IRAN COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service 16 January 2013 IRAN JANUARY 2013 Contents Preface Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................ 1.01 Maps ...................................................................................................................... 1.04 Iran ..................................................................................................................... 1.04 Tehran ................................................................................................................ 1.05 Calendar ................................................................................................................ 1.06 Public holidays ................................................................................................... 1.07 2. ECONOMY ................................................................................................................ 2.01 3. HISTORY .................................................................................................................. 3.01 Pre 1979: Rule of the Shah .................................................................................. 3.01 From 1979 to 1999: Islamic Revolution to first local government elections ... 3.04 From 2000 to 2008: Parliamentary and presidential elections ......................... 3.07 From 2009 to May 2010 ........................................................................................ 3.08 Presidential election – 12 June 2009 ................................................................. 3.08 Demonstrations and aftermath of the election to government crackdown during 2010 ................................................................................................... 3.13 From 2011 to May 2012 ....................................................................................... 3.23 Parliamentary elections: March and May 2012 .............................................. 3.26 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS (JUNE TO 2 DECEMBER 2012) ............................................. 4.01 5. CONSTITUTION .......................................................................................................... 5.01 6. POLITICAL SYSTEM ................................................................................................... 6.01 Political parties ..................................................................................................... 6.06 Human Rights 7. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 7.01 8. CRIME ...................................................................................................................... 8.01 Drug smuggling .................................................................................................... 8.01 9. SECURITY FORCES .................................................................................................... 9.01 Overview of security and intelligence forces ..................................................... 9.01 Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) known as Vezarat-e Ettela’at va Aminat-e Keshvar (VEVAK) or Ettela’at .......................................................... 9.04 Law enforcement forces (including the police) ................................................. 9.06 Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC also known as ‘Pasdaran’) ......... 9.08 Qods / Quds Force ............................................................................................. 9.15 Basij ................................................................................................................... 9.19 Ansar-e Hezbollah (Helpers of the Party of God) ............................................... 9.26 Armed forces ........................................................................................................ 9.29 Human rights violations by government forces ................................................ 9.31 Arbitrary arrest and detention ............................................................................. 9.31 Detention centres ........................................................................................... 9.37 Torture ................................................................................................................ 9.46 Amputation and floggings ................................................................................... 9.56 Extra-judicial killings ........................................................................................... 9.61 10. MILITARY SERVICE .................................................................................................... 10.01 11. JUDICIARY ................................................................................................................ 11.01 Organisation ......................................................................................................... 11.01 ii The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 2 December 2012. JANUARY 2013 IRAN Court structure ................................................................................................... 11.05 Independence ....................................................................................................... 11.09 Fair trial ................................................................................................................. 11.15 Trial in absentia .................................................................................................. 11.22 Double jeopardy (ne bis in idem) ........................................................................ 11.24 Bail ..................................................................................................................... 11.25 Penal code ............................................................................................................ 11.30 Security laws ...................................................................................................... 11.41 Knowledge of the judge ...................................................................................... 11.42 Crimes committed outside Iran ........................................................................... 11.48 Court documentation ........................................................................................... 11.49 Summonses ....................................................................................................... 11.49 Arrest warrants ................................................................................................... 11.57 Reporting ............................................................................................................ 11.61 Court verdicts and issuance/enforcement of judgments ..................................... 11.62 12. ARREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS .................................................................. 12.01 13. PRISON CONDITIONS ................................................................................................. 13.01 14. DEATH PENALTY ....................................................................................................... 14.01 Stoning .................................................................................................................. 14.12 15. POLITICAL AFFILIATION ............................................................................................. 15.01 Freedom of political expression .......................................................................... 15.01 Events during and after the 2009 Presidential elections ..................................... 15.07 Political dissidents outside Iran ......................................................................... 15.20 Political prisoners and prisoners of conscience .................................................. 15.29 Freedom of association and assembly ............................................................... 15.34 Opposition groups and political activists .......................................................... 15.41 Green Movement ............................................................................................... 15.45 Student activists ................................................................................................ 15.53 Mojahedin-e Khalq Organisation (MEK/MKO) (aka People‘s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI) or Holy Warriors of the People) ............ 15.64 People‘s Resistance Movement of Iran (PMRI) aka Jundallah .......................... 15.75 Kurdish political parties: ..................................................................................... 15.87 Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI, also DPIK) ...................................... 15.88 Komala [Komalah, Komaleh] .......................................................................... 15.92 Partiya Jiyana Azada Kurdistan (PJAK) aka Kurdistan Free Life Party or Party of Free Life of Iranian Kurdistan............................................................ 15.97 16. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA ............................................................................... 16.01 Overview ............................................................................................................... 16.01 Print media ...........................................................................................................