WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES! Prison and HR abuses.

iraniam · Dec 26, 2011

I have merged 4 threads together which are all about prison & deaths in Iranian prisons & other such HR abuses. If anyone remembers or knows of other threads which you would want merged into this, then just let either JackyBlueNote or me know, and we'll happily do that.
John Doe

Gohardasht Prison

Gohardasht Prison is a prison in Gohardasht, a town in the northern outskirt of Karaj, approximately 20 km west of Tehran and is also known as "Rajai Shahr".

The following photos were also recently released by the Iranian opposition showing the conditions inside Gohardasht prisons:

... Payvand News - 12/24/11 ... --

A short video has surfaced on YouTube that shows a number of well-known Iranian political prisoners taking a walk in the yard of Iran's Gohardasht prison.

http://www.payvand.com/news/11/dec/1249.html

iraniam · Dec 27, 2011

Stop Fundamentalism – The Iranian government has executed 600 offenders this year, the international human rights organization, Amnesty International said Thursday. The organization says it has recorded 600 executions from both official and unofficial sources this year.

About 81 percent of those killed were drug offenders. This number is at least three times the official announced number for 2009. Amnesty expresses concern that the victims would be from the most impoverished portion of the country’s populations.

"To try to contain their immense drug problem, the Iranian authorities have carried out a killing spree of staggering proportions, when there is no evidence that execution prevents drug smuggling any more effectively than imprisonment" said Amnesty International's Interim Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director Ann Harrison.

Amnesty wants’ Iran to abolish death penalty for all crimes ultimately but is calling for a stop on execution of drug offenders as the first step which would “cut the overall number significantly.”

Many observers believe that Iranian authorities use executions as the means for containing social dissent rather than fighting drug issues.

Amnesty stresses that in all cases executions have followed unfair trials and usually families and lawyers of those accused have received little or no warning when the executions has been carried out.

Members of minorities and foreign nationals (mostly from Afghanistan) are most at risk of execution in Iran, says Amnesty in an statement released today adding, there are 4000 Afghan citizens currently on death row in Iran.

In the year 2009, the total number of executions in Iran was 389 according to Amnesty International. The number rose to 550 in 2010 and now at the end of 2011 the figures are said to be at, at least 600.

http://www.stopfundamentalism.com/i...international&catid=44:human-rights&Itemid=39

iraniam · Jan 4, 2012

According to reports, 22 prisoners from Qezel Hesar Prison have been taken for execution.

On Saturday December 31, eight people were transferred and as of Sunday evening, 14 others were taken from Halls 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 from Unit 2 in this prison to solitary cells for the implementation of their death sentences.

The names of some of these prisoners are as follows:

Abdolvaset Mohammad Hashem, 40 year old, Afghan national who has been detained for four years in Qezel Hesar Prison.

Gholam-Reza Farough Babol Zehi, 28 years old, Afghan national

Alireza Javid Shirazi, 38, has been detained for close to 20 months

Aziz Shokri, 24, has been detained for more than 20 months (he is to be hanged for carrying 20 grams of narcotics)

Mohsen Kakavand, 32, has been jailed for close to two years

Hassan Panahi, 45, has been jailed for two years

Mahmoud Kermani

Yadollah Mohammadi, 40, has been jailed for three years

Abdolraouf Brouhi, 40, has been detained for three years

Asghar Sheikh Sotudeh

Abdolhamid Deh Mordeh

Saied Reza Zadeh, 26, has been jailed for close to 15 months

Mohammad Darvishi, 27, has been jailed for three years

These prisoners were reportedly sentenced to death on drug related charges. (Human Rights and Democracy Activists in Iran – Jan. 2, 2012)

http://www.freedomessenger.com/archives/45183

TinyDancer · Jan 4, 2012

Thank you for your commitment to spreading the word - as painful as it is.

amaX · Jan 4, 2012

I'm so sorry, iraniam.

iraniam · Jan 4, 2012

The new year begins with more executions in Iran

Iran Human Rights: The new year (2012) begins with more reposts of executions in Iran. According to official and unofficial sources at least 25 prisoners have been executed in the past two days.

