Monday 4 February 2008

Preliminary News Update VI


Jan. 29, 20081-
On 25 Jan. Mortezaa Baagheri, Peymaan Baraabar, Ahmad Moraadi, Arshiaa Haashemi, Elnaaz Aazari (female), Yaaser Mandi, and Zohre Saalaari (female), students of Maazabdaraan University, were kidnapped and taken to an unknown place.2- There’s no trace of the whereabouts of Sarah Khademi.3- horrific news of torture are leaking out, as the students are under intense torture to “confess” their “crimes” on TV.3- Behruz Karimizade’s family has reported on a deep wound on his right arm, plus quite a few other injuries all over his body.4- Peymaan Piraan’s shoulder has been broken.4- Amin Ghazaa’i, Sa’id Habibi, Bijan Sabbaagh, and Soroosh Dashtestaani have been reported to be under intense, almost around the clock, interrogation and torture. Sa’id Habibi is still held in solitary confinement. So far he has been allowed only one phone call home.5- Several students have been in such bad shapes that had to be taken to hospital.6- Families have been threatened that should they try to spread the news of the conditions inside the prison, they will face the same fate.7- Bails continue to be set at extortionate levels. Amir Elyaasi was released on a bail of $50,000. The preliminary court set the bail for Sa’id Aghaamali 10 days ago at $100,000. His family has been unable to raise the money and, as a result, he is still in detention. The record bail so far has been that of Behruz Safshekan, who was released on a bail of $150,000. Even Meysam Rashidi who was acquitted of all charges after 45 days in detention was released on bail; lest he commits crimes in the future!

Friday 1 February 2008

Preliminary Update V

Jan. 29, 2008


1- On 25 Jan. 7 students, 2 of the females have been arrested and taken to an unknown place.

2- There’s no trace of the whereabouts of Sarah Khademi.

3- Behruz Karimizade’s family has reported on a deep wound on his right arm, plus quite a few other injuries all over his body. 3- Peymaan Piraan’s shoulder has been broken.

4- Amin Ghazaa’i, Sa’id Habibi, Bijan Sabbaagh, and Soroosh Dashtestaani have been reported to be under intense interrogation and torture. Sa’id Habibi is still held in solitary confinement. So far he has been allowed only one phone call home.

5- Several students have been in such bad shapes that had to be taken to hospital.

6- Families have been threatened that they should await the same fate, should they try to spread the news of the conditions in the prison.

7- Bails continue to be set at extortionate levels. Amir Elyaasi was released on a bail of $50,000. The preliminary court set the bail for Sa’id Aghaamali 10 days ago at $100,000. His family has been unable to raise the money and, as a result, he is still in detention. The record bail so far has been that of Behruz Safshekan, who was released on a bail of $150,000. Even Meysam Rashidi who was acquitted of all charges after 45 days in detention was released on bail; lest he commits crimes in the future!

Thursday 31 January 2008

Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners in IranEndorses the International Week of Action for the release of the jailed students in Iran

We are in receipt of a declaration by a group of families of the jailed students in Iran and groups of students at Alaame University, Polytechnic, Chamraan University in Ahvaaz, Baahonar University in Shiraz, and Mashad University, in which they have called the week of Feb. 2 to Feb. 9 the International Week of Action against the detention of students in Iran.

In the process of organizing, holding, and ever since the protest actions on the occasion of Student Day (December 7) in Iran, dozens of students have been arrested. According to the list produced by the families of the jailed students in their declaration, there were 45 of them in prison. The number of detainees keeps changing, as new arrests are being made and a few released have been made on extortionate bails ranging from $30,000 to $150,000. It is estimated that fifty-odd students are now being held in notorious prisons of the Islamic regime. In addition to students, hundreds of libertarians and rights activists are languishing in the jails of the regime.

The gates of those jails must be broken down. The ruling brutes in Iran must be forced to retreat. Let us make the week of Feb. 2 to Feb. 9 into a week of campaign for the freedom of the jailed students as well as all political prisoners in Iran.

We urge all the working and libertarian people in Iran and across the world to come out in full support of the call by the families of the detained students and various groups of students in Iran and do their best for the immediate and unconditional release of the jailed students.

Committee for Freedom of Political Prisoners in Iran
Contact: Shahla Daneshfar shahla_daneshfar@yahoo.com
Jan. 27, 2008

Wednesday 30 January 2008

Till alla individer, organisationer och institutioner som stödjer frihet och mänskliga rättigheter i Iran och i världen.

