El-Yasin Union for Human Rights

One Year of imprisonment in accusation of acting against national security

2010-01-14T15:49:00.000-08:00

Three of Master Eliya’s students, are sentenced to one year of imprisonment recently. The court has accused them of “acting against national security by distributing Eliya’s pictures and also lack of cooperation with security interrogators of the Religions Department in Ministry of Intelligence”.

After being arrested by security police in May 2009, Abbas Bayat, Saeed Shahbazi and Hamed Navazani, have spend more than one month in solitary confinement. They have been subjected to severe mental tortures to confess to the interrogators dictated offense. They have also been requested to bring in their potential friends who were involved in publishing Master Eliya’s pictures.

This verdict has been ordered in a while that the terror machines of Anit-Religions Department has been active in universities, Internet (and other media institutions affiliated to these mysterious agents) for brain washing of public opinion. It meant to complete its puzzle of cultural terror of El-Yasin Community and preparing the ground for heavier verdicts for other members in the near future.

It is worth to mention, the Department of Religions in Ministry of Intelligence, have had declared that “the advice and the key to the judge’s brain are under our authorities and we can easily convince the public through mass media and news delicate as we want to justify.”

Despite of this claim, El-Yasin Community persistently asking the judiciary institutions for a just investigation in the case of these 3 members by and looking forward to see revise rulings.

Iran must release activist Emadeddin Baghi

2010-01-09T11:31:00.001-08:00

Amnesty International

8 January 2010

Call on Iran to release activist Emadeddin Baghi

Prominent Iranian Journalist and human rights activist Emadeddin Baghi was arrested on December 28, 2009, the day after massive protests were held in Tehran and other cities to mark the Shi'a religious observance of Ashoura.
He is not known to have been charged with a crime. He is in poor health stemming from his previous imprisonment, and Amnesty International is concerned that he could be subjected to ill-treatment and medical neglect while in detention.
Emadeddin Baghi was the 2009 recipient of the prestigious Martin Ennals Award for human rights activists, although Iranian authorities prevented him from going to Geneva to attend the award ceremony on November 9, 2009. It was the first time in the award's 18-year history that the recipient was denied the opportunity to receive the award in person.
Emadeddin Baghi is the founder of the Association for the Defense of Prisoners' Rights, which had been compiling information on torture and other abuses of detainees. He has focused attention on Iran's appalling record of executing juvenile offenders, as well as the execution, following grossly flawed legal proceedings, of a number of Iranian Arabs accused of politically motivated crimes.
In the late 1990s he exposed the mysterious serial murders of Iranian intellectuals. His books Right to Life and Right to Life II argue for the abolition of the death penalty using Islamic texts and jurisprudence. They have been banned by Iranian authorities - who had previously shut down his newspaper Joumhouriat in 2003 - and Mr Baghi has served years in prison on charges of "endangering national security" and "printing lies."
In December 2007, during his last imprisonment, he suffered three seizures and a heart attack and remained in poor health without adequate medical care until his release in October 2008. Officials closed down the office of the Association for the Defense of Prisoners' Rights in September 2009.
The Martin Ennals award, named after the first secretary-general of Amnesty International, is a collaboration of ten of the world's leading human rights organizations, including Amnesty International. It is "granted annually to someone who has demonstrated an exceptional record of combating human rights violations by courageous and innovative means." The Chairman of the Jury of the MEA, Hans Thoolen, described Emadeddin Baghi as "an exceptionally brave man defending human rights despite imprisonment and poor health."

http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/call-iran-release-activist-emadeddin-baghi

Picture: Poster for the Martin Ennals award featuring Emadeddin Baghi. Copyright: Amnesty International

Ms. magazine: Iran Cracks Down on Women's Rights Activists

2009-12-23T12:01:00.000-08:00

Monday, 14 December 2009

Somayeh Rashidi, an Iranian women's rights activist with the One Million Signatures Campaign, was targeted this morning with a search of her home and a summons to court. She told Change for Equality, that she "asked the security officials to provide me with identification, but they refused, claiming instead that [she] will find out in the future what intelligence agency they are working with. [She] also objected to the search and seizure of property belonging to [her]

roommates, but the security officials did not pay any attention to [her] protests." Rashidi was also arrested in November in connection to public protests and spent two days in prison. Today's search is just the latest in a series of arrests of or attacks/threats towards Iranian women's rights activists.

The One Million Signatures Campaign, which seeks to collect one million signatures against the legal discrimination women face under Iranian law, has been particularly targeted. A number of activists associated with the campaign have been arrested and imprisoned in recent years, including American graduate student and feminist activist Esha Momeni.Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Laureate and one of Iran's leading human rights defenders, is also being harassed and her family is being targeted.

Iranian authorities not only froze her bank account, but also broke into Ebadi's safe deposit box and stole her Nobel medal, which has since been returned, according to the LA Times. Omid Memarian, an exiled Iranian journalist, told the Daily Beast, "I talked to Shirin Ebadi just a few days ago.

The authorities have summoned her husband, brother, and sister...Her organization in Iran cannot operate freely. She has been the most significant voice for human rights in Iran over the last five months. Harassing her is a very intimidating signal to others."According to the Daily Beast, in addition to the continued harassment of women's rights activists, last month "Iranian state television ran a documentary attacking the nation's women's rights movement."

Airing of the documentary preceded an announcement earlier this month from the head of Iran's state television, Ezatollah Zarghami, who declared that state-sponsored television programs will henceforth prohibit women who appear on air from using make-up. Zarghami told the newspaper Eternad that "make-up by women during television programs is illegal and against Islamic Sharia law.

There should not be a single case of a woman wearing make-up during a program."

Media Resources: Feminist Daily Newswire 11/12/08, 12/4/09, 8/14/09; Change for Equality 12/14/09; Daily Beast 12/13/09; LA Times 12/11/09

2009-12-08T12:03:00.000-08:00

amnesty international: Iranian security forces condemned for protest crackdown

Amnesty International condemned the excessive use of force by Iranian security forces that saw scores of protesters beaten and detained during student-led demonstrations on Monday. In a number of instances, security forces - including the volunteer Basij militia - used batons and tear gas to disperse opposition supporters in the wake of threats by officials that all demonstrations would be considered illegal and met by force.

By the end of the day, the number of protestors arrested was not known. “Since the disputed election a pattern has emerged of the authorities preventing peaceful demonstrations, and then hastily resorting to violence against people who nevertheless choose to exercise their right to freedom of expression and assembly.” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa. “All those arrested for simply attending today’s demonstrations should be immediately and unconditionally released.

