While the Coronavirus has been ravaging in various provinces across Iran, the regime\u2019s security and judicial apparatus have heightened their persecution of minorities and political and civil rights activists.<\/p>\n
In May, many prisoners who were temporarily released have once again been returned to prison, aggravating the already horrid conditions in Iran\u2019s notorious prisons.<\/p>\n
This is while there have been several cases of COVID-19 contagions, and even deaths from the virus in various Iranian prisons including Qarchak Prison, Urmia Central Prison, Sheiban Prison, Tehran\u2019s Evin Prison, the Greater Tehran Penitentiary, and Mashhad\u2019s Vakilabad Prison in northeastern Iran.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Prison sentences and arrests<\/strong><\/p>\n There have been reports on numerous rights activists, lawyers and peaceful protesters who got imprisoned or brutalized in prison during the month of May. Some were handed down heavy sentences and others transferred to prison to serve their sentences.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>An appeals court sentenced Nasrin Javadi, a retired worker to five years in prison. She was\u00a0initially sentenced<\/a>\u00a0to seven years in prison and 74 lashes. She was arrested on May 1, 2019, while attending a peaceful International Workers\u2019 Day gathering\u00a0in the capital.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Prison, flogging for protesting Iran\u2019s downing of Ukrainian passenger plane<\/strong><\/p>\n The Iranian regime has\u00a0sentenced several people to prison<\/a>\u00a0and lashes for protesting Iran\u2019s downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane.<\/p>\n So far more than 16 protesters have been handed prison and flogging sentences in Amol alone. They had been arrested by the IRGC\u2019s Intelligence Organization on January 12, 2020, in the city\u2019s main square where they had gathered to commemorate the victims.<\/p>\n They included Shora Fekri, Mohsen Rezaei, Meysam Khalili, Mehdi Raei and Salman Farrokhi, who on April 24 were sentenced to five months each in prison for \u201cpropaganda against the state\u201d by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court in Amol presided by Judge Morteza Mahdavi.<\/p>\n Eleven others \u2013 Amin Forouhi, Ali Shokri, Azadeh Javani, Aydin Javani, Ayda Javani, Alireza Mohammadnejad, Fereshteh Mahmoudi, Hossein Mostafania, Meysam Khodabandehlou, Hamid Mohammadi Irani and Mohammad Reza Shojaei \u2013 were sentenced to eight months each in prison for \u201cpropaganda against the state\u201d by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court and an additional five months in prison and 20 lashes each ordered by the Criminal Court in Amol for \u201cdisturbing order.\u201d The sentence issued by the Criminal Court has been suspended for one year.<\/p>\n All 16 individuals were denied legal counsel during their trials.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n New Wave of arbitrary Arrests<\/strong><\/p>\n In a\u00a0new wave of crackdown<\/a>\u00a0in Iran, the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and the IRGC Intelligence Organization have begun arresting and summoning large numbers of young activists, especially the families and supporters of the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK).<\/p>\n Many have been sent to prisons, and some have been temporarily released on bail while signing a form pledging not to participate in any anti-regime activities.<\/p>\n Among those arrested were\u00a0Ali Younesi and Amir-Hossein Moradi<\/a>, award-winning students at Sharif University of Technology, who have been arrested and detained on trumped up charges of having ties with the PMOI\/MEK.<\/p>\n Amnesty\u00a0International on May 12, called<\/a>\u00a0Ali Younesi a \u201cprisoner of conscience targeted solely for his family ties\u201d and warning that he is \u201cat risk of torture or other ill-treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n In a statement on May 24, the NCRI, disclosed that MOIS and IRGC Intelligence Organization had arrested it\u2019s supporters in Tehran, Mashhad, Neyshabur, Kermanshah, Sabzevar, Arak, Kashan, Mahshahr, Bushehr, Marvdasht, Amol, Ahvaz, Andimeshk, Rasht, Behbahan, Isfahan, Gorgan, Karaj, Tabriz, and Shiraz.<\/p>\n NCRI said: \u201cMOIS, IRGC or their plainclothes agents raid people\u2019s homes or offices and beat up those detained. They also confiscated the victims\u2019 phones, computers, and many of their personal belongings and valuable items.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Persecution of religious minorities<\/strong><\/p>\n The Iranian regime has increased its persecution of Iranian religious minorities.\u00a0Human rights groups have reported that despite the raging coronavirus crisis, several members of Iran\u2019s religious minorities have been summoned, interrogated, and arrested.