Extensive efforts to make television documentary about the imprisoned Baha’i citizens in Semnan

Committee of Human Rights Reporters – In the past weeks Semnan security agents have made efforts to make a documentary about Baha’i prisoners. The agents showed up at the prison courtyard and claiming to be with Press TV, they asked the prisoners to conduct interviews. The Baha’i prisoners refused to speak on camera and that afternoon they were transferred to the courtyard again with demands that they grant individual interviews, which they again refused. The camera crew then went to the visiting area of the prison facility in order to film and attempt interviews with family members.

According to news obtained by CHRR, the camera crew asked one Baha’i prisoner about abuse while pointing out that there were no signs of torture on his face. In the past days the camera crew from the Ministry of Intelligence visited the work places of Baha’i citizens and asked to take video and conduct interviews while claiming to be with the Interior Ministry investigating issues the citizens might have.

Other sources have reported that 4 of the prisoners were transferred to the place of worship at the prison facility in order to conduct interviews. First the interviewers introduced themselves as members of the judiciary, and later they claimed to be with the news network of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Taher Eskandarian, Afrasiab Sobhani, Akbar Pourhosseini, Arfan Ehsani, Edalat Firouzian, Goudarz Beydaghi, Nader Kasai, Jinous Nourani, Rofia Beydaghi, Anisa Fanaiyan, Taraneh Tarabi and Zohreh Nikayin are among Baha’i prisoners who were detained in the past year. The 5 and 11-month-old babies of the last 2 women mentioned are in Semnan prison with their mothers. Others transferred earlier to Semnan prison are Bahfar Khanjani, Afshin Ighani and Siyamak Ighani.

During the past few months, security agents have subjected Baha’i citizens and prisoners to unprecedented heavier pressures. The mistreatments include multiple arbitrary arrests, heavy judicial sentences, denial of basic rights and additional taunting of the followers of the Baha’i faith incarcerated in Semnan prison.

According to reliable information received by CHRR, the heightened pressure and harassment is directly linked to members of the Semnan Security Council, presently consisting of Mr. Rahi, the Governor of Semnan, the Governor of the city; Mr. Shahcheraghi, the Friday Imam; Mr. Siavash Pour, the Chief Minister of Justice; Mr. Heydar Asyabi, the Attorney General, and Colonel Soleimani the Chief of Police of the province who hold regular meetings at the offices of the Semnan Ministry of Justice.

Baha’i citizens have been deprived of their basic rights and subjected to various forms of abuse during the past years including closure of bank accounts, shops and workshops, revoking business and drivers licenses, setting fire to residences and shops in 2009, breaking the glass of automobiles, destroying property and residences by attacking with wood and stone, bulldozing gravesites and setting fire to places of worship, destruction of dams and cutting off water supplies to agricultural properties resulting in dried fields and gardens.

In a recent incident on November 29th 2012, for the second time agents visited the shop of Akbar Pourhosseini, a Baha’i citizen and using the excuse that he was not in possession of a Green Card they confiscated nearly two hundred million tomans worth of assets. This is despite the fact that a Green Card is to be provided by the importer of the goods not the seller. The shop owner Akbar Pourhosseini had been detained earlier and after spending time behind bars, he was sentenced to 2 years and 3 months in prison and he now awaits the ruling of the appellate court.

Extensive efforts to make television documentary about the imprisoned Baha’i citizens in Semnan

Ali Tavakoli about his brother, student activist Majid Tavakoli

Ali Tavakoli:
(posted on facebook wall 12/14/12)My mother called me at my workplace, she was so happy and said, “Ali, Majid called a few minutes ago and spoke to your father and I.”She was happier than when we were told Majid would be released on bail (because despite the fact that our family did not believe they would release Majid as promised, we produced the bail money with the help of friends).

My mother says, “Just hearing Majid’s voice is enough for me.”