The Iranian authorities continue to treat peaceful dissenters as criminals in violation of Iran’s Constitution.” Others arrested should be released unless they are to be charged with a recognizably criminal offence and tried promptly and fairly. Thousands of opposition supporters and students had gathered in Tehran and cities across the country to mark the anniversary of the killing of three students by security forces in 1953. In recent years the anniversary has become a focus for demonstrations by students on campuses calling for reform and greater respect for human rights.

One eyewitness told Amnesty International that students from Shahid Beheshti University marched alongside the walls of Evin Prison in northern Tehran chanting “political prisoners should be free” and “students will die, we won’t accept oppression.” Another told Amnesty International that central Esfahan, along with the university in the southern part of that city was full of Basij militia and plain clothed security officers to stamp down on any protests.

In the course of the day, Amnesty International has been receiving reports of confrontations between plain-clothed security officers believed to be Basij and students at sites throughout the country, such as at Mazandaran and Sari universities, in the north of the country. Since the morning, security forces in Sari are said to have told students not to attend university.

According to reports, police used plastic bullets at Amir Kabir University in Tehran to stop students inside the campus from joining up with protestors outside.

In recent weeks, students suspected of organising the protests had received threats and scores were detained in an attempt to stifle the dissent. Protestors also faced other repressive restrictions as the authorities blocked the use of the internet and mobile phones. In a further crackdown the authorities banned foreign media from covering the protests.

On Saturday the security forces arrested up to 29 women taking part in a silent protest in Tehran. The group, Mourning Mothers, which is made up of mothers whose children died in the post election violence and other women who gather every week to call for an end to the human rights violation which have taken place since the election, including justice for their dead children.

UN: Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran

2009-12-03T12:04:00.000-08:00

29 October 2009

A/C.3/64/L.37
Sixty-fourth session
Third Committee
Agenda item 69 (c)

(e) Increasing discrimination and other human rights violations against
persons belonging to religious, ethnic, linguistic or other minorities, recognized or otherwise, including, inter alia, Arabs, Azeris, Baluchis, Kurds, Christians, Jews, Sufis and Sunni Muslims and their defenders, and, in particular, attacks on Baha’is and their faith in State-sponsored media, increasing evidence of efforts by the State to identify, monitor and arbitrarily detain Baha’is, preventing members of the Baha’i faith from attending university and from sustaining themselves economically, and the continuing detention of seven Baha’i leaders who were arrested in March and May 2008 and faced with serious charges without adequate or timely access to legal representation.

2009-11-23T12:05:00.000-08:00

BBC: UN condemns Iran's response to post-election unrest

A key UN committee has voted to approve a non-binding resolution condemning Iran for its crackdown on protesters following June's disputed elections.

The resolution also repeated annual criticism of Iran's human rights record, including the use of torture and an increasing execution rate.

It urged Tehran to end persecution of political opponents and release those imprisoned for their political views.

Iran's UN ambassador dismissed the resolution as politically motivated.
Mohammad Khazaee said such measures had "created an atmosphere of confrontation and polarisation" at the UN.

Friday's text was approved by 74 votes to 48 with 59 abstentions, which the US said was "the largest vote margin on such a resolution on Iran in the UN ever".

'Deep concern'

Deputy state department spokesman Robert Wood said it demonstrated the international community was "deeply concerned" about the human rights situation in Iran.

The resolution expresses "deep concern at serious ongoing and recurring human rights violations" in Iran.

But it said there was "particular concern" at the Iranian government's response to the 12 June elections and the "concurrent rise in human rights violations".
It comes as the major powers said they were disappointed with Iran's response to an offer of a deal over its nuclear programme.

President Mahmoud Ahmandinejad was declared the winner of June's election, resulting in large scale protests by supporters of opposition candidates who said the poll had been rigged.

The UN committee criticised the subsequent "harassment, intimidation and persecution, including by arbitrary arrest, detention or disappearance" of opponents of the government.

It also condemned alleged abuses of those in prison and "numerous deaths and injuries" in the crackdown.

The BBC's Barbara Plett in New York says some of those countries which did not vote for the resolution did have concerns about the state of political rights in Iran, but objected to the practice of singling out specific countries for condemnation.

Saudi Arabia broke ranks with Muslim nations and voted in favour of the resolution, possibly because it accuses Iran of backing Shia rebels in neighbouring Yemen, says our correspondent.

On Friday, following meetings in Brussels, the six world powers negotiating with Iran said they were disappointed by Tehran's failure to respond positively to a recent deal on its nuclear programme.

Iran has rejected the offer, which would allow it to continue to develop a nuclear reactor by exporting uranium to other countries to be enriched.

VOA: Iran - Human Rights Remain A Concern

2009-11-09T12:07:00.000-08:00

In testimony before Congress, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg said the possibility of Iran's developing a nuclear weapon endangers international security in multiple ways: "The danger that it [a nuclear weapon] would be either deliberately or inadvertently transferred to a terrorist or non-state actor is a very serious concern; that it would be used to threaten its neighbors would be a concern; that it would be used as a cover for it to engage in more aggressive behavior in the region.

We can think of so many reasons why this is such a grave danger that that's why we put such a high priority on preventing them getting it."But Iran's nuclear ambition is not the only concern the U.S. has about the Iranian government, said Mr. Steinberg; another is how the government treats its own people:
Iranian police sit on motorcycles as they face protesters during a demonstration in Tehran."The Iran[ian] government's terrible repression of peaceful protesters, opposition politicians and journalists following the election revealed to the world much about the character of that government and has increased its isolation."
Deputy Secretary Steinberg said that Tehran's crackdown on dissent after June's presidential election is part of Iran's broader record of human rights abuses, which has grown significantly worse throughout the past year. The U.S. State Department's annual report on human rights in Iran documents the Iranian government's restrictions of fundamental freedoms, said Mr. Steinberg, and it cites multiple instances of the government's use of torture and other forms of inhumane treatment to quell dissent.
Quoting President Barack Obama, Mr. Steinberg said, "The Iranian people have a universal right to assembly and free speech. If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect those rights, and heed the will of its own people. It must govern through consent, and not coercion.

VOA: Religious Liberty Violated In Iran

2009-10-31T12:08:00.000-07:00

The continuing imprisonment of 7 leaders of Iran's Baha'i community falsely accused of capital crimes, as well as the incarceration of 2 Iranian Christian women who also lack adequate medical care, are 2 of the many cases that contribute to Iran's being regarded by the U.S. as one of the world's worst violators of religious liberty.

