- Very Powerful Video - This Video is taken on 25 -26 October / 2015 by Mohammad Nourizad one of Iranian Advocate for justice in Iran …. First part of the video is in" Beheshte Zahra " Cemetery on Reyhaneh Jabari's grave site ( The young Iranian Women Hanged to death a year ago because she allegedly killed her sexual assailant who was an intelligent agent of the ministry of information….also Reyhaneh's lawyer spoke about injustices in judiciary system …..and other mothers spoke about the killing of their sons …. Justice for all these mothers whose children were either ( Killed- kidnapped- imprisoned - killed under torture- given death sentence and.) by justice ministry and security agents including SEPAH forces under Islamic regime in Iran ! 2nd part of video is showing brave Iranian Women and men protesting in Tehran Streets on 25-26 October 2015

For Immediate Release

Iran: End Ban on Women at Volleyball Matches
Volleyball Federation’s Tolerance of Exclusion Brings ‘Shame to the Game’ 

(New York, October 29, 2015) – Iran should stop preventing women and girls from attending volleyball matches and take further steps to promote gender equality, Human Rights Watch said today, opening a digital advocacy campaign to promote respect for women’s rights in the country.

The campaign coincides with the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Men’s Club World Championship in Brazil, from October 27 to November 1, 2015, and an impending decision about whether to allow Iran to host the 2016 FIVB beach volleyball tournament.

“Since 2012, the Iranian government has banned women and girls from volleyball tournaments – and has even arrested women for trying to enter stadiums,” said Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch. “It is time for the International Volleyball Federation to act to end this blatant discrimination, which violates its own rules, and brings shame to the game.”

Volleyball is a widely popular sport in Iran and a great source of national pride. Among the longstanding, serious rights abuses and discrimination women face in Iran, they are barred from entering sport stadiums, including to watch men’s volleyball matches.

Iranian authorities’ restrictions on women attending sporting events is part and parcel of a larger pattern of discrimination and human rights violations in the country on the basis of gender. As Human Rights Watch has documented, women in Iran confront myriad abuses, including discrimination in personal status laws such as marriage, divorce, and child custody; the unlawful detention of human rights defenders who peacefully advocate women’s rights; and even restrictions on travel. The authorities recently prohibited Niloufar Ardalan, an Iranian women’s national soccer team captain, from participating in the Women’s Futsal Championship in Malaysia after her husband refused to give his permission for her to travel.

The campaign, #Watch4Women, seeks a commitment from the FIVB to exclude Iran from hosting volleyball tournaments until the country ends its discriminatory ban on female spectators. The FIVB has failed to penalize Iran or publicly speak out against the ban, which violates the “Fourth Fundamental Principle” – on nondiscrimination – of the FIVB’s own constitution.

Commenting on the #Watch4Women campaign, two-time volleyball Olympian Lina Taylor said, “The FIVB was one of the first sports federations to insist on equal pay for both men and women. The FIVB can and should make a difference for women and girls in Iran, too.”

The campaign will include regular updates and actions on the Human Rights Watch Facebook and Twitter feeds.

Iran’s discriminatory practices were on full display in June, when it hosted international volleyball matches against Russia and the United States at the Azadi Sports Complex in Tehran as part of the FIVB’s 2015 World League. Officials systematically prevented Iranian women from entering the 12,000-seat stadium to watch the men’s matches.

This male-only policy for spectators at men’s volleyball matches dates to 2012, when the Sports and Youth Affairs Ministry expanded the existing ban on Iranian women at men’s soccer matches to cover volleyball. Iranian officials claim that mixed attendance at sports events is “un-Islamic,” threatens public order, and exposes women to crude behavior by male fans.

“With the #Watch4Women campaign, we seek to spotlight Iran’s ugly discrimination against women and girls,” Worden said. “Ending the ban preventing female spectators from attending volleyball matches would be a symbolically important step toward greater gender equality in Iran and should be a top priority for the FIVB.”