Two prisoners executed in the prison of Arak (south of Tehran):

According to Markazinews (official site of the Markazi province, south of Tehran) two prisoners were hanged in the prison of Arak early Tuesday morning January 3. According to the report the prisoners were identified as "J. Sh." and "A. A." and were convicted of "keeping and carrying 2,5 kilograms and 4400 grams of concentrated heroin and crack, respectively".

Secret execution of 22 prisoners in Tehran according to unofficial source:

The website "Human Rights and Democracy Activists of Iran" (HRDAI) reported that 22 prisoners were executed in the Evin prison of Tehran early Tuesday January 3.

According to "Kurdistan News Agency" (Kurdpa) one prisoner identified as Salah Rashidi from the village of "Arbila" near Urmia was hanged in the prison of Zanjan (west of Tehran) on Monday January 2. According to this report the prisoner’s body was handed over to his family few hours after the execution. He was convicted of drug trafficking, said the report.

http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/115005.html

JohnDoe · Jan 5, 2012

Bump

iraniam · Jan 5, 2012

Photos: Three bank robbers publicly executed in Kermanshah

Three men who had been convicted of participating in an armed bank robbery were publicly hanged on Thursday at the Azadi Square of Kermanshah in western Iran.
View attachment public-hangings-Sepah-Bank-armed-thieves-Kermansha
According to the report by Mehr, on August 26 this year the thieves ambushed a Bank Sepah vehicle carrying money at Saadi streein in Kermanshah. During the attack, three officers of the bank were killed and about $150,000 was stolen.
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http://www.payvand.com/news/12/jan/1050.html

iraniam · Jan 5, 2012

This is a Complete Report From International Campaign For Human Rights in Iran:

http://www.iranhumanrights.org/wp-content/uploads/secretexecutionsjan2012-en.pdf

Jacky Blue Note · Jan 5, 2012

(From the PDF...)

The Numbers of Secret Executions in Vakilabad

The Campaign has documented 365 individuals who were secretly executed at Vakilabad since January 2010. This list of 101 individuals and the total of 365 executions in Vakilabad only refer to the secret executions, and does not include other executions (see Tables I and II). Other executions that do not occur in secret are mostly related to retributive crimes such as homicide that are implemented in the presence of the victim’s family.

Iranian officials have by and large remained silent on the issue, withholding nearly all statistics and details of these executions. Nonetheless, credible sources from within the judicial department of Razavi Khorasan province as well as Vakilabad Prison have disclosed to the Campaign the identities of 101 victims of secret executions. These persons were executed en masse on five separate occasions between 9 June and 20 December 2010. Among the victims was one woman; all other named persons were men. Sixteen foreign nationals were also executed: fourteen from Afghanistan, one from Ghana, and one from Nigeria.

These names were obtained from the confidential documents of government agencies directly connected to implementing executions.

The Campaign has documented 471 secret executions since January 2010 throughout prisons in Iran. However, the true number is believed to be much higher as Iranian authorities have failed to offer transparent accounts of executions in Iran.

The executions are considered “secret” because they are implemented without the notification or presence of attorneys or family members, who only learn of the execution days after its occurrence. Even the prisoners themselves are not notified until a few hours before the implementation of the death sentence.

These executions are considered “unannounced” because judicial and government officials have not disclosed any information such as names or the numbers and dates of the executions. Effectively, the government does not take public responsibility for these executions.

iraniam · Jan 6, 2012

One prisoner was hanged in Varamin (west of Tehran)- 34 executions in five days

Iran Human Rights, January 6: One man was hanged in the prison of Varamin yesterday morning January 5, reported the Iranian state media.