According to the State Department's annual International Religious Freedom Report, Iran shares that status with 7 other countries: North Korea, Burma, China, Sudan, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan.

The report notes that in Iran over the past year, "respect for religious freedom ... continued to deteriorate. Government rhetoric and actions created a threatening atmosphere for nearly all non-Shi'a religious groups, most notably for Baha'is, evangelical Christians, and members of the Jewish community. Reports of government imprisonment, harassment, intimidation, and discrimination based on religious beliefs continued over the reporting period.

"Shi'a leaders who differed from the government's view that clerics should play a leading role in politics were also harassed and subject to investigation by Special Clerical Courts, which are not provided for in Iran's constitution, and operate outside the judiciary.

In remarks introducing this year's International Religious Freedom Report, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pointed out that the right to profess, practice, and promote one's religious beliefs is one of America's most important founding principles, one which provides a cornerstone for every healthy society:

"It is the first liberty mentioned in our Bill of Rights, and it is a freedom guaranteed to all people in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. I want to underscore that, because this is not just an American value. This was agreed to be a universal value."

Iran has ratified both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. It is time the Iranian government live up to its international obligations and support the right of each individual, to, in Secretary of State Clinton's words, "believe or not believe, as that individual sees fit."

US Department of State: International Religious Freedom Report 2009

2009-10-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

U.S. Department of State

Iran

Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

October 26, 2009

The Constitution states that Islam is the official state religion, and the doctrine followed is that of Ja'afari (Twelver) Shi'ism. The Constitution provides that "other Islamic denominations are to be accorded full respect," while the country's pre-Islamic religious groups--Zoroastrians, Christians, and Jews--are recognized as "protected" religious minorities. However, Article 4 of the Constitution states that all laws and regulations must be based on Islamic criteria. In practice, the Government severely restricted freedom of religion.

During the reporting period, respect for religious freedom in the country continued to deteriorate. Government rhetoric and actions created a threatening atmosphere for nearly all non-Shi'a religious groups, most notably for Baha'is, as well as Sufi Muslims, evangelical Christians, and members of the Jewish community. Reports of government imprisonment, harassment, intimidation, and discrimination based on religious beliefs continued during the reporting period. Baha'i religious groups reported arbitrary arrest and prolonged detention, expulsions from universities, and confiscation of property. Government-controlled broadcast and print media intensified negative campaigns against religious minorities, particularly the Baha'is, during the reporting period. All non-Shi'a religious minorities suffered varying degrees of officially sanctioned discrimination, particularly in the areas of employment, education, and housing.

Although the Constitution gives Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians the status of "protected" religious minorities, in practice non-Shi'a Muslims faced substantial societal discrimination, and government actions continued to support elements of society who created a threatening atmosphere for some religious minorities.

The U.S. Government makes clear its strong objections to the Government's harsh and oppressive treatment of religious minorities through public statements, support for relevant U.N. and nongovernmental organization (NGO) efforts, as well as diplomatic initiatives. Every year since 1999, the U.S. Secretary of State has designated the country as a "Country of Particular Concern" (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act for its particularly egregious violations of religious freedom.

Section I. Religious Demography

The country has an area of 631,000 square miles and a population of 70 million. The population is 98 percent Muslim--89 percent is Shi'a and 9 percent Sunni (mostly Turkmen and Arabs, Baluchs, and Kurds living in the southwest, southeast, and northwest respectively). There are no official statistics available on the size of the Sufi Muslim population; however, some reports estimate between two and five million persons practice Sufism in the country. Non-Muslims are estimated to account for 2 percent of the population.

Recent unofficial estimates from religious organizations claim that Baha'is, Jews, Christians, Sabean-Mandaeans, and Zoroastrians constitute 2 percent of the population. The largest non-Muslim minority is the Baha'is, who number 300,000 to 350,000. Unofficial estimates of the Jewish community's size vary from 20,000 to 25,000.

According to U.N. figures, 300,000 Christians live in the country, the majority of whom are ethnic Armenians. Unofficial estimates for the Assyrian Christian population range between 10,000 and 20,000. There are also Protestant denominations, including evangelical religious groups. Christian groups outside the country estimate the size of the Protestant Christian community to be less than 10,000, although many Protestant Christians reportedly practice in secret. Sabean-Mandaeans number 5,000 to 10,000 persons. The Government regards the Sabean-Mandaeans as Christians, and they are included among the three recognized religious minorities; however, Sabean-Mandaeans do not consider themselves Christians. The Government estimates there are 30,000 to 35,000 Zoroastrians, a primarily ethnic Persian minority; however, Zoroastrian groups claim to have 60,000 adherents. There are indications that members of all religious minorities are emigrating at a high rate, although it is unclear if the reasons for emigration are religious or related to overall poor economic conditions.

Section II. Status of Government Respect for Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework

The Constitution declares the "official religion of Iran is Islam and the doctrine followed is that of Ja'afari (Twelver) Shi'ism." All laws and regulations must be consistent with the official interpretation of Shari'a (Islamic law). The Constitution provides Sunni Muslims a degree of religious freedom; however, the Government severely restricts overall religious freedom. The Constitution states that "within the limits of the law," Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians are the only recognized religious minorities who are guaranteed freedom to practice their religious beliefs. However, members of these recognized minority religious groups reported government imprisonment, harassment, intimidation, and discrimination based on their religious beliefs.

The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ali Khamene'i, heads a tricameral structure of government (legislative, executive, and judicial branches). The Supreme Leader is not directly elected, but chosen by a group of 86 Islamic scholars (the Assembly of Experts), who are directly elected. All acts of the Majles (Parliament) must be reviewed for strict conformity with Islamic law and the Constitution, and all candidates for any elected office must be vetted by the unelected Council of Guardians, which is composed of six clerics, appointed by the Supreme Leader, and six Muslim jurists (legal scholars), nominated by the head of the judiciary and approved by the Majles.

The Government observes 14 religious holidays as national holidays, including Eid-e-Ghadir, Tassoua, Ashura, Arbaeen, Death of the Prophet Muhammad, Martyrdom of Imam Reza, Birthday of Imam Ali, Ascension of the Prophet Muhammad, Birthday of Imam Mahdi, Eid-e-Fitr, Martyrdom of Imam Ali, Martyrdom of Imam Jafar Sadegh, Eid-e-Ghorban, and the Islamic New Year.
The Government does not respect the right of Muslim citizens to change or renounce their religious faith. A child born to a Muslim father automatically is considered a Muslim by the Government.