To view Human Rights Watch’s campaign website #Watch4Women in Iran, please visit:
https://www.hrw.org/watch4women

For more Human Rights Watch reporting on Iran, please visit:
http://www.hrw.org/en/middle-eastn-africa/iran

For more information, please contact:
In New York, Minky Worden (English, German, Cantonese): +1-917-497-0540 (mobile); or wordenm@hrw.org. Twitter: @MinkysHighjinks
In New York, Sarah Leah Whitson (English): +1-718-213-7342 (mobile); or whitsos@hrw.org. Twitter: @sarahleah1
In París, Bruno Stagno Ugarte (English, French, Spanish): +33-1-43-59-55-39; or +1-971-913-17 06 (mobile); or stagnob@hrw.org. Twitter: @BrunoStagno
In São Paulo, Maria Laura Canineu (English, Portuguese): +55-11-3283-1914; or +55-11-997-977-695 (mobile); or caninem@hrw.org
In New York, Hadi Ghaemi (English, Persian): +1-917-669-5996; or HadiGhaemi@iranhumanrights.org

October 2015 Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran to the seventieth session of the General Assembly.

Listen Here:
http://webtv.un.org/watch/ahmed-shaheed-special-rapporteur-on-
human-rights-in-iran-press-conference/4582281878001



And read here….

Link:
http://shaheedoniran.org/english/dr-shaheeds-work/october-2015-
report-of-the-special-rapporteur-on-the-situation-of-human-rights-in-
the-islamic-republic-of-iran/

And here….

Link:
http://shaheedoniran.org/english/tag/human-rights-in-iran/

Islamic Regime in Iran Is Planning To Execute Shahram Ahmadi A Kurdish Minority From The City Of Sanandaj ….

IRAN WATCH CANADA: Cry my country, cry for all these injustices.
  
According to news Islamic Regime in Iran is planning to execute Shahram Ahmadi a kurdish minority from the city of Sanandaj.
Shahram Ahmadi was coming back from his Sunni mosque to home at night in June 2009 ,when security agents fired at him without warning  as a result he was wounded from behind and his nose was also broken and was taken to the hospital where the doctors removed one of his kidney and part of his intestines.
After spending 43 months in solitary confinement and torture in Sanandaj and Zanjan prison, he was taken to a court where judge Mohammad Moghiseh in a five minutes court procedure sentenced him to death.
This is happening while three years ago regime have executed his younger brother Bahram Ahmadi together with several others including Hamed Ahmadi .

Shahram Ahmadi is currently in "Rejaei Shahr -Karaj " prison . Two years ago his sister and mother after visiting him and returning home had a very bad accident and received brain injuries where they lost their memories .
Shahrams Mother is currently paralyzed after the death of her younger son and the news of death sentence of her elder son Shahram.


Link:
http://news.gooya.com/politics/archives/2015/10/203984.php

Siamak Namazi The Manager Of Crescent International Is Detained in By Islamic Regime in Iran !

According to news, Mr. Siamak Namazi the program manager of oil company Crescent International is being arrested and detained in Iran and have been in prison since two weeks ago.
The officials in Iran rejected Mr. Namazi's arrest and detention .
Mr. Namazi have a company called " Atieh Bahar " which provides consultation about oil to international companies.
 
Link to this news:
http://www.akhbar-rooz.com/news.jsp?essayId=69982

Yemen: Bombing of MSF hospital may amount to a war crime

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
NEWSFLASH

27 October 2015
Yemen: Bombing of MSF hospital may amount to a war crime

The apparently deliberate targeting and destruction of a hospital supported by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in northern Yemen last night, which may amount to a war crime, demands an urgent, independent and thorough investigation, Amnesty International said today.

According to sources on the ground, at around 11.30 pm on 26 October the Saudi Arabia-led coalition forces allegedly carried out up to six consecutive airstrikes on Haydan Hospital, located in the Haydan Directorate in Sa’da governorate. The hospital had more than 20 people inside at the time, including three patients and various medical and other staff members. Seven staff members were injured, but could not be taken to another hospital 60km away in Sa’da until 7am due to fears of further strikes.

“The attack on Haydan Hospital appears to have been an unlawful attack causing harm to civilians and civilian objects. The consecutive airstrikes show deliberate targeting of the medical facility - this is another sad day for civilians,” said Philip Luther, Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.

“Hospitals and medical units must be respected and protected in all circumstances - they only lose their protection against attack if they are used for military purposes - and the destruction of this one means the loss of vital humanitarian treatment for civilians across four directorates of northern Yemen".

MSF staff confirmed the attack, saying they witnessed two consecutive airstrikes before fleeing the hospital compound. Three to four further airstrikes were reported, coming around five minutes apart. According to Hassan Boucenine, MSF head of mission in Yemen, the Saudi Arabia-led coalition has the coordinates of all MSF hospitals in Yemen, including Haydan Hospital.