According to the state run Mehr news agency, the man who was identified as Nazar Ali Moradi (53 years old) was onvicted of keeping 215 grams of heroin and 10 kilograms of opium. The execution took place in the Khorin prison of Varamin, said the report.

According to the official and unofficial reports at least 34 prisoners have been executed during the first five days of the the year 2012.

http://iranhr.net/spip.php?article2408

Political Traveler · Jan 7, 2012

Here is another mass hanging in Evin prison:
http://hra-news.org/1389-01-28-00-30-11/10905-1.html

iraniam · Jan 7, 2012

EU foreign policy chief calls for moratorium on executions in Iran

GVF — The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy says she is “deeply concerned” about the alarming number of executions in Iran.

The rate of executions in Iran has reached its “highest in recent history,” Catherine Ashton cautioned on Friday, “making Iran the world’s leading user of the death penalty per inhabitant.”

Observers and human rights groups believe Iran’s excessive use of executions is aimed at quelling dissent in the country.

In a March 2011 report, Amnesty International announced that despite an apparent decline in the number of executions worldwide, at least 527 executions had been carried out the year before, almost half of those having been carried out in Iran.

“Hundreds of individuals were executed in 2011 after grossly unfair trials, without the right of appeal and for offences which according to international standards should not result in capital punishment,” Ashton continued.

The EU foreign policy chief called on Iran to “halt pending executions and to introduce a moratorium” on the death penalty.

http://en.irangreenvoice.com/article/2012/jan/08/3447

Dragononymous · Jan 7, 2012

Acting weak as always...

spike anderson · Jan 7, 2012

I suppose a nasty letter is in order. That will get their attention. UN are a buncha weak willed shits.

Paulius · Jan 7, 2012

sad but something is still not able to become civilized

Jacky Blue Note · Jan 7, 2012

Paulius said: ↑

sad but something is still not able to become civilized

Sometimes they remind of scientologists - retarded thugs from outer space.

Anonymous · Jan 7, 2012

It sickens me...as does Saudia Arabia.

iraniam · Jan 9, 2012

They Were Not Allowed to Even Say Goodbye

In an exclusive interview with Rooz, human rights activist Asieh Amini who has been involved in gathering information about secret executions in Mashhad’s Vakilabad prison, announced, “Many executed prisoners (in Vakilabad) learned of their fate just a few hours before being executed and were not allowed to say goodbye to their family members.”

Just two months after the secretary of Iran’s human rights committee and the advisor to the head of the judiciary told reporters in New York that “No secret executions take place in Iran,” the International Campaign on Human Rights in Iran, including some Iranian human rights activists, published the details of the execution of 101 prisoners in secret in Vakilabad.

At the same time, Catherine Ashton, the representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy, expressed her deep concern about the growing number of executions in Iran and called for their suspension, including the sentence on Sakineh Ashtiani.

The average number of executions in Iran since the beginning of 2011 has been 2 per day, which places the Islamic republic of Iran as the country with the second highest number of executions in the world after China.

Mass Executions in Visitation Halls
This is the first time that the International Campaign on Human Rights in Iran is publishing the names of 101 victims of secret executions in the Vakilabad prison of Mashhad. It has requested the judiciary of the Islamic republic to immediately end secret executions and stop executions altogether.

The published list contains names of 101 individuals who are said to have been executed in the prison between June 19, 2010 and December 20, 2010. This list, which has been published along with a brief report, is the first document that presents the identities and details of many of those that have been secretly executed. The report categorizes the executions as “secret,” “massive,” and “unannounced,” adding that their trials took place without the presence of attorney’s or relatives of the victims, and that these relatives had not been informed of the executions for days that ranged from one to several after the event.

Ms. Amini believes that the actual number of secret executions exceeds the 101 number whose list has been published. She points to statements made by officials of Iran’s judiciary in the province of Khorasan and the remarks of some Friday prayer leaders in the province who she says have implicitly acknowledged in various ways the existence of secret executions.