Non-Muslims may not engage in public religious expression, persuasion, and conversion among Muslims, and there are restrictions on published religious material. In February 2008, a revision to the Penal Code was drafted for approval by the legislature whereby apostasy, specifically conversion from Islam, would be punishable by death. This revision passed in the Majles in September 2008 and was reportedly implemented on a 1-year trial basis. On June 23, 2009, the Legal and Judicial Committee of the Majles recommended removing the revision from the Penal Code, but no further information was available at the end of the reporting period. Previously, death sentences for apostasy have been issued under judicial interpretations of Shari'a. However, there were no reported cases of the death penalty being applied for apostasy during the reporting period.

Proselytizing of Muslims by non-Muslims is illegal. Evangelical church leaders are subject to pressure from authorities to sign pledges that they will not evangelize Muslims or allow Muslims to attend church services. Members of religious minorities, excluding Sunni Muslims, are prevented from serving in the judiciary and security services and from becoming public school principals.

Applicants for public sector employment are screened for their adherence to and knowledge of Islam, although members of religious minorities could serve in lower ranks of government employment, with the exception of Baha'is. However, government workers who do not observe Islam's principles and rules are subject to penalties.

The Constitution states that the army must be Islamic and must recruit individuals who are committed to the objectives of the Islamic Revolution. In practice, however, no religious minorities are exempt from military service. The law forbids non-Muslims from holding officer positions over Muslims in the armed forces. Members of religious minorities with a college education can serve as officers during their mandatory military service but cannot be career military officers.

By law, religious minorities are not allowed to be elected to a representative body or to hold senior government or military positions, with the exception that 5 of a total 290 seats in the Majles are reserved for religious minorities. Three of these seats are reserved for members of Christian religious groups, including two seats for Armenian Christians and one for Assyrian Christians. There is also one seat to represent Jews and one to represent Zoroastrians. While Sunnis do not have reserved seats in the Majles, they are allowed to serve in the body. Sunni Majles deputies tend to be elected from among the larger Sunni communities. Members of religious minorities are allowed to vote; however, no member of a religious minority, including Sunni Muslims, is eligible to be president.

The legal system discriminates against religious minorities. Article 297 of the amended 1991 Islamic Punishments Act authorizes collection of equal "blood money" (diyeh) as restitution to families for the death of both Muslims and non-Muslims. Prior to a 2004 change, the law gave a lesser monetary amount as "blood money" for non-Muslims. Baha'is and Sabean-Mandaeans, in addition to women, are excluded from the equalization provisions of the bill. According to law, Baha'i blood is considered mobah, meaning it can be spilled with impunity.
Adherents of religious groups not recognized by the Constitution, such as the Baha'is, do not have freedom to practice their beliefs. The Government prohibits Baha'is from teaching and practicing their faith. Baha'is are barred from all leadership positions in the Government and military.

The Government considers Baha'is to be apostates and defines the Baha'i Faith as a political "sect." The Ministry of Justice states that Baha'is are permitted to enroll in schools only if they do not identify themselves as such, and that Baha'is preferably should be enrolled in schools with a strong and imposing religious ideology. There were reports that Baha'i children in public schools faced attempts to convert them to Islam.

After a brief policy change in 2007 allowing Baha'i students to enroll in universities, the Government reverted to its previous practice of requiring Baha'i students to identify themselves as a religion other than Baha'i in order to register for the entrance examination. This action precluded Baha'i enrollment in state-run universities, since a tenet of the Baha'i Faith is not to deny one's faith.

The Ministry of Justice states that Baha'is must be excluded or expelled from universities, either in the admission process or during the course of their studies, if their religious affiliation becomes known. University applicants are required to pass an examination in Islamic, Christian, or Jewish theology, but there was no test for the Baha'i theology.

Baha'is are banned from the social pension system. In addition, Baha'is are regularly denied compensation for injury or criminal victimization and the right to inherit property. Baha'i marriages and divorces are not officially recognized, although the Government allows a civil attestation of marriage to serve as a marriage certificate.

The Government allows recognized religious minorities to establish community centers and certain self-financed cultural, social, athletic, or charitable associations. However, the Government prohibited the Baha'i community from official assembly and from maintaining administrative institutions by closing any such institutions.

The Government propagated a legal interpretation of Islam that effectively deprived women of many rights granted to men. Gender segregation was enforced generally throughout the country without regard to religious affiliation. Women of all religious groups were expected to adhere to Islamic dress in public. Although enforcement of rules for conservative Islamic dress eased at times, the Government periodically cracked down on "un-Islamic dress." The Government's 12-point contract model for marriage and divorce limits the rights accorded to women by custom and traditional interpretations of Islamic law.

Restrictions on Religious Freedom

During the reporting period, respect for religious freedom in the country continued to deteriorate. Government rhetoric and actions created a threatening atmosphere for nearly all non-Shi'a religious groups, most notably for Baha'is, as well as Sufi Muslims, evangelical Christians, and members of the Jewish community. Reports of government imprisonment, harassment, intimidation, and discrimination based on religious beliefs continued during the reporting period.

Baha'i religious groups reported arbitrary arrest and prolonged detention, expulsions from universities, and confiscation of property. Government-controlled broadcast and print media intensified negative campaigns against religious minorities, particularly the Baha'is, during the reporting period. All non-Shi'a religious minorities suffered varying degrees of officially sanctioned discrimination, particularly in the areas of employment, education, and housing.

The Ministry of Islamic Culture and Guidance (Ershad) and the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) monitored religious activity closely. Members of recognized religious minorities were not required to register with the Government; however, their communal, religious, and cultural events and organizations, including schools, were monitored closely. Registration of Baha'is was a police function during the reporting period. The Government also required evangelical Christian groups to compile and submit membership lists for their congregations.

The Government generally allowed recognized religious minority groups to conduct religious education for their adherents in separate schools, although it restricted this right considerably in some cases. The Ministry of Education, which imposed certain curriculum requirements, supervised these schools. With few exceptions, the directors of such private schools must be Muslim. Attendance at the schools was not mandatory for recognized religious minorities.

The Ministry of Education must approve all textbooks used in coursework, including religious texts. Recognized religious minorities could provide religious instruction in non-Persian languages, but such texts required approval by the authorities. This approval requirement sometimes imposed significant translation expenses on minority communities. However, Assyrian Christians reported that their community was permitted to write its own textbooks, which, following government authorization, were then printed at government expense and distributed to the Assyrian community.