According to the hospital’s director Dr Ali al-Mughli, the hospital is now completely destroyed with the exception of the storage rooms. He said that while the hospital often receives injured fighters, there was no military activity in the hospital at the time of the attack.

Haydan is 60km south-west of Sa'da city, where the injured have now been taken. Dr Ali said there was a delay in taking them to the city’s al-Jamhouri hospital because airstrikes have been targeting convoys of people, meaning that even ambulances are not safe. The hospital also lost 60 litres of petrol and 1,000 litres of diesel in the strike, a huge loss at a time when fuel supplies are scarce.

This is not the first strike on a hospital in Sa'da since the Saudi Arabia-led coalition’s military intervention in Yemen began last March. On 4 September 2015, the coalition reportedly bombed al-Sh’ara hospital in Razih, in the west of Sa’da governorate, resulting in the killing of six patients and the injury of six others. MSF personnel who visited the site afterwards said there was no evidence that the hospital was being used for any military purposes.

“We call on all parties to the conflict to respect and protect medical personnel and units and take every precaution to protect civilians caught up in the conflict. There must be an independent investigation into why hospitals and their patients are being targeted, rather than protected, as international humanitarian law requires,” said Philip Luther.

Public Document 

**************************************** 

For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on 

+44 20 7413 5566 or +44 (0) 777 847 2126

email: press@amnesty.org 

twitter: @amnestypress

International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW, UK

More The 20 Prominent Iranian Musician Are Banned To work ,Because , They Had Interviews with Radio Javan ….

According to news , regime has banned more than 20 prominent musician from working because of speaking or working with Radio Javan .
After publication of this news , Mr. Farzad Talebi the head of music division in the Ministry of Culture & Guidance said: Radio Javan runs by US and therefore presence of these musician in this radio or cooperation is illegal.
Some of these musician are banned between six to a year from working.

Those who are effected are:
Farzad Farzin , Sirvan, Mohsen Chavoshi , Zaniar Khosravi , Reza Sadeghi , Said Modares , Shahram Shokouhi, Mohsen Yeganeh , Benyamin Bahadori, Sina Shabankhani and…………

IRAN WATCH CANADA: Freedom under Islamic regime with or without Hassan Rohani means ……………???????????????????

LinK
http://aftabnews.ir/fa/news/325804/

Regime's Agents Have Arrested Clergy Morteza Nematolahi …

According to news, Morteza Nematolahi who is serving as manager of the office for Ayatollah Seyed Sadeq Shirazi ( a source of imitation for religious practice by Shiite Muslim around the world  ) is arrested and detained .
Clergy Morteza Nematolahi was summoned on last Sunday by the court of revolution (Regime's clergy Court ) and since then no one knows on his whereabout.
Ayatollah Seyed Sadeq Shirazi is a critic of the Islamic regime in Iran.
Last week Seyed Hosein Shirazi the son of Ayatolah Shirazi was also summoned by clergy court and was told not to criticize the regime during the holy month of " Moharam " ( a shiite mourning month for the killing of the family members of Imam Ali ).

Link;
http://news.gooya.com/politics/archives/2015/10/203730.php

Among 91 Developing countries In The World Iran Ranks Number One on Migration of young People With High IQ !

According to a report by ISNA today, Mr. Mohammad Hossein Kafrashi an official in the Ministry of Education spoke about the high number on the migration of young Iranian with high IQ to abroad.
Annually 150,000 young Iranian with high IQ leave the country and that means 50 Billion Dollars lost in revenue.
60% of Iranian population is under 30 years of age.
The World Bank  believe that the reason for migration is because of unemployment of young Iranian .

Link:
http://www.radiozamaneh.com/242203?

Islamic Regime in Iran Blocked " Telegram " Application because Of Not Cooperating With Regime On Spying Over Iranian People ..

Pavel Durov the manager of Telegram application :

Link:
http://photokade.com/

Reformists Newspapers in Iran Wrote About The Federal Election in Canada …..

News from Iran-


Ebtekar newspaper a reformist newspaper on its front page wrote:

Hope For The Improvement in Relation Between Ottawa - Iran

With the defeat of Harper , Justin Treaudu the leader of the Liberal Party has become the Prime Minister of Canada.