: علی توکلی
مادرم زنگ زد به محل کارم خیلی خوشحال بود،گفت : علی مجید زنگ زد و چند دقیقه با من و پدرت صحبت کرد . این خوشحالی از زمانی که گفتند وثیقه بگذارید هم بیشتر بود (چون کل خانواده باور نداشتیم به مجید مرخصی بدهند هرچند با کمک چند تن از دوستان وثیقه را هم تهیه کردیم) مادرم می گوید همینه که صدای مجید را بشنم برایم کافی است

Majid Tavakoli

Majid Tavakoli

The honor of the Student Movement
is imprinted in every single one of our hearts
And in the near future
history will mark your name
as the hero of Iran’s Student Movement
and print your name in all its books

Saeed Haeri transferred behind bars to serve his 2-year prison sentence

Committee of Human Rights Reporters –  Former member of CHRR and leftist activist Saeed Haeri was transferred to Evin prison this morning to serve his 2-year prison sentence.

Saeed Haeri was detained by agents of the Intelligence Ministry on December 20, 2009, along with other members of Committee of Human Rights Reporters, Kouhyar Goudarzi and Shiva Nazarahari. They were with a group on their way to Qom to participate in the burial ceremony of the late Ayatollah Montazeri. Saeed Haeri was released on 100 million toman bail after enduring 80 days in confinement.

In September 2010 Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court presided by Judge Pir Abassi sentenced this human rights activist to 2 years and 6 months in prison and 74 lashes on charges of “disturbing public order” and “illegal assembly and collusion.” The court of appeals later reduced the sentence to a 2-year prison term.

After receiving 4 successive summons to appear at Evin prison and letters sent to the bail guarantor, Saeed Haeri presented himself at Evin this morning to begin serving his 2-year sentence behind bars.

Student activist Saeed Haeri is a philosophy student at Islamic Azad University North Tehran Branch. As editor of the university’s Philosophical Society, he has written numerous articles about labor, student, and children’s rights. During the election year of 2009 and the aftermath of the disputed election results, Haeri worked as a member of the Committee of Civil Rights for Mehdi Karroubi’s campaign.

There are now 4 present and former members of CHRR spending prison terms behind bars; ShivaNazarahahri, Saeed Jalalifar, Navid Khanjani, and Saeed Haeri. In September 2012 the 5-year prison sentence in exile at the city of Zabol (border of Afghanistan) for Kouhyar Goudarzi, another member of CHRR, was upheld by the court of appeals.

CHRR

Saeed Haeri transferred behind bars to serve his 2-year prison sentence

Ban on visitations and threat of solitary confinement for refusing to wear prison uniforms

Committee of Human Rights Reporters – A 61-year old political prisoner who is inflicted with acute ear and kidney disease was threatened with solitary confinement, banned from going to the hospital for treatment and prohibited from his weekly visitation with his family.

This is the second time that Mohammad Saeimi is deprived of his right to medical care because of his refusal to wear a prison uniform or be hand cuffed. This political prisoner is in agonizing pain inflicted from heart disease, spinal cord, ear and kidney infections.

Assadollah Hadi is another political prisoner in Ward 350 at Evin prison who has been suffering from arteriosclerosis and heart disease. He was transferred to the prison infirmary several times with emergencies however he has been deprived of receiving adequate medical care putting his health at serious risk. Last week he was denied a necessary hospital transfer for the fourth time.

Another prisoner, Seyed Mohammad Ebrahimi, was not allowed a needed transfer to Imam Khomeini Hospital on November 20th, because he also refused to wear the prison uniform reserved for non-political prisoners. This prisoner suffers from acute respiratory and lung disease brought on by the abuse and torture he endured while being interrogated.

Prison officials recently ordered that political prisoners from Ward 350 are obligated to wear prison uniforms normally reserved for regular inmates. The political prisoners’ refusal to adhere to this new unmerited order has created a very worrisome situation for their health. This has caused great stress for their families whose loved ones are deprived of very needed medical attention.

Ban on visitations and threat of solitary confinement for refusing to wear prison uniforms

3 Baha’i citizens arrested in the city of Sari

Committee of Human Rights Reporters – Three Baha’i citizens by the names of Behzad Zabihi, Anvar Moslemi and Ashkan Zamani were detained on December 12th in the city of Sari.

Security agents raided the residence and work places of these 3 Baha’i citizens and conducted a search and seizure, confiscating items such as books and CD’s. The 3 citizens were transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence.