On May 25, 2009, the EU Presidency issued a statement expressing its deep concern over the violations of religious freedom in the country. On December 18, 2008, for the sixth consecutive year, the U.N. General Assembly passed another resolution condemning the human rights situation in the country and decrying the Government's harsh treatment of religious minorities.

Broad restrictions on Baha'is severely undermined their ability to freely practice their faith and function as a community. Baha'i groups reported that the Government often denied applications for new or renewed business and trade licenses to Baha'is. The Government repeatedly pressured Baha'is to accept relief from mistreatment in exchange for recanting their religious beliefs. The Government prevented many Baha'is from leaving the country.

Baha'is could not teach or practice their religious beliefs or maintain links with coreligionists abroad. Baha'is were often officially charged with "espionage on behalf of Zionism," in part due to the fact that the Baha'i world headquarters is located in Israel. These charges were more acute when Baha'is were caught communicating with or sending monetary contributions to the Baha'i headquarters.

During the reporting period, Baha'is continued to face an increasing number of public attacks, including a series of negative and defamatory articles in Kayhan, a government-affiliated newspaper whose managing editor was appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamene'i. The national daily newspaper Etemad and several provincial newspapers also published defamatory articles against Baha'is. The articles often accused Baha'i and Sunni Salafist groups of working together to undermine national security and to commit espionage on behalf of foreign governments. State-run media reported that on May 19, 2009 Majles member Hojjatoleslam Mohammad-Ebrahim Nekounam told a session of Parliament that Baha'ism was established to "infiltrate Iran" and "create divisions" among Muslims and that members of the Baha'i community throughout the country were working toward those goals. In February 2009 the semiofficial Fars News Agency reported that the Prosecutor General sent a letter to the Minister of Intelligence warning that Baha'is had "extensive and established ties with the Zionist regime and their members try to collect information, carry out infiltration activities, and destroy people's belief in Islam." During the reporting period, articles in the state-run media alleged that Baha'ism encourages its followers to commit incest with close family members.

Public and private universities continued to deny admittance to or expel Baha'i students. Although in 2007 the Government briefly allowed Baha'i matriculation into universities, in 2008 the Government reverted to its earlier policy of denying university admittance to Baha'i students; this policy remained in effect throughout the reporting period.

There were reports that the Government compiled a list of Baha'is and their trades and employment using information from the Association of Chambers of Commerce and related organizations, which are nominally independent bodies that are nonetheless heavily influenced by the Government.

Many Sunnis claimed that the Government discriminated against them. However, it is difficult to distinguish whether the cause of discrimination was religious or ethnic, since most Sunnis are also members of ethnic minorities. Sunnis cited the absence of a Sunni mosque in Tehran, despite the presence of more than one million adherents there, as a prominent example. Sunni leaders reported bans on Sunni religious literature and teachings in public schools, even in predominantly Sunni areas.

Human rights organizations reported that the Government demolished several Sunni mosques during the reporting period. Sunnis also noted the underrepresentation of Sunnis in government-appointed positions in the provinces where they form a majority, such as Kurdistan and Khuzestan Provinces, as well as their inability to obtain senior governmental positions.

Sunni Majles representatives asserted that government discrimination led to the lack of Sunni presence in the executive and judicial branches, especially in higher-ranking positions in embassies, universities, and other institutions, as well as anti-Sunni propaganda in the mass media, including books and other publications.

While the Government recognizes Judaism as an official religious minority, the Jewish community experienced official discrimination. The Government continued to sanction anti-Semitic propaganda involving official statements, media outlets, publications, and books. The Government's anti-Semitic rhetoric, along with a perception among radical Muslims that all Jewish citizens of the country support Zionism and the state of Israel, continued to create a hostile atmosphere for Jews. The rhetorical attacks also further blurred the line between Zionism, Judaism, and Israel and contributed to increased concerns about the future security of the Jewish community.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad continued a virulent anti-Semitic campaign. During the reporting period, the President publicly stated in news conferences that the Zionists infiltrated the world and must be stopped and destroyed, together with Israel.

President Ahmadinejad continued to regularly question the existence and the scope of the Holocaust, which created a more hostile environment for the Jewish community. At a January 2009 speech at Sharif University in Tehran, the President alleged that the "Holocaust discourse" was created to expand "Zionist command over centers of power, wealth, and the world media."

The Government promoted and condoned anti-Semitism in state media; however, with some exceptions, there was little government restriction of, or interference with, Jewish religious practice. The Government reportedly allowed Hebrew instruction but limited the distribution of Hebrew texts, particularly nonreligious texts, making it difficult to teach the language. Moreover, the Government required that in conformity with the schedule of other schools, Jewish schools must remain open on Saturdays, which violates Jewish law.

Jewish citizens were free to travel out of the country but were subject to the general restriction against travel by the country's citizens to Israel. This restriction, however, was not enforced.

The Sabean-Mandaean religious community reportedly faced harassment and repression by authorities similar to that faced by other religious minorities. The Government often denied members of the Sabean-Mandaean community access to higher education.

Sufis within the country, Sufi organizations outside the country, as well as numerous human rights organizations, remained extremely concerned about growing government repression of Sufi communities and religious practices, including increased harassment and intimidation of prominent Sufi leaders by the intelligence and security services. Government restrictions on Sufi groups and houses of worship (husseiniya) became more pronounced in recent reporting periods. There were numerous reports of Shi'a clerics and prayer leaders denouncing Sufism and the activities of Sufis in the country in both sermons and public statements.

The Government carefully monitored the statements and views of senior Shi'a religious leaders. The Special Clerical Courts, established to investigate offenses and crimes committed by clerics, and which the Supreme Leader oversees directly, are not provided for in the Constitution and operate outside the judiciary. In particular, critics alleged that the clerical courts are used to prosecute certain clerics for expressing controversial political ideas and for participating in nonreligious activities, including journalism.

Non-Shi'a religious leaders reported abuse and widespread restrictions on their ability to practice their faith. They also reported bans on Sunni teachings in public schools and Sunni religious literature. Residents of provinces with large Sunni populations, including Kurdistan, Khuzestan, and Sistan-va-Baluchestan, reported discrimination and lack of resources, but it is difficult to determine if this discrimination was based on religion or ethnicity, or both.

Laws based on religious affiliation continued to be used to stifle freedom of expression. Independent newspapers and magazines have been closed, and leading publishers and journalists have been imprisoned on vague charges of "insulting Islam" or "calling into question the Islamic foundation of the Republic." According to domestic press reports, on June 9, 2009, singer Mohsen Namju was sentenced to a 5-year prison term for "insulting Islamic sanctities, reciting verses of the Holy Qur'an ridiculously, and insulting the world Muslims' sacred book."