The paper indicated that , Justin Treaudu during his campaign has promised for the improvement in diplomatic relation with countries . The paper also mentioned about the two Iranian liberal candidate Majid Jouhary and Ali Ehsasi who have successfully won in their electoral jurisdiction in Toronto Area and will go to the federal parliament . Both Iranian Liberal elected candidate believe that, by keeping in mind the human rights issues, relation with Iran must be improved.

Link:
http://www.ebtekarnews.com/23203-

The Iranian Newspaper " Etemad" On Its Front Page About The Election Result in Canada and New Prime Minister Wrote : The Young Prime Minister Is Pro Relationship With Iran

Iran Etemad Newspaper Front Page :

Did Regime Filtered The " Telegram " Application ?

According to a report by ISNA news website , The Telegram Application has been filtered by regimes communication ministry .
 " Telegram " Application managers believe that, this application is filtered by the regime in Iran .
But despite of the news release by telegram application managers, the regime communication ministry says that, they haven't received any order to filter the application.

IRAN WATCH CANADA:
it seems that the application has been filtered again by regime to control and censor the free flow of information among millions of young Iranian.

Link:
http://www.isna.ir/fa/news/94072918775/

Saudi Arabia: Prisoner of conscience latest to be convicted in ‘counter-terror purge’ of human rights NGO

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PRESS RELEASE
19 October 2015

Saudi Arabia: Prisoner of conscience latest to be convicted in ‘counter-terror purge’ of human rights NGO

The Saudi Arabian authorities today continued their cynical use of a repressive and overly vague counter-terrorism law to purge the Kingdom’s small and embattled civil society by convicting the human rights defender Abdulkareem al-Khoder and imprisoning him for 10 years, Amnesty International said.

Abdulkareem al-Khoder, a co-founder of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA), was jailed in June 2013 for eight years after a trial before a criminal court. His sentence was overturned last year but he remained arbitrarily detained in prison. His latest conviction was handed down by Saudi Arabia’s Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) under a counter-terrorism law that took effect in February 2014.

“By using abusive counter-terrorism legislation and a deeply deficient specialized court to intimidate and lock up human rights defenders, Saudi Arabia is sending a chilling message that anyone who speaks out will be purged,” said James Lynch, Acting Deputy Programme Director at Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.

Abdulkareem al-Khoder, who is also a former professor in the Faculty of Islamic Jurisprudence at al-Qassim University, is one of 11 founding members of ACPRA who are either already behind bars or still on trial for calling for political and human rights reforms.  

He was arrested in April 2013 after a government crackdown against ACPRA in March 2013 when its two founding members, Dr Abdullah al-Hamid and Dr Mohammad al-Qahtani, were jailed and the authorities ordered that the organization be disbanded. Dr Abdulkareem al-Khoder was accused of a list of offences including “disobeying the ruler”, “inciting disorder by calling for demonstrations”, “harming the image of the state by disseminating false information to foreign groups” and “taking part in founding an unlicensed organization”, a reference to ACPRA.

Another ACPRA member, Dr Abdulrahman al-Hamid, was sentenced by the SCC last Wednesday to nine years in prison. His brother Abdullah al-Hamid has been serving a 10-year sentence since 2013. A third brother, Issa al-Hamid, was due to be sentenced last week but the court session was postponed to November. 

The SCC also recently re-opened its case against ACPRA’s youngest member, Omar al-Sa’id, who was previously sentenced in 2013 to four years imprisonment and 200 lashes for his activism.

Among the other ACPRA members already behind bars are an 80-year-old former judge, Sheikh Suliaman al-Rashudi, who was detained and started serving a 15-year prison term in December 2012, two days after he gave a talk on the legality of peaceful protests in Shari’a law.

“The outrageous convictions of ACPRA members for their human rights activism, coming on top of Saudi Arabia’s already appalling human rights record makes a further mockery of its obligations as a member of the UN Human Rights Council to uphold the highest standards of human rights,” said James Lynch.

“Along with the recent death sentences of three juvenile activists and the imposition of cruel, inhuman and degrading punishments such as the flogging of blogger Raif Badawi, this is yet another grim affirmation of the Kingdom’s desire to crush dissent of whatever form.”

Seven Shi’a activists are currently on death row in Saudi Arabia, including Ali al-Nimr, a juvenile at the time of his crimes, as well as his uncle, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. Dawood Hussein al-Marhoon and Abdullah Hasan al-Zaher were also juveniles at the time of their alleged crimes.

Imposing death sentences on juveniles violates international law. Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all circumstances without exception as it violates the right to life, as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and it is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.