Behzad Zabiji had previously been arrested in March 2011 and was later released on bail. Anvar Moslemi had previously been arrested twice, on December 2008 and June 2009, and was sentenced to one-year in prison. Molsemi was released several months ago after completing his prison term behind bars.

Committee of Human Rights Reporters CHRR 

Mother of Majid Tavakoli: For 3 years I have waited in hopes of seeing my Majid

December 6^th of this year marks the 3^rd year that Majid Tavakoli, student activist at Amir Kabir University is behind bars serving his 8.5-year prison sentence. Judicial authorities recently refused to grant furlough despite the initial agreement to a 700 million-toman bail in September of this year.

Daneshjoonews has conducted an interview with Majid Tavakoli’s mother regarding this issue.

Due to her ailment Majid’s mother has not been able to travel from her city of residence, Shiraz to visit her son. She discussed how prison officials refused to accept warm clothes for her son. “They told us to bring warm clothes and we did that but they refused to accept the clothes. We sent his warm clothes from Shiraz to Rajai Shahr prison and they would not take them. We were extremely unnerved and upset. They tell us we must take warm clothes for him and when we do they refuse to receive the delivery. What is a prisoner to do over there, how is he supposed to get warm clothes? He will get sick. Who will take care of him?”

Mrs. Tavakoli continued, “If I could crawl all the way to see Majid I would do it. But what am I to do when I am sick. Who can answer me? Who can hear my roars and follow up for me? Who will hear my voice?”

There were times during the interview that Majid’s mother was so choked up she could not talk.

She said she is not upset about Majid’s imprisonment and she is very proud of him. “This is a mother’s heartache, a mother’s grief and suffering. I don’t know what to do. Who can I ask to come to my rescue? Does Majid who is behind bars serving his sentence ever get his right to make a call? Does he ever have a right to furlough? Does he have cabin visitations? His father is sick. His mother is sick. This is the torment I carry in my heart.

I am not upset that Majid is in prison, I am proud of my son. But they deprive him of his rights as a prisoner. He has the legal right to call his family, to have cabin visitations, to be granted furlough. But I don’t know why they will not allow it. I feel sorry for those in charge.”

Mrs. Tavakoli asks that since they have refused to grant Majid furlough on bail as they had promised, that they at least allow him to make phone calls to his family on visitation days.

Following is the full interview conducted by Daneshjoonews with Majid’s mother.

December 6^th of this year will mark the 3^rd year that Majid is in prison without his right to any furlough. Mrs. Tavakoli, please tell us briefly about how Majid is doing and if you have ever had the opportunity for visitation.

 

During the past 3 years Majid’s father and I have had no visitation because we are both very sick. His father is sick. I am sick. We have had no visitation. They took away his phone rights since February 2011. I have no news of him. His brother visits him about every 3 months.

We hear they blocked Majid from receiving his warm clothes

 

They told us to bring warm clothes and we did that but they refused to accept the clothes. We sent his warm clothes from Shiraz to Rajai Shahr prison and they would not take them. We were extremely unnerved and upset. They tell us we must take warm clothes for him and when we do they refuse to receive the delivery. What is a prisoner to do over there, how is he supposed to get warm clothes? He will get sick. Who will take care of him?

Considering the prison conditions are not good and cold weather is fast approaching, in your opinion why did they block Majid from receiving warm clothes?

They said they do not accept warm clothes that have zippers and are open, and will not accept his clothes. That is the extent of what they said and we really cannot figure out what the reasoning was.

In September of this year judicial authorities requested 600 million tomans in bail money to grant a few days furlough, but they later retracted. Why did they change their minds and did you take any action in response?

 

We provided the bail in September when they said Majid would be released on furlough. But then they didn’t grant him prison leave. We have no idea why and they never said anything about it to us. When we attempted to get information several times by contacting the prosecutor’s office, they would not respond to our inquiries.

Do you think this is related to Majid being awarded the 2012 Student Peace Prize?

 

I don’t know anything about this. I called them several times and they refused to give me any explanation. All they said was that they will follow up and that was all.

Mrs. Tavakoli what do you think could be the possible reason that there is constant opposition to Majid’s furlough so that after 3 years he has not had a single day of release?