On October 8, 2008, authorities in Qom arrested online journalist and cleric Mojtaba Lotfi for posting on an Internet site a sermon by Ayatollah Montazaeri, a well-known opponent of the system of clerical rule. The sermon criticized President Ahmadinejad for saying Iran is the freest country in the world. On November 29, 2008, a special court for the clergy sentenced Lotfi to 4 years in prison and 5 years of banishment from Qom.

Abuses of Religious Freedom

According to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States and other leading human rights organizations, more than 200 Baha'is have been killed since 1979, and 15 have disappeared and are presumed dead.

Baha'i groups outside the country reported that government authorities increased their harassment and intimidation of the members of the Baha'i community during the reporting period.

The Government continued to imprison and detain Baha'is based on their religious beliefs. The Government arbitrarily arrested Baha'is and charged them with violating Islamic Penal Code Articles 500 and 698, relating to activities against the state and spreading falsehoods, respectively. Often the charges were not dropped upon release, and those with charges pending against them reportedly feared re-arrest at any time. Most were released only after paying large fines or posting high bails. For some, bail was in the form of deeds of property; others gained their release in exchange for personal guarantees or work licenses.

At the end of June 2009, at least 20 to 30 Baha'is remained in detention because of their religious beliefs. The Government never formally charged many of the others but released them only after they posted bail.

In mid-March, intelligence agents in Sari reportedly arrested Shirin Foroughian Samimi, a Baha'i. In 2008 authorities closed down her husband's store, arrested him, and charged him with endangering national security. He was released after 9 days.

On March 9, 2009, security forces reportedly arrested Baha'i Pooya Tebyanian in his home in Semnan.

On January 18, 2009, security forces in Ghaemshahr in Mazandaran Province detained four Baha'is after raiding their homes. Previously, on January 10, authorities in Ghaemshahr arrested another Baha'i, Pegah Sanaie; she was released on bail on January 17.On January 16, 2009, several Baha'i women were reportedly arrested for performing missionary work on Kish Island.On January 15, 2009, security forces in Tehran arrested five Baha'is and took them to Evin Prison. At least one Baha'i, a woman from Shiraz named Negin Rezaei, was being held in section 209 of Evin Prison at the end of the reporting period.
On January 9, 2009, three Baha'i community leaders--Adel Fanaian, Abbas Nourani, and Zaher Eskandarian--were arrested in their homes in Semnan Province.

On November 22, 2008, authorities arrested two Baha'is in Sari, Mazandaran Province, after searching their homes and confiscating Baha'i materials.
On November 18, 2008, a Baha'i was arrested in Ghaemshahr.

Two officials of the Baha'i community in Isfahan and one other member of the Baha'i community, arrested in May 2008, reportedly on charges of burying their dead at a particular site that had been used for the past 15 years, remained in Isfahan Prison at the end of the reporting period.

The seven leaders of the Baha'i community--Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Behrouz Tavakkoli, Saeid Rezaie, Vahid Tizfahm, and Mahvash Sabet--arrested between March and May 2008 remained in detention. In February 2009 the Judiciary spokesman announced that the seven were accused of "espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities and propaganda against the Islamic Republic." In May 2009 state-run media reported the Government also charged them with "spreading corruption on earth," a crime punishable by death. None had been allowed access to their attorney, Abdolfattah Soltani. On June 16, 2009, security agents arrested Soltani without a warrant and took him to an unknown location. At the end of the reporting period, the Baha'i leaders were awaiting trial by a revolutionary court.

Mohammad Ismael Forouzan, a Baha'i arrested in March 2008 on unknown charges, was informed that his appeal had been denied, and he began serving a 1-year prison sentence.

Aziz Pourhamzeh, Kamran Aghdasi, and Fathollah Khatbjavan, detained in January 2008, reportedly remained in prison at the end of the reporting period.
Pouriya Habibi and Simin Mokhtari, arrested in January 2008 and detained on charges of teaching the Baha'i Faith, reportedly remained in Evin Prison at the end of the reporting period.

The Government continued to hold many Baha'i properties, including cemeteries, holy places, historical sites, and administrative centers, that were seized following the 1979 Revolution. Many of the properties have been destroyed. Baha'is were generally prevented from burying and honoring their dead in accordance with their religious tradition.

On January 19, 2009, the Baha'i cemetery of Ghaemshahr was attacked for the fourth time in 8 months and almost completely destroyed. According to witnesses, municipality officials razed the cemetery with a bulldozer at night.
On January 12, 2009, government workers entered a Tehran cemetery and demolished an entire section known as the burial ground of "infidels," an area where the Government interred people executed in the early years of the Islamic Revolution. Among the graves destroyed were those of Baha'is who had been members of national or local Baha'i governing councils in 1980, 1981, or 1984, years when the government rounded up the members of these councils and executed them.

The property rights of Baha'is were generally disregarded, and they suffered frequent government harassment and persecution. The Government raided Baha'i homes and businesses and confiscated large numbers of private and commercial properties, as well as religious materials, belonging to Baha'is. The Government reportedly seized numerous Baha'i homes and handed them over to an agency of Supreme Leader Khamene'i. The Government also seized private homes in which Baha'i youth classes were held, despite the owners' having proper ownership documents. The Baha'i community reported that the Government's seizure of Baha'i personal property and its denial of Baha'i access to education and employment was eroding the economic base of the community and threatening its survival.

On March 1, 2009, the University of Semnan expelled Minoo Shahriari, an economics student, on the grounds that she was Baha'i.

According to domestic press reports, the University of Kerman expelled nine Baha'i students on January 14, 2009.

On December 1, 2008, there were reports of protests by Muslim students at Goldshat College in Kelardasht in Mazandaran Province over the expulsion of a
Baha'i classmate.

On November 2, 2008, two Baha'i students were expelled from Shaheed Beheshti University on the basis of their religion.

There were reports of authorities forcing Baha'i businesses to close, placing restrictions on their businesses, and asking managers of private companies to dismiss their Baha'i employees.

Sufi Muslims likewise faced an increasing repression campaign, including defamatory attacks in newspapers and in sermons by Shi'a clerics.
On March 14, 2009, a representative of the Gonabadi dervishes, a Sufi mystical sect, reported that authorities were holding 41 dervishes in Evin Prison for practicing their religion.

