Committee was established as an independent organization to regain the general right to education. Three Committee members were arrested within 24 hours and three other members’ homes were searched. (Read more...)

US Urges IR Iran to Free Death-Row Protester

Agence France Presse (AFP) /

The United States urged Iran Friday to free a student said to face the death penalty over anti-government protests, warning Tehran that its rights record was worsening its ties with the world. Opposition websites said Wednesday that an appeals court confirmed a death sentence on 20-year-old Mohammad Amin Valian for "waging war against God" by throwing stones at security forces during December protests. "We find this disproportionate punishment deplorable and urge his immediate release," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said in a statement. "If the Iranian government wants the respect of the international community, it must respect the fundamental freedoms of its people," he said, calling for the Islamic republic to free all political prisoners.

Valian took part in anti-government protests on December 27 during the Shiite mourning holiday of Ashura. At least eight people were killed in the protests, the bloodiest since last year's disputed election. In January, Iran said it executed two members of a monarchist group who were put on trial with post-election protesters, although the exact timing of their arrest was unclear. US President Barack Obama last year reached out to Iran, saying he wanted to repair three decades of bad blood between the countries since the overthrow of the pro-Western shah. But the Obama administration has been alarmed by Iran's defiance on its disputed nuclear program along with its human rights record.

Science Minister Threatens Professors with Expulsion

Persian2English.com /

Fars News Agency¹: Kamran Daneshjoo, the minister of Science, Research and Technology, referring to the principle of Velayat (Submission to the guardianship of religious leader ) as the legacy of Ayatollah Khomeini, and the necessity of university students and staff conforming to this important principle, said: “Any professor or student who cannot or does not want to conform to the loud message people sent on December 30th and February 11th [in pro-government rallies], has to quit”. Daneshjoo was attending the meeting with the members of Academic Councils, University’s directors, and Basiji professors of Northern provinces (Mazandaran, Gilan, Golestan) which was held [on March 4, 2010] in National Conference on Efficient Consumption Models in the town of Behshahr. Daneshjoo stated:”We need professors who like students from the bottom of their hearts, and who do not look at students as an army, political party, or soldiers, but as their own children. We do not give concessions to anyone”.

He added: “We demand expertise on highest level intertwined with religiosity, and for those who think we do not have enough of such experts, we will bring ‘committed experts’² to the university so that the few who think they are the special ones, know their place”. The minister added: “The person who reaches the level of [spiritual] perfection is wearing armour, which is submission to Velayat, and no arrow can hurt the person who bears it. He then directed his speech at university presidents and said: “The presidents of universities do not have the right to recruit individuals who do not abide by the Constitution, and if they do so, they will face legal consequences”.

¹ Pro-regime news agency with strong ties to Revolutionary Guards.
² Committed Experts: a term coined in early 80’s to refer to experts who are committed to the revolution and its leaders

38 Executions in City of Ahvaz in the Past 11 Months

Iran Human Rights /

According to the official site of the Iranian judiciary in Ahvaz, 38 people have been executed in the past 11 months. Ahmadreza Rashidi, the vice prosecutor of Ahvaz, said to the state run news agency Mehr that " 4 sentences of amputations and 38 executions have been carried out in Ahvaz in the past 11 months."

According to the reports gathered by "Iran Human Rights", 14 executions were reported in Ahvaz by the official Iranian emdia since March 2009. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson of Iran Human Rights, said: About one third of the executions have been reported by the Iranian media. We believe this is the case in several other cities." He added:" This means that the reports published by Iran Human Rights and other human rights organizations are strongly underestimated."