At least 137 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia so far in 2015. Last year’s total was 90. 

Amnesty International is calling on Saudi Arabia to halt all executions and release all prisoners of conscience immediately and unconditionally.

Background

ACPRA is an independent human rights NGO that was set up in October 2009. It has reported on human rights violations and helped many families of detainees held without charge to bring cases against the Ministry of Interior before the Board of Grievances, an administrative court with jurisdiction to consider complaints against the state and its public services.

Prior to its suppression, ACPRA acted as a thorn in the side of the Saudi Arabian government. ACPRA members spoke out repeatedly against the detention practices of the Saudi Arabian authorities and were especially critical of the Ministry of Interior and its feared security and intelligence branch, the General Directorate of Investigations (GDI) or al-Mabahith, whose officers wield extensive powers and are able to arrest, detain, torture and abuse those they suspect with impunity.

GDI officers use these powers not only against terrorism suspects, but against virtually anyone who speaks out against the authorities, including peaceful critics such as those associated with ACPRA or other human rights defenders and organizations. All such independent organizations have been forcibly shut down and their founders imprisoned or forced into silence by the authorities. A recently implemented counter-terror law and decrees have extended legal cover for these human rights violations and abuses of power, meaning that even peaceful criticism is all too readily branded as terrorism against the state.

Public Document 

**************************************** 

For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on 

+44 20 7413 5566 or +44 (0) 777 847 2126

email: press@amnesty.org 

twitter: @amnestypress

International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW, UK

Statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on executions in Iran 

The Secretary-General is deeply saddened by the news of the execution of two juvenile offenders last week in Iran. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child -- both ratified by Iran -- prohibit s the imposition of the death penalty for crimes committed by persons below eighteen years of age. 

The Secretary-General is concerned that these two executions reflect a worrying trend in Iran. Over 700 executions are reported to have taken place so far this year, including at least 40 public, marking the highest total recorded in the past 12 years. The majority of executions were imposed for drug-related offences -- crimes that do not meet the threshold of the “most serious crimes” as required by international law. 

The Secretary-General reaffirms the opposition of the United Nations to the imposition of the death penalty, and calls on the Government of Iran to establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty. 

New York, 19 October 2015

Followers Of Mohammad Ali Taheri Gathered In Front Of Evin Prison And Protested Against The Death Sentence …..

According to Saham News Reporter at least 300 followers of Mohammad Ali Taheri Gathered under the rain in front of the Evin prison and demanded the death sentence against Mohammad Ali Taheri be removed/ withdrawn .

Mohammad Ali Taheri the leader of the "  Erfane Halgheh " the circle of mystic " has been on hunger strike for more than two months .

The followers of Mr. Taheri were handing white flowers to the guards and sometimes were faced the harsh reaction by the prison guards and officials and were forced to disperse and tore the pictures the protesters were holding.

Link:
http://news.gooya.com/politics/archives/2015/10/203584.php

A Letter by Iranian -Canadian to Three Party Leaders On The Eve Of Federal Election

Follow Up Seriously And Act Firmly On Human Rights Situation In Iran

Right Honourable Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P. The Honourable Thomas Mulcair, M.P. Mr. Justin Trudeau , M.P. Dear Prime Minister, Messrs., Mulcair, and Trudeau, In these final days of the electoral campaign and just days away from 

voting day, we are reminded of the importance of Canadian democracy

and the right to free elections. Electoral excitement and battles reflect 

the process which we, as Iranian-Canadians, enjoy and cherish. A free 

and fair election is one of many rights and freedoms of which 

we are deprived in our native country of Iran. That is why we, as members of Iranian-Canadian community with

various political orientations, believe that Canada has to uphold its 
values and 

principles regardless of the outcome of the elections. We hold firm

the belief that nothing should fade 

Canadian support of human rights in Iran. We have not forgotten yet that Zahra Kazemi, the Iranian-Canadian

photojournalist, was killed in Iranian regime’s prisons, and that two

Canadian residents, Mostafa Azizi and Saeed Malekpour, remain in 

prison in Iran after being convicted in unfair trials. We still remember that Maziar Bahari, the Iranian-Canadian 

journalist, was arrested and subject to duress while in an

Iranian jail. Press TV, Iranian regime’s English-speaking

International TV, broadcast his false confessions extracted 

under torture. We, the undersigned, ask you to seek justice for Zahra Kazemi. 