On February 18, 2009, authorities razed the house of worship of Gonabadi dervishes at Takht-e Foulad, in Isfahan, with bulldozers. All Sufis present were arrested and had their mobile phones confiscated. Sufi books and publications were destroyed.

In January 2009 Jamshid Lak, a Sufi of the Gonabadi Dervish order, was flogged 74 times. He was charged in 2006 with "slander" against the Ministry of Intelligence after reportedly publicly complaining of the ill treatment he received at the hands of the Ministry.

In late December 2008, authorities arrested six members of the Gonabadi Dervishes on Kish Island. Their books, other materials, and computers were confiscated.

In November 2008 Amir Ali Mohammad Labaf, of the Nematollahi Gonabadi Sufi order, was sentenced to 74 lashes, 5 years in prison, and internal exile to the town of Babak for "spreading lies."

In October 2008 at least seven Sufi Muslims in Isfahan and five Sufis in Karaj were arrested because of their affiliation with the Nematollahi Gonabadi Sufi order.

Christians, particularly evangelicals, continued to be subject to harassment and close surveillance. During the reporting period, the Government vigilantly enforced its prohibition on proselytizing by closely monitoring the activities of evangelical Christians, discouraging Muslims from entering church premises, closing churches, and arresting Christian converts. Members of evangelical congregations were required to carry membership cards, photocopies of which must be provided to the authorities. Worshippers were subject to identity checks by authorities posted outside congregation centers. The Government restricted meetings for evangelical services to Sundays, and church officials were ordered to inform the Ministry of Information and Islamic Guidance before admitting new members.

On May 21, 2009, security officials arrested five Christian converts in Karaj who had gathered in a home for Bible study and worship. The house where they were meeting was searched and several Bibles confiscated. The five were being held at an unknown location.

On May 14, 2009, authorities arrested Abdul Zahra Vashahi, father of a prominent Christian Iranian human rights activist in the United Kingdom, in Bandar Manshahr after warning him that he would be held accountable for his son's activities. He was released 6 days later.

On May 14, 2009, a court in Ouroumieh reportedly denied pension benefits to Fatemeh Pauki, a retired Christian school teacher from West Azerbaijan Province. Pauki had been repeatedly detained and forced by authorities to promise to end her contact with Christian groups. Her husband, who had been detained and harassed by authorities over the years as well, was mysteriously killed in 2005.
In late March 2009, according to domestic human rights groups, a revolutionary court closed the Pentecostal church of Shahr Ara in Tehran, which belongs to Assyrian Christians. According to reports, the stated reason for the closure was the "illegal activities" of converting Muslims to Christianity and "accepting converts" to worship as members of the congregation.

On March 10, 2009, a Shiraz court sentenced three Christian converts--Seyed Allaedin Hussein, Homayoon Shokouhi, and Seyed Amir Hussein Bob-Annari--to 8-month prison terms with 5 years' probation. The judge warned the men to discontinue their Christian activities or risk being tried as apostates.

On March 5, 2009, authorities arrested two members of the Christian community, Maryam Rostampour and Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad. The women were being held in Evin Prison and reportedly were not receiving adequate medical care.

On January 21, 2009, authorities arrested three Christians--Hamik Khachikian (an Armenian Christian), Jamal Ghalishorani, and Nadereh Jamali (both Christian converts)--in Tehran. Their homes were searched and their computers and books were confiscated. According to a February 9 report, Khachikian was released without charges on January 28, while Ghalishorani and Nadereh were later released on bail.

On October 22, 2008, Ramtin Soodmand, a Christian, was released on bail. Soodmand had been arrested on August 21 on charges of spreading antigovernment propaganda.

On July 17, 2008, plain clothes security officers raided the home of Isfahan Iranian Christians Abbas Amiri and his wife, Sakineh Rahnama, during a meeting. Both Amiri and Rahnama died of injuries suffered during the raid. Authorities denied permission for the local Christian community to hold a memorial service for the couple.

On June 3, 2008, a Christian convert couple, Makan Arya and Tin Rad, reportedly were seized from their home in Tehran. Authorities accused Arya of "activities against national security" and Rad of "activities against the holy religion of Islam." Officials threatened to charge the two with apostasy. After being forced to sign statements swearing that they had not converted from Islam, Arya and Rad were released on bail. The two were forced to leave their church, and Arya was pressured to display pictures of Muslim leaders in his storefront window to ward off continued attacks on his shop.

According to a September 30, 2008, report, Christian converts Mahmoud Matin-Azad and Arash Basirat were released after a tribunal ruled that the charges of apostasy brought against the men were invalid. The two were arrested in Shiraz in May 2008.

Christian convert Mojataba Hussein, arrested in May 2008, remained in detention. His family did not know where he was being held, and requests for a visit were denied. There were no developments in the 2007 killings of three senior Sunni clerics.

Forced Religious Conversions

There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from the United States or who had not been allowed to be returned to the United States.

Government officials reportedly offered Baha'is relief from mistreatment in exchange for recanting their religious affiliation, and if incarcerated, recanting their religious affiliation as a precondition for releasing them.

Section III. Status of Societal Respect for Religious Freedom

Although the Constitution gives Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians the status of "protected" religious minorities, in practice non-Shi'a Muslims faced substantial societal discrimination, and government actions continued to support elements of society who create a threatening atmosphere for some religious minorities. President Ahmadinejad's agenda stressed the importance of Islam in enhancing "national solidarity" and mandated that government-controlled media emphasize Islamic culture in order to "cause subcultures to adapt themselves to public culture."

After President Ahmadinejad took office in August 2005, conservative media intensified a campaign against non-Muslim religious minorities, and political and religious leaders issued a continual stream of inflammatory statements. The campaigns against non-Muslims contributed to a significantly worse situation for non-Muslim society throughout the reporting period.

Sunni Muslims and Christians encountered societal and religious discrimination and harassment at the local, provincial, and national levels.

Baha'is faced government-sanctioned discrimination in the workplace. Baha'i graveyards in Abadeh and other cities were desecrated, and the Government did not seek to identify or punish the perpetrators.

Baha'i groups outside the country reported vandalism of Baha'i cemeteries, the desecration of a body exhumed from a Baha'i grave in Abadeh, and attacks against a Baha'i cemetery in Najafabad.

On October 23, 2008, individuals using a bulldozer desecrated a Baha'i cemetery in Darzikola.

The car of Soheil Naeimi, a Baha'i, was burned in Rafsanjan in Kerman Province on July 25, 2008, after his family and ten other Baha'i families received threatening letters from a group calling itself the "Anti-Baha'ism Movement of the Youth of Rafsanjan."

