IRAN NEWS))))))

UN Special Rapporteur Javaid Rehman Targeted by Iranian Regime After Human Rights Report. 

In July 2024, Javaid Rehman, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, released his final report under the title Atrocity Crimes, detailing executions that took place in Iran in 1981 and 1982, as well as the mass killing of political prisoners in 1988. Rehman categorized these acts as crimes against humanity and genocide. The 1988 massacre, carried out following a fatwa issued by then-Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini, resulted in the execution of over 30,000 political prisoners within just a few months. 90% of the victims were members and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI).

Following the report’s release, the Iranian regime and its allies launched a coordinated campaign against Professor Rehman. These attacks came through official channels and media, with Iranian officials and their international supporters leading the charge. On August 24, 2024, Rehman participated in a conference titled Crimes Against Humanity: Time for Accountability and an End to Impunity. The event brought together former UN officials, legal experts, and human rights advocates who called for justice for the victims of the 1988 massacre. During the conference, Rehman presented his findings and explained his report. In response to this, the Iranian regime and its supporters intensified their attacks on Rehman. In a statement released on Thursday Sept. 5, 2024, Rehman firmly rejected the accusations made against him by the regime. He wrote: “Throughout my time as the Special Rapporteur, I served the people of Iran with great integrity and absolute commitment, and played an important role in highlighting and reporting human rights violations in the country. On their part, the Iranian authorities not only refused me entry into the country (breaching the terms of the UN Human Rights Council Resolutions establishing my mandate), they hurled all forms of personal abuse and unsubstantiated allegations including bias, political corruption, receiving bribes and illicit payment to discredit me and undermine the independence of my work.”

“I completely reject the false and fabricated accusations that I received any form of honorarium, conference fee, or speaker fee for participation in the conference on August 24, 2024, in Paris. There have been false allegations against me that I received funding to attend this meeting based on various allegations that high-profile persons have been paid to attend such events. It is shocking that those making such allegations have so little regard for my integrity and reputation, merely for participating in a conference that was directly relevant to my report on ‘atrocity crimes’.” He added: “I must alert the international community that through this smear campaign against me, the Iranian authorities (and their sympathizers) are attempting to escape and avoid accountability for their crimes.” “I urge the international community to focus on the findings and recommendations of this report, to ensure justice and accountability for the victims of ‘atrocity crimes’, and to bring an end to the continuing impunity in Iran.” https://tinyurl.com/mmm3vp9y

******

Raheleh Rahemipour, a 71-year-old civil rights activist in Iran, is enduring severe health issues while serving a six-year prison sentence in Tehran’s Evin Prison. She is persecuted for seeking justice for her disappeared son and Grandchild. Despite her deteriorating condition, the Iranian regime has refused to transfer her medical file for an independent review. This refusal highlights the broader issue of medical negligence toward political prisoners in Iran. https://tinyurl.com/4we3zpbn

******

An unidentified flu-like illness has rapidly spread among female prisoners in the women’s ward of Evin Prison in Iran, affecting a significant number of inmates. The symptoms of the illness include severe coughing with phlegm, headaches, body aches, fatigue, drowsiness, and weakness. The situation has become so dire that many prisoners have had to receive intravenous fluids. https://tinyurl.com/4xxmp79e

******

The thirty-second week of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign began on Tuesday, September 3, 2024, with prisoners of 21 prisons across Iran participating in a coordinated hunger strike against the death penalty. This week’s campaign witnessed the addition of two more prisons—Isfahan’s Asadabad Prison and Kerman’s Bam Prison—joining the ongoing protest. https://tinyurl.com/yvb53b4t

******

Maryam Mehrabi, a teacher imprisoned in Isfahan’s Dolatabad Prison, has been on a hunger strike since August 5, in protest against her prison sentence. After nearly a month without food, her physical condition has become alarming, raising serious concerns among her family. Maryam was arrested by security forces in Isfahan on June 18, 2024. In mid-August, she was sentenced by the Isfahan Revolutionary Court to one year in prison for “propaganda against the regime” and an additional five years for “inciting people to riot and violence with the intent to disrupt national security.” Moreover, she was sentenced to two years of service suspension and a two-year travel ban. Her lawyer has appealed the verdict. Maryam Mehrabi was previously arrested in March 2024 while following up on her brother Mahmoud Mehrabi’s case. She was detained for three days before being released on bail. In September 2022, she was sentenced to 74 lashes and three months in prison by the Mobarakeh Criminal Court, although this sentence was later reduced to a fine. Ms. Mehrabi is the sister of political prisoner Mahmoud Mehrabi, who has been sentenced to death on charges of “corruption on Earth.” https://tinyurl.com/yc8bppeb

******

On the eve of the anniversary of the 2022 Iran uprising and the start of the new academic year, Iranian universities are issuing significant disciplinary actions against students, including expulsions and suspensions. Among those affected are Sahra Rezaei and Shida Aghahmadi. This follows earlier reports on the suspension of students Yekta Mirzaei and Reyhaneh Ebrahimi Vandi. 

Sahra Rezaei, a student at Allameh Tabatabai University, has been expelled following a ruling by the Administrative Justice Court. The court confirmed the expulsion of Rezaei, a 22-year-old student from Afghanistan who was in her 7th semester studying journalism. Rezaei’s expulsion, which was initially issued by the university in October of last year, was not overturned despite an appeal. Rezaei’s lawyer, Reza Shafakhah, announced that the appeal against her expulsion was rejected by the Administrative Justice Court. Rezaei was previously detained during the nationwide protests in October 2022 and was released in December of the same year.

Shaida Aghahamidi, a student at the University of Tehran, has been temporarily suspended from her studies. The university’s disciplinary committee has imposed a two-semester suspension on Shaida Aghahamidi, who is studying anthropology. She announced this news, stating that the suspension is due to several reasons, including disrupting, delaying, or obstructing university activities and programs, failing to adhere to student conduct standards, and not following the compulsory dress codes. One semester of this suspension is to be served immediately, while the other semester is deferred. https://tinyurl.com/435kw49j