Weekly Rights Podcast 31

In this week’s Weekly Rights Podcast: seven political prisoners from Evin Prison’s Ward 350 were allowed a short furlough to observe a religious holiday; the sister of Fatemeh Rahnama spoke with the Campaign about Rahnama’s conditions in prison; judiciary officials have maintained their silence about group executions carried out in prisons throughout Iran; Iranian member of parliament Nayereh Akhavan makes public statements supporting public executions; photojournalist Maryam Majd was released on bail until her court date after spending nearly a month in prison; the Right to Education Council released a statement denouncing the arrest of students and bans on continuing or beginning higher education; a member of parliament in the UK, Roger Gale, called upon the United States to protect Iranian citizens in Camp Ashraf, Iraq.

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Seven Political Prisoners Given Short Furlough; Hundreds More Remain in Prison

Seven prisoners in Evin Prison’s Ward 350 were allowed short furlough on 16 July on for the observance of a religious holiday. The prisoners were: Bahareh Hedayat; Mahdieh Golroo; Behzad Nabavi; Mohsen Mirdamadi; Feizollah Arabsorkhi; Abdollah Ramezanzadeh; Javad Emam; and Massoud Lavasani. No other political prisoners were allowed furlough from Rajaee Shahr Prison or prisons in other cities, however. Presently hundreds of political prisoners are inside Evin Prison.

Weekly Rights Podcast 24

In this week’s ‘Weekly Rights Podcast’: the Pen American Center honors Nasrin Sotoudeh with their Freedom to Write award for her human rights work; Camp Ashraf in Iraq, home to roughly 3500 members of the People’s Mujahideen, came under attack by the Iraqi military on April 8; Seyed Hashem Khastar, a prisoner in Vakilabad Prison, wrote a letter to the Head of the Judiciary demanding an end to mass executions in Vakilabad while describing inhumane conditions and overcrowding; lawyer and professor at Allameh Tabatabaee University Mohammad Sharif has been unfairly dismissed from his position due to his human rights work; Maz Jobrani sends a birthday message to imprisoned student activist Bahareh Hedayat; Iranian authorities have blocked Narges Mohammadi from contacting her husband Taghi Rahmani in prison; and the editor of Saham News’ website, Mohammad Davari, is suffering serious medical issues in prison while being denied family visits in prison.

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Maz Jobrani Sends Birthday Message to Bahareh Hedayat

Iranian American comedian Maz Jobrani, best known for the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, sent a birthday message to imprisoned student activist to Bahareh Hedayat. Jobrani told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that he hopes Hedayat is released soon.

Campaign for the Release of Imprisoned Student Activist Bahareh Hedayat

A group of student, women, and human rights activists have formed a campaign in support of student activist Bahareh Hedayat, who is currently serving a nine and a half year prison sentence at Evin Prison. The group is calling on the Iranian government to release her immediately. The individuals who formed campaign have stated that their goal is “to bring the attention of student bodies, world statesmen, and human rights organizations” to the special circumstances of this political prisoner, which according to the campaign, “has been imprisoned because of her courageous criticisms.”

Imprisoned Female Student Activists Denied Visitation Rights Again

In an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Mehdi Lalipour, husband of imprisoned student activist and member of the Right to Education Council, Mahdieh Golroo, said that starting this week, both Golroo and Bahareh Hedayat have been barred from having visitors in Evin Prison. After a whole month of being deprived the right to have visitors Golroo and Hedayat were allowed to visit with their families through booths last week, but were once again barred from visits through a new order from the Prosecutor.

Massoud Bastani: 500 Days in Prison Without a Single Hour of Furlough

Five hundred days have passed since journalist Massoud Bastani was arrested and imprisoned. His wife, Mahsa Amrabadi, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that she hopes her husband will be allowed furlough and that his situation will improve if a UN Human Rights Commission envoy is dispatched to Iran.

Ahmadinejad’s Media Blitz Unfolds as Young Activists Receive Harsh Sentences

While Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has proclaimed Iran’s respect for human rights and freedoms during his current New York media blitz, several prominent young Iranian students, human rights defenders, and journalists received harsh jail sentences in recent days, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said today.

In several cases, young Iranians have been jailed for “insulting the President,” the Campaign emphasized. Overall, at least 500 prisoners of conscience are held in Iranian jails.

No Information About Detained Women’s Rights Activist

(21 January 2010) Iranian judicial and prison authorities have refused to release any information about charges against women’s rights activist Somayeh Rashidi (24), who was arrested on 19 December 2009, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported today.

During the past two months, over a thousand people have been detained through the use of a blanket detention order, which is effectively a license for security and intelligence agents to arrest anyone at will. Hundreds of these detainees, similar to Somayeh Rashidi, have disappeared into Iranian prisons without any information available to their families or lawyers.