We also implore you to block any cooperation with Press TV, 

a state-media which engages in despicable act of broadcasting

self-incriminating confessions that are obtained under torture.

Moreover, we request that the cases of Mostafa Azizi and Saeed 

Malekpour not be forgotten. In short, please follow-up seriously 

and act firmly on human rights situation in Iran. We hope that 

one day Iranians will have the same rights and freedom which 

Canadians are enjoying today. Yours Sincerely,

Morteza Abdolalian, Journalist & human rights advocate - board member of CJFE Afshin Afshin Jam, Human rights Activist Nasrin Almasi, Journalist Mehrdad Ariannejad, Community Activist Mohsen Ghafghazi, Assistant professor of civil engineering at University of Toronto Ata Hoodashtian, Ph.D Professor in Political Science and Philosophy Siavosh Jalili, Translator and Human Rights Activist Fakhteh Luna Zamani, Human Rights Activist Ezat Mossallanejad, Policy Analyst at Canadian Centre For Victims Of Torture Kevin ROD, Lecturer University of Toronto DFCM Hossein Raeesi, visiting scholar and Instructor University Ottawa and Carleton University Kaveh Shahrooz, Lawyer & human rights advocate Salman Sima, Former political prisoner in Iran & human rights activist Sima Tajdini, painter & human rights Activist Borzumehr Toloui, PhD in Physics Ashkan Yazdchi, Former political prisoner in Iran Farrokh Zandi, Professor of Economics at Schulich School of Business, York University

The Grand Son Of Ayatollah Khomini The Founder Of The Islamic Regime In Iran : I Announce That The Iranian People Are 100 % dissatisfied and Angry From This Situation ….

IRAN WATCH CANADA:
Corruption and The Dissatisfaction Of Iranian People From The Islamic Regime in Iran Has Reached To Its Highest Point ……...

News:
According to a report by Sharq Newspaper Seyed Ali Khomini speaking in a mosque in Kermanshah said:
" People are discontent from the economic situation and unemployment and it does not need statistic to know this , i announce that people are 100 % dissatisfied and angry from this situation . The people are angry and dissatisfied from the corruptions of up to thousands of billion Tuman ( Iranian currency ) .
In the past no one could move 1000 Tuman from one location to another but now we have reached to a time that a thousands billion Tuman is not a big number ……..

……..

Link:
http://www.sharghdaily.ir/News/76182/

For Immediate Release 

Iran: Vacate Conviction of Washington Post Journalist 
Judiciary Refusing Key Information to Reporter’s Lawyer

(Beirut, October 16, 2015) – Iran’s judiciary should vacate the conviction of the Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian after an unfair trial, Human Rights Watch said today. During the trial, the authorities prevented him and his lawyer from freely communicating and adequately preparing his defense.

A judiciary spokesman announced Rezaian’s conviction on October 11, 2015. Court authorities have refused to provide clarification to his family or lawyer about the specific charges for which he was convicted or his sentence. He has 20 days to appeal the decision.

“Even as the clock is running on his appeal, the authorities are keeping Rezaian’s lawyer in the dark about what he has been convicted of,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “The Iranian authorities should administer justice in a fair and transparent way and vacate this apparently unfair conviction.”

A branch of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court sentenced Rezaian following four closed-door hearings. Leila Ahsan, Rezaian’s lawyer, presented her main defense during the fourth and final session, on August 10. As during previous trial sessions, Judge Abolqasem Salavati denied Rezaian’s family and journalists access to the courtroom. Authorities have held Rezaian, a dual Iranian and United States national, in Evin prison since July 2014 and denied him access to a lawyer for months before charging him with national security crimes that can carry a maximum sentence of 20 years.

Mary Breme Rezaian, Jason Rezaian’s mother, told Human Rights Watch that unidentified agents arrested her son and three other people at her son’s home on the night of July 22, 2014. The Washington Post reported his arrest on July 24, 2014, along with the arrest of his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, also a journalist, and an unnamed photojournalist and her spouse. The same day, Gholamhossein Esmaeili, the head of Tehran’s judiciary, confirmed that Rezaian had “been detained for some questions.” In December 2014, Judiciary officials charged Rezaian with national security crimes, including espionage; “collaborating with hostile governments”; and “propaganda against the establishment.”

