Iran Human Rights Bulletin National Council of Resistance of Iran - U.S. Representative Office (NCRI-US) ______________________________________________________________________________ No. 103 March 5, 2019 Executions continue to mount daily in Iran, which has the has the world’s highest per capita incidence of executions. That number does not include extrajudicial killings, or other deaths resulting from inhumane treatment of prisoners, who are routinely denied essential medical care, visitation rights, and are confined for lengthy periods in solitary. Minority leaders, environmentalists, labor activists, and human rights advocates are regularly arrested and charged with such crimes as “enmity against God” and “insulting the Supreme Leader,” which carry extreme prison sentences. Women continue to suffer discrimination in the workplace, and are subject to harassment and arrest for violating the dress code. Executions: Public hanging in northern Iran A man charged with murder was publicly hanged on February 2 in Gari Doji village, Aqqala County, Golestan Province. (ISNA & Rokna state-run news agencies – Feb. 23) Prisoner hanged in North Khorasan Province http://www.irna.ir/nkhorasan/fa/News/83219106 According to the Public Prosecutor, a man charged with murder was hanged in Shirvan on February 23. (IRNA state-run news agency – Feb. 23) Arbitrary Killings: More porters shot by Iranian border guards http://kurdistanhumanrights.net/fa/?p=8229 Two porters were wounded after being shot by Iranian border forces in Baneh and Sardasht. A group of Kurdish “kolbars” were shot at Hangeh Jale village on February 20. Qarib Taji from Nannor village was injured in the foot. On the same day, another group of porters were targeted by Iranian border forces and Omid Heydari from Naghadeh was wounded. On February 17, Iranian border forces in Hangeh Jale of Baneh also opened fire on a group of porters, killing Bakhtiar Hassani, married and from the village of Bellesen. (Kurdistan Human Rights Network – Feb. 23) Cruel and Inhuman Punishments: Female political prisoners subjected to inhuman treatment https://women.ncr-iran.org/2019/03/02/female-political-prisoners-inhuman-treatment/ Evin Prison authorities prevented the transfer of political prisoner Atena Daemi for medical tests and care, despite her suffering from persistent dizziness and numbness in her right eye. The physician in Qarchak Prison had requested an MRI for her in May 2018, but she has not been transferred to the hospital for these tests and examinations. She is also being denied visitation. In another report, Ensieh Abulhossieni was sentenced to 3 years in absentia on charges of “propaganda against the regime” and rearrested by security forces at the airport on February 10, as she tried to leave the country. Abulhossieni was first arrested in December 2017 during the protests, and transferred to Evin Prison. She was released after a month. (NCRI Women’s Committee – Mar. 2) Woman beaten in Khoy Prison ______________________________________________________________________________ 1747 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 1125, Washington, DC 20006 These materials are being distributed by the National Council of Resistance of Iran - U.S. Representative Office. Additional information is on file with the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. No. 103 Iran Human Rights Bulletin March 5, 2019 ______________________________________________________________________________ http://kurdistanhumanrights.net/fa/?p=8278 A prisoner named Zahra (surname not revealed) was beaten and chained to an iron bar for 5 hours as punishment. The 25-year-old woman was arrested on the street on February 24 for “bad hijabi” (improper attire). She was transferred to prison despite posting bail after an argument with the judge. “On February 26 at 10 pm, as Zahra was helping a prisoner care for her baby, she was mistreated by a guard on the pretext of violating curfew. As the argument between the guard and Zahra became heated, several other prison officers arrived and severely beat her,” a reliable source reported. “The guards’ behavior was so violent that her clothes were torn and her prosthetic leg detached as she was dragged out of the cell,” the source added. (Kurdistan Human Rights Network – Feb. 28) Political prisoner held incommunicado in solitary confinement https://iran-hrm.com/index.php/2019/02/28/iranian-political-prisoner-under-harsh-conditions-in- solitary-confinement/ Two weeks ago, prison authorities transferred activist Mehdi Farahi Shandiz to solitary confinement in Karaj’s Central Prison. He has been denied phone calls and visits, raising concerns about his condition. On February 11, the 40th anniversary of the 1979 Revolution, Farahi Shandiz chanted slogans of “down with dictator” and “down with