Under den senaste en och en halv månad har ett stort antal universitetsstuderande gripits på universitet runtom i Iran vars ”brott” har varit att försvara mänskliga rättigheter och humanistiska värderingar genom att organisera eller delta i aktioner 7 december (studenternas dag). De är nu tillfångatagna och utsätts för våld. Under denna period har en del av deras föräldrar endast fått tillgång till ett kort besök med sina barn. De har även under den här tiden varit under ständig emotionell stress, medan de under tiden har ett antal gånger protesterat mot deras söners och döttrars tillfångatagande och krävt deras frihet.

Ändå, trots alla protester och krav att frige studenterna, är fortfarande ett stort antal kvarhållna i fångenskap under inhumana omständigheter. Några av dem har inte ens fått tillåtelse till att få träffa sina familjer, inte ens ett telefonsamtal.

Härmed ber vi dig frihetsälskande människa, i och utanför Iran, och alla institutioner och organisationer som försvarar frihet runtom i världen, att fortsätta med era aktioner och, vidare, att delta i den Internationella Veckan för att fria Studenterna i Iran (2 till 9 februari 2008), och aktivt demonstrera er protest mot studenternas tillfångatagande och misshandel. Att fira den nationella studentdagen är varje students rättighet, alla tillfångatagna studenter måste friges omedelbart och villkorslöst.

Vänligen skicka era supportbrev till: studentsfreedom@gmail.com .

Weblog: http://studentsfreedom-campaign.blogspot.com/

Undertecknat av en grupp föräldrar till fångna studenter;
En grupp studenter på Allaameh Universitet, Polytechnic, Chamraan University (Ahvaz), Baahonar Universitet (Shiraz), University of Mashad.

Tillfångatagna studenters namn:
1- Ali Salem (Masters of Polymers – Polytechnic)
2- Bita Samimizade
3- Morteza Khedmatlou
4- Yaser Pir Hayati -Sadra– (Shahed University)
5- Mehdi Gerayloo (Geophysics, Tehran)
6- Bijan Sabagh
7- mosi shirvani
8- Soroosh Dashtestani
9- Nader Ahsani (Mazandaran University)
10-Sayid Habibi (ex-member of the Central Council of Advare Tahkim Vahdat)
11- Behrooz Karimi-zade (Tehran University)
12- Keyvan Amiri Elyasi (Masters, Industry, Sharif Technical University)
13- Nasim Soltan Beygi (Communications faculty, Alame)
14- Mahsa Mohebbi
15- Okhtay Hosseni (Azad University)
16- Sayid Agham Ali
17- Behzad Bagheri (Tehran University)
18- Ali Kalayi
19- Amin Ghazaee
20- Hadi Salari(Rjaee University)
21- Mohammad Porabdolah
22- Amir Aghayi(Rajaee University)
23- Soroosh Hashempoor (Chamran University)
24- Mehdi Alahyari(Sharif University)
25- Bahram Shojaee(Tehran Azad University)
26- Abed Tavanche
27- Saeed Aqakhani
28- Peyman Piran
29- Majid Ashrafnejad (Rjaee University
30- Mohammad Salehe Iuman
31- Sohrab Karimi
32- Farshad Dostipor
33- Javad Alizade
34-Morteza Eslahchi
35-Anahita Hoseini
36- Soroosh Sabet
37- farzad hasan zade
38- mohammad zeraati
39- Ronak Saffarzadeh
40- Yaser Goli
41- Hana Abdi
42- Sabah Nasri
43- Hedayat Ghazali
44- Ahmad Ghasaban
45- Ehsan Mansori
Majid Tavakoli 46-

A toute personne, organisation et institution défendant la liberté et les droits de l’homme en Iran et dans le monde

Durant le mois et demi précédent, un grand nombre d’étudiants ont été arrêtés dans les universités ou dans les villes un peu partout en Iran. Leur « crime » est d’avoir défendu les droits de l’homme et les valeurs humanistes en organisant ou en prenant part aux actions du 7 décembre, journée de l’Etudiant.
Ils ont été le plus souvent jetés en prison où ils endurent différentes formes de mauvais traitement. Depuis, leurs familles n’ont été autorisées à leur rendre qu’une seule courte visite. Elles vivent dans une angoisse permanente, après avoir protesté plusieurs fois contre la détention de leurs filles ou fils et demandé plusieurs fois leur libération.