I have no idea whatsoever what the reason is. Not once in the past 3 years have they shared with us why he has not been granted cabin visitation, any furlough, or the right to a phone call. Doesn’t every prisoner have the legal right to visitation, to call his family? Yet Majid is deprived of even these rights that are available to all the prisoners. They deprive only Majid from everything so that even his own warm clothes are withheld. I really don’t understand. I am sorry for their behavior I don’t know what to say. I am very sorry that a prisoner is deprived of his right to make a phone call, have visitations or furlough.

I

n god’s name I don’t know. We are a sick mother and a sick father. I am not physically capable of travelling for visitation. I do not ask them for much, just to at least on visitation days allow me to speak to Majid on the phone so I can visit him from afar. What difference does it make to them if I talk to him during visitation in prison or by a phone call since I am too sick to travel?

If I could crawl all the way to see Majid I would do it. But what am I to do when I am sick. Who can answer me? Who can hear my cries and follow up for me? Who will hear my voice?

I don’t know what to do; I swear I just don’t know what to do. Majid has gone through 3 years of prison without one day off on furlough; he has not had the right to a phone call since February 2011. Not one call to this sick mother who waits in desperation, counting the moments day and night, longing to hear the voice of her son. I have forgotten what he looks like. I swear I have forgotten. God I don’t know what I can do. I just don’t know who to share my suffering with.

This mother’s heartbreak, mother’s agony; I don’t know what to do. Who can I ask to come to my rescue? Does Majid who is behind bars serving his sentence ever get his right to make a call? Does he ever have a right to furlough? Does he have cabin visitations? His father is sick. His mother is sick. This is the torment I carry in my heart.

I am not upset that Majid is in prison, I am proud of my son. But they deprive him of his rights as a prisoner. He has the legal right to call his family, to have cabin visitations, to receive furlough. But I don’t know why they will not allow it. I feel sorry for those in charge.

In consideration of your illness and the illness of Majid’s father preventing you from traveling to visit him at Rajai Shahr prison, has anyone in charge responded to your request to at least be granted the right to a phone call during visitation days?

 

When I call the offices of the judicial authorities they refuse to answer and say the orders come from above and they cannot do anything about it. That is as far as they will go and they will not share anything else.

I call the prosecutors office but I have never succeeded in talking to him. When I try to leave a number for him to call they say I am not allowed to do so and I have to get an appointment. We have written letters. Their response was that we had to come up with the bail money, which we did, and again they refused to acknowledge us and ignored our request for furlough.

It is close to 3 years since Majid was detained on Student’s Day while he was making a speech at Amir Kabir University. During this time so much has been shared about Majid’s courage and efforts for the people, for political and student activists. Majid is referred to as the “honor of the student movement.” He has been honored and celebrated in various events. What do you have to say to those who have stayed committed to remembering Majid for the past 3 years?

 

I am thankful to all of them. Majid is not mine. He belongs to the people of Iran, to those who work tirelessly and keep us in their thoughts. God bless them all. I thank all those who call and visit me while I am sick. I am so appreciative and I am so thankful for all their efforts. We are proud of these people and we are alive because of their voices.

Mrs. Tavakoli I thank you for talking to Daneshjoonews. We hope that we will soon be witness to Majid’s freedom. Please share your closing remarks.

I don’t have much more to say. This is a mother’s heart-to-heart, a mother who has not seen her child for 3 years. For 3 years I wait in anticipation and longing. For 2 years my son is banned from using the telephone. I posted a bail expecting to finally see Majid and they blocked his temporary release without giving any reason.

My message to the authorities is to listen to a mother’s cries. My only demand is that since they prohibited his furlough, they grant Majid his telephone rights or at least that they allow him to call on visitation days. I will pay for the phone calls so that on days when other prisoners have visitors, I can at least talk to my son on the phone.

I ask that those in charge pay attention to the yearning of a mother who has not laid eyes on her child and waits in anticipation. This mother is not asking for much, just to speak to her son from afar on visitation days.
Mother of Majid Tavakoli: For 3 years I have waited in hopes of seeing my Majid