Khamenei” in protest to 40 years of torture and executions under the tyrannical rule of the mullahs. Prison guards attacked him in his cell and violently transferred him to solitary confinement. Farahi Shandiz, 57, is an electrical engineering graduate from Isfahan’s Industrial University. He was sentenced to nine years in prison for three separate charges of “insulting the Supreme Leader,” six years of which were for charges brought against him while he was in prison. The labor activist who worked as a private high school tutor was first arrested at a gathering on International Labor Day on May 1, 2009 at Laleh Park in Tehran. He was released nine months later after spending most of his detention in solitary confinement in the Intelligence Ministry’s Ward 209 at Evin Prison. He was rearrested in June 2010 and charged with “insulting the Supreme Leader.” During a month-long detention in the Kahrizak detainment facility in southern Tehran, Farahi Shandiz was “severely tortured and beaten,” according to reports. He was released on bail two months later. In May 2011, Branch 28 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court sentenced him to three years in prison. Farahi Shandiz began his sentence in January 2012 and has been in prison ever since. (Iran HRM – Feb. 28) Prison Conditions: Critically ill political prisoners denied urgent medical treatment https://iran-hrm.com/index.php/2019/02/25/critically-ill-iranian-political-prisoner-denied-urgent- medical-treatment/ Since mid-December 2018, the warden of Raja’i Shahr Prison has denied several political prisoners medical treatment. The ban started after a prisoner convicted of murder escaped during transfer to the hospital, but is now only enforced against political prisoners, a number of whom suffer from serious illnesses. They include Saeed Shirzad, Hassan Sadeghi, Majid Assadi, Shahram Pourmansour, Arash Sadeghi, Mohammad Banazadeh Amirkhizi and Hamzeh Savari. Iranian authorities have a long history of denying medical care to punish prisoners or force them into making false confessions. Officials are responsible for multiple documented cases of death or irreparable harm suffered by political prisoners denied proper medical care. Saeed Shirzad is suffering from severe damage to both his kidneys, but has been barred from going to the hospital despite his family having paid for his treatment. Arrested by the Intelligence Ministry in June 2015 for helping the children of political prisoners pursue education, Shirzad, 29, is serving a five- year sentence for “assembly and collusion against national security.” On December 8, 2017, Shirzad sewed his lips shut and began a hunger strike to demand improved prison conditions. For about 40 days, ______________________________________________________________________________ National Council of Resistance of Iran – U.S. Representative Office Page 2 No. 103 Iran Human Rights Bulletin March 5, 2019 ______________________________________________________________________________ he drank only water through a straw until authorities agreed to consider his request and he was hospitalized. Political prisoner Mohammad Banazadeh Amirkhizi, 72, is suffering from a meniscus tear and prostate issues, sleep disturbances and forgetfulness. He was sentenced to 11 years for “assembly and collusion against national security” and “spreading propaganda against the government.” Majid Asadi, 36, suffers from a duodenal ulcer, a liver cyst, a herniated disc, and spinal rheumatism. He should receive special hospital treatment every month. He has been sentenced to six years for “assembly and collusion against national security” and “spreading propaganda against the state.” Diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer, Arash Sadeghi has lost the ability to move his right arm due to an untreated infection on his shoulder. Sadeghi has been serving a 19-year prison sentence for his peaceful political activities since 2016. He hasn’t been to a hospital since September Political prisoner Hassan Sadeghi is at risk of going blind after torture by intelligence agents resulted in glaucoma. He is also suffering from an infection in his stomach and small intestine and a severe gastric ulcer. Sadeghi was detained at the age of 16 in 1981 for supporting the MEK. He was severely tortured, and finally released after six years. He still suffers from the consequences of the torture inflicted on him in the 80’s. Sadeghi is currently serving a 15-year prison term. His wife, Fatemeh Mosana, has also been sentenced to 15 years. Shahram Mansourpour has served 18 years in prison. He suffers from a spinal disc inflammation, but is banned from going to the hospital despite his urgent need of surgery and medical treatment. Political prisoner Hamzeh Savari is suffering severe pain from a tumor