Iranian authorities refused for several months to reveal where they were holding the four or to disclose the basis for their detention. In addition to preventing access to legal counsel, authorities also prevented Swiss consular officials, who represent US interests in Iran, from visiting Rezaian in detention to ascertain his well-being since he is also a US citizen.

Authorities released Salehi and the two other detainees on bail in October 2014, but pressured the families not to speak to the media or publicize the circumstances of Rezaian’s detention.

A source familiar with his case told Human Rights Watch that on November 18, 2014, authorities informed Rezaian that investigations against him were ongoing and extended his pretrial detention. The source said that despite Rezaian’s inability to read or write Persian, authorities did not provide him with an official translator during his interrogation.

Under Iran’s criminal procedure code in effect when authorities arrested Rezaian, authorities could hold a suspect indefinitely and deny him access to counsel. Ahsan, Rezaian’s lawyer, said that she was able to meet her client for the first time on April 20, 2015, after she took on his case in early March. Iran’s new criminal procedure code, which went into effect in June, allows defendants to meet with their lawyers. However, various categories of crimes listed in article 302 of the code, which include those charged with national security crimes, must choose their lawyers from a list approved by the judiciary.

The United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers say that anyone detained by state authorities should have prompt access to a lawyer, no more than 48 hours from the time of detention.

As of April 2015, Iran had one of the largest numbers in the world of journalists and social media activists in prison, with at least 46 behind bars, according to Reporters Without Borders.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a party, forbids prolonged pretrial detention without charge. It also requires authorities to provide detainees with “adequate time and facilities for the preparation of [their] defense” and to allow them “to communicate with counsel of [their] own choosing.”

For more Human Rights Watch reporting on Iran, please visit:
http://www.hrw.org/middle-east/n-africa/iran

For more information, please contact: 
In Washington, DC, Joe Stork (English): +1-202-299-4925 (mobile); or storkj@hrw.org
In Washington, DC, Ahmed Benchemsi (English, French, Arabic): +1-929-343-7973 (mobile); or benchea@hrw.org. Twitter: @AhmedBenchemsi
 

Iran: UN rights experts outraged at the execution of two juvenile offenders 

GENEVA (16 October 2015) – United Nations human rights experts today expressed their outrage and profound sadness at the execution of Fatemeh Salbehi, a juvenile offender convicted for the death of her husband, whom she had been forced to marry at the age of 16. 

Ms. Salbehi was hanged on Tuesday 13 October in breach of international law banning juvenile executions, and despite reported flaws in her trial and appeal process. She is the 11th woman to be executed so far this year in Iran, where at least 700 other people have been executed. 

A week earlier, another juvenile offender was executed in secret in Iran: Samad Zahabi. No notice was provided to Mr. Zahabi’s family, nor was the required 48 hour notice provided to his lawyer. He was sentenced to death in March 2013 for the killing of a fellow shepherd, when he was only seventeen years old. 

“These executions are disturbing examples of surging execution rates and questionable fair trial standards in the Islamic Republic of Iran,” said the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed. “The Iranian authorities must comply with its international law obligations and put an end to the execution of juvenile offenders once and for all.” 

The UN Special Rapporteur on summary executions, Cristof Heyns, stated “Let us be clear – these are unlawful killings committed by the State, the equivalent of murders performed by individuals. These are profound tragedies that demean the value of human life and sully the reputation of the country.” He added that “executing a juvenile offender, especially after a questionable trial, directly contravenes the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Iran is a party. Iran must immediately stop killing children”.   

“The lack of judicial consideration for Ms. Salbehi’s circumstances is emblematic of the struggles victims of domestic abuse face in the judicial system,” said the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Dubravka Šimonoviæ. “We cannot ignore the serious consequences of psychological, sexual and physical violence in the home on a woman’s physical and psychological health.” 

While highlighting Ms. Salbehi’s young age at the times of her marriages and her lack of consent, Ms. Šimonoviæ expressed concern for the high numbers of early and forced marriages in Iran.   

The UN human rights experts strongly urged the Iranian Government to immediately establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty. 