<\/p>\n While the Coronavirus has been ravaging in various provinces across Iran, the regime\u2019s security and judicial apparatus have heightened their persecution of minorities and political and civil rights activists.<\/p>\n In May, many prisoners who were temporarily released have once again been returned to prison, aggravating the already horrid conditions in Iran\u2019s notorious prisons.<\/p>\n This is while there have been several cases of COVID-19 contagions, and even deaths from the virus in various Iranian prisons including Qarchak Prison, Urmia Central Prison, Sheiban Prison, Tehran\u2019s Evin Prison, the Greater Tehran Penitentiary, and Mashhad\u2019s Vakilabad Prison in northeastern Iran.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Prison sentences and arrests<\/strong><\/p>\n There have been reports on numerous rights activists, lawyers and peaceful protesters who got imprisoned or brutalized in prison during the month of May. Some were handed down heavy sentences and others transferred to prison to serve their sentences.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>An appeals court sentenced Nasrin Javadi, a retired worker to five years in prison. She was\u00a0initially sentenced<\/a>\u00a0to seven years in prison and 74 lashes. She was arrested on May 1, 2019, while attending a peaceful International Workers\u2019 Day gathering\u00a0in the capital.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Prison, flogging for protesting Iran\u2019s downing of Ukrainian passenger plane<\/strong><\/p>\n The Iranian regime has\u00a0sentenced several people to prison<\/a>\u00a0and lashes for protesting Iran\u2019s downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane.<\/p>\n So far more than 16 protesters have been handed prison and flogging sentences in Amol alone. They had been arrested by the IRGC\u2019s Intelligence Organization on January 12, 2020, in the city\u2019s main square where they had gathered to commemorate the victims.<\/p>\n They included Shora Fekri, Mohsen Rezaei, Meysam Khalili, Mehdi Raei and Salman Farrokhi, who on April 24 were sentenced to five months each in prison for \u201cpropaganda against the state\u201d by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court in Amol presided by Judge Morteza Mahdavi.<\/p>\n Eleven others \u2013 Amin Forouhi, Ali Shokri, Azadeh Javani, Aydin Javani, Ayda Javani, Alireza Mohammadnejad, Fereshteh Mahmoudi, Hossein Mostafania, Meysam Khodabandehlou, Hamid Mohammadi Irani and Mohammad Reza Shojaei \u2013 were sentenced to eight months each in prison for \u201cpropaganda against the state\u201d by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court and an additional five months in prison and 20 lashes each ordered by the Criminal Court in Amol for \u201cdisturbing order.\u201d The sentence issued by the Criminal Court has been suspended for one year.<\/p>\n All 16 individuals were denied legal counsel during their trials.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n New Wave of arbitrary Arrests<\/strong><\/p>\n In a\u00a0new wave of crackdown<\/a>\u00a0in Iran, the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and the IRGC Intelligence Organization have begun arresting and summoning large numbers of young activists, especially the families and supporters of the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK).<\/p>\n Many have been sent to prisons, and some have been temporarily released on bail while signing a form pledging not to participate in any anti-regime activities.<\/p>\n Among those arrested were\u00a0Ali Younesi and Amir-Hossein Moradi<\/a>, award-winning students at Sharif University of Technology, who have been arrested and detained on trumped up charges of having ties with the PMOI\/MEK.<\/p>\n Amnesty\u00a0International on May 12, called<\/a>\u00a0Ali Younesi a \u201cprisoner of conscience targeted solely for his family ties\u201d and warning that he is \u201cat risk of torture or other ill-treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n In a statement on May 24, the NCRI, disclosed that MOIS and IRGC Intelligence Organization had arrested it\u2019s supporters in Tehran, Mashhad, Neyshabur, Kermanshah, Sabzevar, Arak, Kashan, Mahshahr, Bushehr, Marvdasht, Amol, Ahvaz, Andimeshk, Rasht, Behbahan, Isfahan, Gorgan, Karaj, Tabriz, and Shiraz.<\/p>\n NCRI said: \u201cMOIS, IRGC or their plainclothes agents raid people\u2019s homes or offices and beat up those detained. They also confiscated the victims\u2019 phones, computers, and many of their personal belongings and valuable items.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Persecution of religious minorities<\/strong><\/p>\n The Iranian regime has increased its persecution of Iranian religious minorities.\u00a0Human rights groups have reported that despite the raging coronavirus crisis, several members of Iran\u2019s religious minorities have been summoned, interrogated, and arrested.<\/p>\n\n
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