Last October, Mohammad Bagher Bagheri, the deputy chief of the judiciary in South Khorasan province implicitly acknowledged the secret mass executions of drug criminals in a Birjand prison, the center of South Khorasan province and without mentioning similar executions in 2009 and the current year, said that 140 drug related criminals had been executed in 2010 in that prison. The Campaign said that none of the executions mentioned by Bagheri were ever announced in 2010.

While the Campaign has recorded 471 secret executions in Mashhad and other cities between January 2-11 until now, other sources point to a larger number of victims. Ms. Amini says, “From evidence gathered by witnesses and others gathered by our friends, we succeeded in collecting details on 101 victims. But we are certain that the total number of executions far exceeds this number.”

According to the Campaign, based on evidence gathered by local activists, the prisoners who were executed secretly in Vakilabad prison apparently did not know they were to be executed until the arrival of their hour of time. Officials told the victims to write their wills and take their last bath just before they were executed.

According to the report, authorities of Vakilabad hung the prisoners at about sunset in an open air hall that led to the visitation hall. In order to keep the hangings secret, officials turned off the telephone lines of the facility hours before the executions. Ms. Amini also said that even after the prisoners were informed that they would be executed, they were denied the right to inform their relatives of their fate. She said that the report that the Committee has prepared has been sent to various human rights organizations.

Shirin Ebadi, Iran’s Nobel Peace Prize winner commented on the report and asked why the Iranian government used this method of execution so eagerly. “Such a measure only creates terror and fear among the populace and has political utility while all evidence indicates that this method of punishment and its increase does not reduce the number of crimes related to drug trafficking.

The head of Iran’s judiciary Sadegh Amoli Larijani had said last December, “It is claimed that secret executions take place enmasse in Iran but I categorically announce this to be a complete lie. All death sentences are reported to the head of the judiciary. If they really have information that such secret executions take place somewhere, they should announce them so we can investigate.” Now that the list of 101 executions in Vakilabad has been published, the question is will the judiciary investigate.

Ms. Amini says it is not clear. “In the past, they used to say that some judges had unilaterally decided to stone sentenced prisoners. Today, it is not clear whether the authorities are not informed of such executions or that there is a cover up,” she said.

In his report, the special UN rapporteur on human rights in Iran wrote that the number of mass secret executions in Iranian prisons was “alarming” and adds that most of these executions take place without prior knowledge of family members or lawyers.

http://www.roozonline.com/english/n...hey-were-not-allowed-to-even-say-goodbye.html

Mutante · Jan 9, 2012

Who do these butchering thugs think they are? Americans?

JohnDoe · Jan 9, 2012

The most painful thread on the forum

Paulius · Jan 9, 2012

JohnDoe said: ↑

The most painful thread on the forum

yes you right. want to do but what?

iraniam · Jan 11, 2012

According to reports, in the past two nights, five women suspiciously died in the Qarchak Prison in Varamin. This prison is used to detain female prisoners in Tehran.

During the nights of January 5 and 6, five prisoners suspiciously died in cellblock 4 and 5 in Qarchak Prison. These women’s physical condition deteriorated during the night and despite their cellmates’ efforts in transferring them to the prison infirmary, the infirmary refused to accept and treat them which resulted in their deaths.

The prison infirmary refuses to treat female prisoners who commit suicide, due to pressure from the intolerable prison conditions, which usually leads to their deaths.

The women who passed away in the past two nights are:

1- Fatemeh Mohammadnia, 28, detained in Hall 4

2- Shadi Nikkho, 22, Hall 5

3- Fataneh Abdali, 40, Hall 5

4- Sahar Soleimani, 21, Hall 5

5- Maryam Qods, 30, Hall 5 (Human Rights and Democracy Activists in Iran – Jan. 7, 2012)

http://www.freedomessenger.com/archives/45372

iraniam · Jan 11, 2012

Four prisoners to be hanged in Tehran; 15 death row prisoners forced to make confessions

According to reports, on Saturday January 7, at least four prisoners in Qezel Hesar Prison from Halls 1 and 7 in Unit 2 were transferred to solitary cells for their death sentences to be carried out. The names of some of these prisoners are:

1- Amir Bakhshi- He is 35 years old and is married with two children. He has been detained in this prison for close to two and a half years. He was transferred from Hall 1 Unit 2.