Aujourd’hui, malgré tous les efforts faits pour libérer les étudiants emprisonnés, un grand nombre d’entre eux sont toujours détenus dans des conditions inhumaines en cellule d’isolement, et certains d’entre eux n’ont toujours pas été autorisés ni à voir leur familles ni même à avoir le droit à un seul appel téléphonique.

Nous faisons appel à vous qui êtes épris de liberté en Iran comme en dehors de l’Iran, à toutes les institutions et organisations défendant la liberté dans le monde, pour poursuivre vos démarches et, au-delà, participer à la semaine d’action internationale pour la libération des étudiants emprisonnés en Iran ( du 2 au 9 février 2008 ) en manifestant activement votre condamnation de l’emprisonnement de ces étudiants et des mauvais traitements qu’ils subissent. Célébrer la journée nationale de l’Etudiant du 7 décembre est un droit pour les étudiants et tous les étudiants emprisonnés doivent être immédiatement et inconditionnellement libérés.

Envoyez vos lettres et messages de soutien à : studentsfreedom@gmail.com

Webblog : http://studentsfreedom-campaign.blogspot.com/

Appel signé par un groupe de parents des étudiants emprisonnés.

Liste des 52 étudiants emprisonnés :
Ali Salem(cinhcetyloP-Masters of Polymers), Moshen Ghamin( Polytechnic University), Shekan-Roozbe Saf(Teheran University), Sadra-Yaser Pir Hayati( Shahed University), Milad Omrani, Azadbar Anooshe(Teheran University), Elnaz Jamshidi ( Central Teheran, Azad University, Communications ), Mehdi Gerayloo (Teheran Geophysics ), Nader Ashani ( Mazandaran University ), Sayid Habibi ( member of the Central Council of Advare Tahkim Vahat-ex ), zade-Behrooz Karimi ( Teheran University ), Keyvan Amiri Elyasi ( Industry Masters ), Nasim Soltan Beyi (Sharif Technical University, Alame, Communications faculty ), Masha Mohebbi, Okhtay Hosseini ( Azad University ), Sayid Agham Ali, Behzad Bagheri ( Teheran University ), Amir Mehrzad, Hadi Salari ( Rjaee University ), Farshid Farhadi Ahangaran ( Rajaee University ), Amir Aghayi ( Rjaee University ), Soroosh Hashempoor ( Chamran University ), Mehdi Alahyari ( arif University ), Bahram Shojaee ( Teheran Azad University ), Abed Tavanche, Saeed Aqakhani, Peyman Piran, Majid Ashrafnejad ( Rjaee University), Mohammad Salehe Iuman, Sohrab Karimi, Farshad Dostipor, Javad Alizade, Eslahchi Morteza, Anahita Hoseini, Soroosh Sabet, Mohammad Porabdolah, Amin Ghazaee, Soroosh Dashtestani, Bijan Sabagh, Bita Samimi Zad, Kaveh Abaseian, Morteza Khedmatlou, Si Sirvaniom, Yaser Goli, Hana Abdi, Ronak Saffarzadeh, Sabah Nasri, Hedayat Ghazali, Ahmad Ghasaban, Ehsan Mansori, Majid Tavakoli.

free

ali kalayee


anoushe azadbar



victoria jamshidi

ali salem

amir mehrzad

mohsen ghamin

rouzbe safshekan

rouzbahan amiri


nasim soltanbeygi

hadi salari


yunes mirhosseyni

arash pakzad

milad moini


behrang zandi

hassan moarefi


milad omrani

hamed mohammadi

farshid farhadi ahangarani


Monday 28 January 2008

news/ Update IV

Jan. 23, 2008

1- The following quotation is just the opening section of what you can read about the death of Ebrahim Lotfollaahi, student in Sanadaj, Kurdistan, Iran, in Human Rights Watch site (http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/01/18/iran17819.htm). As you can read below, it’s not yet known what charges were brought against Ebrahim:

Ebrahim Lotfallahi, 27, died in the detention center in Sanandaj sometime between January 9 and January 15.

