Baha'i student Romina Asgari was expelled from
the Central Tehran Branch of Azad University. This undergraduate student was
deprived of continuing her studies because she is a Baha'i. Last month, Sogol
Zabihi was deprived of continuing her education. She was a sophomore
undergraduate student of graphics at Rasam University of Karaj who was
dismissed from school for her Baha’i faith. Earlier, Soha Izadi, a student of
Information Technology (IT) at the University of Zanjan, had been dismissed
from school for being a Baha’i. During the past year, at least 23 female
students of Baha’i faith were dismissed from Iranian universities and deprived
of continuing their education. Baha’is are deprived of education in Iranian
universities based on paragraph 3 of the bill ratified by the Iranian regime’s
Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution on February 25, 1991, which has also
been endorsed by the regime’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, “Once it is
confirmed that a student adheres to Baha’ism, whether at the time of admission
or during their studies, she/he must be deprived of education.”
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Female political prisoner Zainab Jalalian has been
denied medical care and access to medical facilities for 11 years despite her
deteriorating health conditions.
In an open letter, Zainab Jalalian writes, "First,
my eyes became weak, and afterwards my kidneys, my lungs, my blood pressure,
and then my mouth began foaming, and eventually my teeth were damaged and
infected. I have been forced to endure intense pain. As a political prisoner, I
have no rights. The authorities have not taken me to see a doctor but have lied
to the media by telling them that I have seen one.”
She added, “I knew that if I requested treatment, I
would not receive any answers, just like now. No one and nothing is strong
enough to prevent me from achieving my goals. On my own, I will be stronger
than ever and I will continue my path."
Amnesty International stated in an urgent call for
action dated June 15, 2018, that Zainab Jalalian is exposed to torture by being
denied medical care.
Political prisoner Zainab Jalalian has been in prison
since 2007 and serves the heaviest sentence (life imprisonment) among female
political prisoners in Iran.
On July 30, 2018, she, along with a group of other
female prisoners, went on hunger strike in protest to being deprived of basic
prison facilities in Khoy Prison.
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Sufi woman Shokoufeh Yadollahi was sentenced to five
years in jail. She is in critical conditions due to lack of medical treatment
in prison. In another incident, Evin Prison wardens endangered the life of the
elderly mother of a political prisoner, by playing the sound of his cries under
torture in a telephone call to his mother. According to a Facebook post by Reza
Khandan, husband of human rights lawyer and political prisoner Nasrin Sotoudeh,
"They called the old, sick and lonely mother of Farhad Maysami at least
twice on Wednesday, August 8, once at 11 p.m. and next around 4 a.m., and had
her listen on the phone to the sounds of beatings to extract confessions from
her son. The first time, if it were not for the presence of friends, we might
have been faced with another catastrophe and nobody could understand the cause.
Mr. Maysami’s mother suffered from muscular cramps due to the anxiety and
horror caused by the calls, and her friends spent hours to help her get back to
normal conditions."
Farhad Maysami, a former publisher of Exam Preparation
Books from Ayandehsazan Publishing, was arrested on Wednesday night, July 31,
at his office. This 48-year-old civil rights activist has been transferred to
Ward 209 of Evin Prison.
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The Iranian regime's security forces raided the
residence of civil rights activist Negisa Shahbazi in Ilam and arrested her on
Wednesday, August 1. Two weeks after the arrest of civil rights activist Negisa
Shahbazi and persistent follow up by her family, no information has been made
available on her fate and whereabouts. An electrical engineer by profession,
civil rights activist Negisa Shahbazi is also an active member of the “Cower”
mountain climbing team in Ilam, who played a major role in extinguishing the
recent fire of Kabir Kuh and criticized the Iranian government institutions for
their inaction.
Earlier, Sahar Kazemi, a female civil and environmental
activist and sports coach from Sanandaj, was detained on August 9, by the
Ministry of Intelligence forces at her home and transferred to an unknown
location.
Another civil rights activist, Zahra Modarres-Zadeh, was
also arrested and detained along with her husband, Reza Bozorgmehr, on August 9
in Karaj. Security forces transferred Ms. Modarres-Zadeh and her husband to an
unknown location.
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Women arrested during the December 2017/January 2018
uprisings in Iran have been transferred to prison after being sentenced in
Sharia court. One of the women arrested during the uprisings last year, Mahin
Taj-Ahmadpour, 46 and a former street vendor, was transferred to the Nashtarud
Tonekabon prison for imprisonment. Ms. Ahmadpour was sentenced to 6 months
imprisonment by Branch 101 of the 2nd Criminal Court of Tonekabon on August 11,
on charges of "disrupting public order by participating in illegal
gatherings" on May 2, 2018, and 4 months imprisonment by Tonekabon
Revolutionary Court on charge of "propaganda against the regime." She
was sentenced to a total of 10 months’ imprisonment and was arrested on
Tuesday, August 14, 2018, and transferred to Nashtarud Tonekabon prison for
imprisonment.
Last week, eight other detainees were sentenced by the
Tonekabon Revolutionary Court, with a group ruling, totaling 28 and a half
months in prison.