2- Ali Geravand- He is 25 years old and has been detained for close to 8 months. He was transferred from Hall 1, Unit 2.

3- Hossein Tajik, son of Gholam- He is 22 year old and has been detained for close to 3 years. He is an Afghan national. Afghan prisoners are secretly executed with almost no official announcement.

4- Another prisoner who was responsible for the praying center in Hall 7 in Unit 2.

On Thursday January 5, 15 Qezel Hesar prisoners who are awaiting their execution were summoned and asked to speak against themselves in front of cameras. They were told to say that they were narcotics traffickers and that the Islamic Republic is doing them a favor by executing them because they deserve to be stoned to death. All 15 prisoners refused to make such confessions…

Unit 2 is made up of nine halls and holds about 3,000 prisoners. Most of these prisoners have been sentenced to death. In the past week, 22 prisoners were executed in Evin and Varamin Prisons. (Human Rights and Democracy Activists in Iran – Jan. 7, 2012)

http://www.freedomessenger.com/archives/45370

Anonymous · Jan 11, 2012

slobeck · Jan 11, 2012

Do you have any idea how many people die suspiciously in American prisons every week? (hint: more than 5)

JohnDoe · Jan 12, 2012

Bump

Jacky Blue Note · Jan 12, 2012

Bump!

SOJOA · Jan 13, 2012

Prisoners with marble bathrooms and 3 late term abortions.........

.....wheres the cruelty?

iraniam · Jan 13, 2012

Reporters’ group urges UN assistance for Iranian journalists

Reporters Without Borders is warning about the dire situation for Iranian journalists and bloggers and freedom of information.

In a letter to Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the media rights group expressed its deep concern about what it describes as “the escalation of the repression of journalists, netizens and civil society members and the increase in online censorship in Iran.”

The letter indicates that “a relentless war” has been declared on Iranian journalists and netizens since the aftermath of the controversial 2009 presidential elections, which were marred by allegations of fraud that sparked widespread protests.

Reporters Without Borders urges Pillay “to intercede with the utmost firmness with the Iranian authorities to prevent the execution of two Iranian netizens, Saeed Malekpour and Vahid Asghari, whose death sentences were recently confirmed by the Iranian courts.”

The letter also calls on PIllay to work toward the release of 29 journalists and 21 netizens currently held in Iranian prisons

http://radiozamaneh.com/english/content/reporters’-group-urges-un-assistance-iranian-journalists

iraniam · Jan 13, 2012

Iranian authorities have once again summoned student activist Peyman Aref to Evin prison

Persian2English – Peyman Aref, a student activist and member of the Iran National Front, has been once again summoned to branch 2 of the Shahid Moghaddas Prosecutor’s office in Evin prison. Peyman Aref had been released from prison in December 2011.

According to a written court summons that Peyman Aref received on Thursday, he must report to the Prosecutor’s office within the next three days. If the newest court summons leads to Peyman Aref’s arrest, this would be the fourth imprisonment for the student activist since the 2009 Iranian Presidential election.
Peyman Aref is a distinguished University of Tehran student who was banned from his studies (he is a “starred” student). He was first arrested on June 17, 2009. He was arrested for the second time on February 10, 2010. His third arrest occurred on October 30, 2011.