Zahra Bani-Ameri, a 27-year-old female physician, died in October while in custody in the town of Hamedan. In both cases, officials claimed the cause of death was suicide... On October 12, 2007, police and security forces arrested Bani-Ameri and her fiancé in a public park in the city of Hamedan on charges of having an “illegal relationship.” According to Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, “immoral” relationships between men and women who are not married may be subject to criminal punishment.
“The sudden death in detention of two apparently healthy young people is extremely alarming,” said Joe Stork, Middle East deputy director at Human Rights Watch. “The government only heightens our concern by quickly dismissing them as suicides.”
Security forces arrested Lotfallahi on January 6, 2008 as he was leaving the Sanandaj campus of Payam Noor University. Lotfallahi’s family does not know what charges, if any, the authorities had brought against him. Three days after his arrest, Lotfallahi’s family visited him in the Sanandaj detention center. His brother told Human Rights Watch that Lotfallahi was in good spirits and seemed
fine at the time of the visit.
On January 15, officials from the detention center contacted Lotfallahi’s parents and informed them that they had buried their son in a local cemetery. The officials claimed that Lotfallahi had committed suicide in his cell.

2- The number of the jailed students keeps changing. Out of the original 47 students, 16 were supposed to be released after a couple of weeks, but then the authorities at the Ministry of Intelligence opposed the judiciary decision and did not let the order be implemented.

3- On the night of Jan. 22, another group of 10 students were arrested. In total, after 53 days of detention, only 6 have been released on bail. It is, therefore, safe to say that the current number of detainees is around 50 at this moment.

4- The names of the 10 recently arrested students are as follows: Soroosh Dashtestaani; Amin Ghazaa’i; Bijan Saabaagh; Aanaahita Hoseini (female); Morteza Khedmatloo; Mohammad Poorabdollaah; Bita Samimi (female); Behzaad Bagheri; Soroosh Saabet; Mortezaa Eslaahchi. After a week in detention, only two of them, Bijan Sabbaagh and Soroosh Dashtestaani, were allowed a phone call home. On Jan. 22, their families could only get them some money and clothing items through the prison authorities.

5- As for the charges brought against the students, the students’ lawyer, Naser Zarafshaan, said in an interview with Deutsche Welle (Voice of Germany), ‘the charge is the same 70-year-old, ambiguous cliché of “acting against national security” that has been there ever since the beginning of the reign of Reza Shah [the last depose Shah’s father], which has never even been concretely defined.’ On this point, we call your attention to the 51-page long report by Human Rights Watch, dated Jan. 1, 2008, entitled You Can Detain Anyone for Anything; Iran’s Broadening Clampdown on Independent Activism, available in English and Farsi on the organizations site: http://hrw.org/reports/2008/iran0108/

6- Setting extortionate bails for the temporary release of students is still underway. One of the student detainees, Behrooz Safshekan, was released on a bail of $150,000. On Jan. 20th, three students were released on bails of $80.000, $30,000, and $50,000. Ilnaaz Jamshidi, a female student activist, was released on a bail of $100,000 on Jan.22, after more than 50 days in detention. On Jan. 23, Milaad Omraani was released on a bail of $100,000. The family of Nasim Soltaanbeygi has stated that they cannot afford the $50,000 bail for the release of their daughter.

7- The students’ lawyer, Naser Zarafshaan, told VOG reporter that such ridiculous bails are demanded of students, whose only ‘crime’ is criticizing the government, ‘in a country where a murderer can pay the family of the deceased the sum of only $33,000 as blood money and be home free!’

8- Two students, Sa’id Habibi and Sohrab Karimi, who have been in detention for over 50 days have not yet been allowed to even call their parents.

9- Naader Ahsaani was supposed to meet with his family yesterday, Jan. 22, but, as reported by the student site Voice of University (VOA)
(http://avayedaneshgah1.blogfa.com/8611.aspx) his sister, while obviously concerned about her brother’s situation, said, ‘we went to Evin again today. But, his name was not in the list of those allowed visitation. We objected, saying that we are in total dark as far as his condition. The answer we got from the officers was, ‘he’s resisted his interrogator. That’s why he’s been denied the right to meet with or call his family.’

10- As for the charges brought against the students, the students’ lawyer, Naser Zarafshaan, said in the above-mentioned interview, ‘the charge is the same 70-year-old, undefined cliché of “acting against national security” that has been there ever since the beginning of the reign of Reza Shah [the last depose Shah’s father].’

11- Security forces dispersed the crowds participating in Ebrahim Lotfollaahi’s memorial (see 1 above), organized by activists, especially student activists, in Sanandaj. It was planned to be held on Monday, Jan. 21, 2008.


A very significant point to be added is that in this year’s protest actions of socialist student on Students’ Day female students took part on an unprecedented scale, several of whom as organizers, speakers, as a result of which several of them are among the detainees.