ENDS 

The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity. Learn more, log on to: 
Human rights in Iran: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/AsiaRegion/Pages/IRIndex.aspx 
Summary executions: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Executions/Pages/SRExecutionsIndex.aspx 
Violence against women:  http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Women/SRWomen/Pages/SRWomenIndex.aspx 

UN Human Rights, Country Page – Iran: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/AsiaRegion/Pages/IRIndex.aspx   

For more information and media requests, please contact Mr. Naveed Ahmed (+41 22 928 9477 / nahmed@ohchr.org) 

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Saudi Arabia: Fears grow that three young activists could soon be executed

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PRESS RELEASE

16 October 2015

Saudi Arabia: Fears grow that three young activists could soon be executed 

There are rising fears about the impending executions of Ali Mohammed Baqir al-Nimr and two other young Shi’a activists in Saudi Arabia who were arrested as juveniles after participating in anti-government rallies, Amnesty International said today after learning that they had been moved to solitary confinement. 

The organization has been able to confirm that Ali al-Nimr, Dawood Hussein al-Marhoon and Abdullah Hasan al-Zaher were moved to solitary confinement in al-Ha’ir prison in Riyadh on 5 October. They were arrested at different times in 2012, when they were all under the age of 18, and sentenced to death in 2014. All three death sentences were upheld by Saudi Arabia’s appeal court and the Supreme Court earlier this year.

Pro-government media reports that Ali al-Nimr could face crucifixion after his beheading have sparked a global outcry. On 14 October, his mother appealed to US President Barack Obama to step in to save her son. 

“The death penalty is a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and there is no convincing evidence that it is a particular deterrent against crime. Its use to punish someone for a crime they allegedly committed when they were under 18 years old is a flagrant violation of international law,” said James Lynch, Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Amnesty International. 

“The fact that all three state that they were tortured and denied access to a lawyer during their interrogations raises further grave concerns about the legal proceedings in their cases. It is abundantly clear that they have had nothing that resembles a fair trial.” 

Ali al-Nimr was arrested in February 2012, when he was 17 years old, and held in a juvenile rehabilitation centre and then an adult prison. He was sentenced to death in May 2014 by the Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) in Jeddah, a security and counter-terrorism court, for 12 offences that included taking part in anti-government protests, attacking security forces, possessing a machine-gun and carrying out an armed robbery. Ali al-Nimr has said that his “confessions” were extracted under torture but the court has refused to order an investigation into his allegations. 

Dawood Hussein al-Marhoon and Abdullah Hasan al-Zaher were arrested on 22 May and 3 March 2012, when they were aged 17 and 16 respectively. They were sentenced to death by the SCC in Riyadh in October 2014 on similar charges, which included taking part in anti-government protests, carrying out an armed robbery, and “participating in killing of police officers by making and using Molotov cocktails to attack them.” They too claimed to have been tortured and forced to “confess”.

“Saudi Arabia’s record when it comes to sentencing people to death after deeply flawed legal proceedings is utterly shameful. The death penalty is often arbitrarily applied after blatantly unfair trials,” said James Lynch. 

“This is compounded in this case by imposing death sentences on juvenile offenders, which is an egregious violation of international law. It is absolutely outrageous that the court dismissed all three activists’ allegations of torture to make them ‘confess’ and simply sentenced them to death.”

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is legally binding on Saudi Arabia, makes clear that no death sentences may be imposed for offences committed by individuals under the age of 18. 

Saudi Arabia is one of the most prolific executioners in the world. The kingdom has executed 137 people so far this year, compared to 90 in the whole of 2014. Death sentences are often imposed after unfair trials, with juvenile offenders and people with mental disabilities not spared, Amnesty International documented in a recent report. 

Ali al-Nimr is the nephew of Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, a prominent Shi’a cleric from eastern Saudi Arabia who was sentenced to death in October 2014. Tensions between the Saudi Arabian authorities and the country’s Shi’a Muslim minority have increased since 2011 when, inspired in part by popular protests across the Middle East and North Africa, some citizens in the predominantly Shi’a Eastern Province stepped up calls for reforms. 

Background

Since 2012, the Saudi Arabian authorities have been persecuting human rights defenders and dissidents with complete impunity, using both the courts and extrajudicial means such as the imposition of arbitrary travel bans.

In February 2014, the authorities put into force a new counter-terror law that has since then been used against human rights defenders and activists to sentence them to long prison terms and even to death.

Most trials of these activists have taken place at the SCC, whose jurisdiction is vague and proceedings shrouded in secrecy.

In addition to the above Shi’a activists, the SCC had also sentenced human rights defender and lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair under the new counter-terror law. It also recently sentenced Abdulrahman al-Hamed, one of the founding members of the independent human rights organizations, the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA), to nine years in prison on 13 October.

Public Document 
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