According to a source close to Peyman Aref, the student activist had recently filed a formal complaint against two state-run media publications, Raja News and Bulletin News, which had written fabricated reports on Peyman Aref’s lashing sentence that was carried out prior to his release from prison on October 2011. Iranian authorities threatened Peyman Aref to not follow up on his complaints or he would have to face serious consequences.

http://persian2english.com/?p=23411

JohnDoe · Jan 13, 2012

I recently heard from a friend that they are making sure they get rid of anyone who would have any ability to organise or stand up against them. This seems to be further evidence of that

Jacky Blue Note · Jan 13, 2012

JohnDoe said: ↑

I recently heard from a friend that they are making sure they get rid of anyone who would have any ability to organize or stand up against them. This seems to be further evidence of that

Yes, it is all being taken directly from The Tyrant's Playbook - Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, etc. What saddens me the most is that the International Response is mostly focused on the economic issues, rather than the human issues.

As time goes on, (for me) it seems that there is an increasing tendency to regard human beings as expendable resources, rather than as a precious resource.

JohnDoe · Jan 13, 2012

Jacky Blue Note said: ↑

Yes, it is all being taken directly from The Tyrant's Playbook - Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, etc. What saddens me the most is that the International Response is mostly focused on the economic issues, rather than the human issues.

As time goes on, (for me) it seems that there is an increasing tendency to regard human beings as expendable resources, rather than as a precious resource.

If even it were on the economic issue Jacky. It seems the only issue that ever gets discussed in the MSM is the Nukes

My experience those who enjoy Human Rights for themselves, don't necessarily see them as important for others. Sort of "So long as I'm alright Jack . . . "

iraniam · Jan 13, 2012

Student activist Mahdieh Golroo from prison to her husband: “Our best days are yet to come”

Student activist Mahdieh Golroo recently wrote a heart-warming letter from Evin prison to her husband Vahid Lalipour. They are both imprisoned.
Editor’s note: Vahid Lalipour was arrested by Iranian authorities and taken to prison to serve his sentence on August 23, 2011, the day of his wedding anniversary with his wife. Mahdieh Golroo has been imprisoned since December 2, 2009.
Mahdieh Golroo: Our best days are yet to come

Letter translated to English by Arash Azizi, Persian2English
My heart has been exposed…
I want to write of [a great and strange experience] that is perhaps the only reason I am compelled to write nowadays- [the experience of]: silence in cries, a flicker of light in the heart of darkness, the warmth of July in the cold of January, feeling close while [far] away, burning but not dying, a miracle in the heart of passivity, being awake in the sleep, dreams in nightmares, and a canary within the crows.
[This experience] is something that I don’t know how to express, even when every part of my existence is filled with it. Something is inside of me like a white stone inside a well. [This thing], for me, is both happiness and sadness. If one stares at my eyes, one could see it and would be sadder than when hearing the saddest story and happier than after nocturnal feasts of drinking.
I want to talk of a unique experience- of love behind tall walls, of reaching one another in the heart of separation. I am referring to my love: a novel experience that I thought it unjust not to be recounted.
It is now two years and two months since I have been living in Heaven [Mahdieh is sarcastically referring to Evin prison]! Month after month, I told myself several times that I am under the dust, and that I have broken and died… but, I have survived, and now I am writing.
The first three months of my detention was accompanied by the bitter detention of my beloved [Mahdieh and Vahid were arrested together on December 2, 2009]. [His detention] had made a graveyard out of my solitary cell, and and it was with the hope of freedom for my other half that I got through the days. It seemed as though I was whispering to myself: All those attempts for us to be one- the months of insistence, an insistence on living together- and now…

After three months [following Vahid's initial release from prison], it was as if half of my bodily cells had experienced the freedom of walking in the streets, while I thought about what he was doing. Was he at home or out? [I thought about] where he breathed in that 60 square-meter-large heaven [Mahdieh is referring to her home with Vahid].

When I heard Shabnam [Madadzadeh's] phone [privileges] were cut, I told Atefeh [Nabavi]: “If I don’t hear Vahid’s voice every day, I will die.” In November 2010, after the phones were cut [for the women political prisoners], I told myself that the only way to live is to see [Vahid]. Until a few months ago, my only nightmare was the imprisonment of my existence, of my Vahid in chains. I was so horrified by this nightmare that it would not leave me during my sleep or while I was awake.

[Before] every meeting, I worried that he may not appear behind that dusty glass, and then, “what would I do?” I did not know that on the night of my birthday, a few steps away, only a few breaths away, [Vahid was also imprisoned]….
Wow, how horrible those moments were and how hard it was when Atefeh told me that the house we built with our wishes is now empty!

I had always said that, when Vahid is free, it is as if I am [also free], and I don’t feel the depth of these cold [prison] bars. I could bear everything here, but I can’t bear Vahid waking up with the heavy sound of loudspeakers [in the prison] every morning. [I can't bear] for his kind steps to be limited to the tall walls that makes you feel vertigo! [I can't bear] that he is unable to eat the foods he wants! Every pretty picture I see, I say to myself: maybe he wants to be here.

With every snowfall, I am now worried. What if the shift doctor is not there? What if the medicine runs out? What if the guard is not there to take him to the hospital?
All that was once simple is now difficult. I have discovered that I love him more than myself and my wishes.

Sometimes, I stand for hours behind the wall- like the Berlin Wall or the Great Wall of China- that separates us. I stand there and talk of our memories- of these ruthless torturers. The memories don’t allow me to be alone for even a second. [I talk about the] days ahead when we will build something better than what we [had already] built. Our best days are yet to come!

I always thought that not seeing him [would be] the hardest catastrophe, but these four months were harder for me than when I was unable to meet with him. [At least before], I knew that if he missed me, he could stare at our photos and take a long walk to rid himself of the sadness. But, here, [Vahid is alone with] his bed. Love, however, will come to the rescue. When everybody’s ovens are full of coals and the warmth fills their houses, we are here- our existence is warm with the coals we made ourselves. It is warm, very warm.

The patience of these years has brought the gift of love, which has created a fire in me that neither terror or separation could challenge.

Love is the reward received after suffering for a heart that is not attached to the lowly material pleasures.

The loving prisoner is always more patient, for she can say sadly, quietly, and proudly: “They could take whatever I had from me. And the only thing hiding in the heart that is undetectable is love that is not lost, not reduced. And that makes you hopeful that you would have died if you were not a lover. And now, I, with no spite for all the bitterness that I have experienced and seen, write of this suffering that makes love grow. There were days when I lost everything: youth, passion, freedom. But, the love remained and helped me so I could one day experience all that again: youth, passion and freedom.”

Now, every time that I pass Darband (a popular area in Tehran], I closely look at the trees and the path. Maybe his kind eyes made the place sacred. I look at my steps- perhaps I could step on his strong and stable footsteps, for the most difficult hardships and darkest moments did not ask me to be what I can’t be! I am talking about an experience that makes me burn like a phoenix and feel anew everyday.

How can [one] not experience love? Crying for it is the happiness of possessing a gem. A human’s love is more hopeful than them, more sad than them, and more enduring than them. I love “love” more than humans. I can live without another human in my cell, but not without love… And how beautiful it is to think of love in the midst of all the good and bad news in the prison.

What would be a life without love- a life without the constant antidote that makes your memories and moments immortal. In the moments that I was drowning in the sadness of separation, it was the happiness of these emotions that sent me to skies.

* Inspired by the love of Nazim Hikmet and Anna Akhmatova whose poems were my mirror of love in the prison.
Mahdieh Golroo
Evin prison

http://persian2english.com/?p=23407

iraniam · Jan 14, 2012

Two prisoners were executed- 9 others to be executed in the coming days

Iran Human Rights, January 13: Two prisoners were executed in Tehran’s Evin prison and 9 others are scheduled to be hanged in the coming days in Shiraz, reported the Iranian state media.

According to Shargh newspaper, two prisoners were executed in the Evin prison of tehran, Wednesday morning January 11. According to the report the prisoners were identified as "Fazlollah" and "Jalal" who were both convicted of rape. Fazlollah was also sentenced to 173 lashes for immoral relationship.

The report also mentioned that three Afghan citizens were also sentenced to death by a Tehran court and the execution order was confiermed by the head of the Iranian judiciary.

The state run Iranian news agency Aftab reported that 9 prisoners will be executed in Shiraz (southern Iran) in the coming days.
According to this report two of the prisoners were convicted of rape, one prisoner convicted of murder and two prisoners were convicted of armed robbery. These prisoners will be hanged publicly, while four other prisoners who were convicted of drug-related offences will be hanged in the Adelabad prison of Shiraz.

http://iranhr.net/spip.php?article2419

JohnDoe · Jan 14, 2012

No
(Wish I had a 'weeping smile')

iraniam · Jan 15, 2012

Twelve convicts executed in Shiraz

Iranian authorities carried out another 12 executions today, Sunday, in Shiraz. Five of the prisoners were hanged in public.

The Mehr News Agency reported that the executed people had been convicted of crimes that include “kidnapping, rape, armed robbery and drug smuggling.”
The seven prisoners convicted of drug charges were hanged at Shiraz Prison and the other five were hanged in public.

Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, the head of Iran’s judiciary, rejected criticism of the practice of public hangings. He insisted that the practice is based on Islamic law and is beyond reproach.

Human rights activists in Iran have been protesting capital punishment laws for years; however, Ayatollah Larijani, who took the helm of the judiciary in 2009, has shown less flexibility toward these protests. Iran has one of the world’s highest execution rates.

http://radiozamaneh.com/english/content/twelve-convicts-executed-shiraz

JohnDoe · Jan 15, 2012

Noooooooo(((((

iraniam · Jan 17, 2012

Take Action: Web Developer’s Execution Sentence Confirmed

Click here to send a letter to Iranian officials! >>
Background:

Mr. Saeed Malekpour was detained in October 2008 and sentenced to death in December 2010 without having had regular access to a lawyer or the resources with which to defend himself. He was arrested after returning to Iran to see his terminally ill father on the false allegation of “developing an adult website.” Never has any proof been presented that Mr.
Malekpour is associated in anyway with the website.
Because Mr. Malekpour’s Internet law case is full of technical terms and nuances, there is little knowledge or understanding of the “evidence.” Mr. Malekpour’s lawyer has not been allowed to build a case due to being denied communications with his client. Mr. Ghajar has been allowed to see the case file, but has not been allowed to see the notes by the IRGC that shows how it reached the conclusions that led to Mr. Malekpour’s unfounded charges.
Since being detained, Mr. Malekpour has suffered extensive solitary confinement, torture, threats, violent interrogations, and forced false confessions. Mr. Malekpour is onlyallowed one in-person meeting per month and is only allowed to make one short phone call a week. Please urge your colleagues to halt all harassment, violence, and abuse against Mr. Malekpour.
On January 22, 2011, Mr. Malekpour was taken to Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court, despite the fact that neither his family nor his lawyer was informed. He had no legal representation and refused to defend himself during the trial, instead insisting that his lawyer be present. More recently, the Supreme Court declared it was unable to reach a voting decision on Mr. Malekpour’s case due to discrepancies in his file. Mr. Malekpour’s lawyer stated in his report to the Supreme Court that all evidence was based on false confessions extracted under torture.
Due to the discrepancies, the Supreme Court has returned Mr. Malekpour’s case file to the same branch and judge of the Revolutionary Court. The presiding judge, Judge Moghiseh, has ignored the need to address discrepancies within the case file and instead re-issued the death sentence during a brief hearing. The case file has now been returned to the Supreme Court for a new decision to be made.
Write to Iranian officials urging them to guarantee Mr. Malekpour his due rights, afford him a fair trial, as well as access to independent legal representation, medical care, freedom from physical and psychological torture, and most importantly, a halt to his execution sentence
.

http://united4iran.org/2012/01/take-action-web-developer-still-at-risk-of-execution/

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