On July 18, 2008, a Baha'i family's home was burned to the ground in Kerman, according to the representative of the Baha'i International Community to the U.N.

A building owned by a Baha'i couple was burned down in Tangriz in Fars Province on June 10, 2008. The family reportedly filed a formal criminal complaint, but authorities declined to pursue the case.

There were reported problems for Baha'is in different trades around the country. Baha'is experienced an escalation of personal harassment, including receiving threatening notes, compact discs, text messages, and tracts. There were reported cases of Baha'i children being harassed in school and subjected to Islamic indoctrination. Baha'i girls were especially targeted by students and educators, with the intention of creating tension between parents and children.

There was serious concern from several religious and human rights groups about the resurgence of the once banned Hojjatiyeh Society, a secretive religious-economic group that was founded in 1953 to rid the country of the Baha'i Faith in order to hasten the return of the 12th Imam (the Mahdi). Although not a government organization, it was believed that many members of the administration were Hojjatiyeh members and used their offices to advance the society's goals. However, it was unknown what role, if any, the group played in the arrests of numerous Baha'is during the reporting period. Many Baha'i human rights groups and news agencies described the goals of the Hojjatiyeh Society as the eradication of the Baha'is, not just the Baha'i Faith. The group's anti-Baha'i orientation reportedly widened to encompass anti-Sunni and anti-Sufi activities as well.

Many Jews sought to limit their contact with or support for the state of Israel out of fear of reprisal. Anti-American and anti-Israeli demonstrations included the denunciation of Jews, as opposed to the past practice of denouncing only "Israel" and "Zionism," adding to the threatening atmosphere for the community.

There were reports during the reporting period that members of the Sabean-Mandaean community experienced societal discrimination and pressure to convert to Islam.

Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

Iran was first designated a CPC in 1999 and was most recently re-designated on January 16, 2009. As the action under the IRF Act, the Secretary designated the existing ongoing restrictions on United States security assistance in accordance with section 40 of the Arms Export Control Act, pursuant to section 402(c)(5) of the Act. The United States has no diplomatic relations with Iran, and thus it does not raise directly with the Government the restrictions that the Government places on religious freedom and other abuses the Government commits against adherents of minority religious groups.

The U.S. Government makes its position clear in public statements and reports, support for relevant U.N. and nongovernmental organization efforts, and diplomatic initiatives to press for an end to government abuses. The U.S. Government calls on other countries that have bilateral relations with Iran to use those ties to press the Government on religious freedom and human rights matters.

On numerous occasions, the U.S. State Department spokesman has addressed the situation of the Baha'i and Jewish communities in the country. The U.S. Government has publicly condemned the treatment of the Baha'is in U.N. resolutions, including one that passed in the General Assembly in 2008. The U.S. Government encourages other governments to make similar statements.

2009-09-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

Times:'Torture, murder and rape' — Iran’s way of breaking the opposition

On July 8, a young student was arrested in Tehran for protesting against President Ahmadinejad’s disputed re-election. The security forces clubbed Amir Javadifar, 24, so badly that he was treated in hospital before being taken to the notorious Evin prison. His father was later called and told to collect his corpse.

The security forces ordered his family to say that he had died of a pre-existing condition but medical reports show that he had been beaten, sustaining several broken bones, and had his toenails pulled out. “My son was not involved in politics. He loved his motherland — that’s all,” said Javadifar’s recently widowed father. “I alone mourn him.”

Javadifar is just one among scores of alleged cases of murder, torture and rape unearthed by opposition investigators — cases that a regime claiming to champion Islamic values is doing its utmost to suppress by denouncing the charges as lies, arresting the investigators and seizing their files. The Times has been given access to 500 pages of documents — a small fraction of the total — that include handwritten testimony by victims, medical reports and interviews.

They suggest that security forces have engaged in systematic killing and torture to try to break the opposition.

“The use of rape and torture was similar across prisons in Tehran and the provinces. It is difficult not to conclude that the highest authorities planned and ordered these actions. Local authorities would not dare take such actions without word from above,” wrote one investigator, in a coded reference to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader.

Mehdi Karoubi, 72, a defeated presidential candidate, said: “These crimes are a source of shame for the Islamic republic.”

Western non-governmental organisations said the documents corroborated what they were hearing from Iran, from where foreign journalists have been banned.

“We are repeatedly receiving credible reports of harsh beatings, sleep deprivation and alleged torture to extract false confessions in Iranian jails,” said Steve Crawshaw, UN director of Human Rights Watch. “Iran has fallen off the front pages but this doesn’t mean the situation is improving. On the contrary, we very much fear it is getting worse.”

The documents suggest that at least 200 demonstrators were killed in Tehran, with 56 others still unaccounted for, and that 173 were killed in other cities. These are several times higher than the official figures. Just over half of the 200 were killed on the streets. They were beaten around the head or shot in the head or chest as part of an apparent shoot-to-kill policy — there are no reports of demonstrators being shot in the legs.

Yacob Barvaye, 27, a student, was shot by Basiji militiamen from the top of the Lolagar mosque in Tehran on June 25, according to witnesses. Friends rushed him to hospital but he died of a brain haemorrhage. His family were standing over his body when the Basiji arrived and removed it. Two days later they called the family to say where they had buried it.

Ali Reza Tavasoli, 12, became separated from his father at a demonstration in the Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in Tehran commemorating the murder of Neda Soltan, the young woman whose videotaped death made her an opposition icon. His family stated that he had been killed in a car accident, but two doctors and a police officer have since testified that he died from blows to the head and that Basijis removed his body from the hospital.

His aunt says his impoverished parents were given the equivalent of $2,000 (£1,215) to lie about the boy’s death.

The rest of Tehran’s 200 known victims died in custody — detainees such as Amir Hossein Tufanian, 31, who was arrested on June 20 and taken to the Kahrizak detention centre. After his death, the police allegedly demanded that his family should pay thousands of dollars for his body, which bore marks of torture and had two broken arms. When the family protested that they had no money they were told they could have his corpse free if they made no fuss.

In three quarters of the cases, the victims’ families were told nothing about their whereabouts and were denied permission to hold proper funerals. The opposition claims that dozens were buried in unmarked graves in Behesht-e Zahra cemetery.

Mahmoud Rezayan, the cemetery chief, said coroners had certified that the bodies were those of unknown people who died in car accidents or from drug overdoses. The documents contain coroners’ statements denying that.

The documents also suggest that a chain of unofficial, makeshift prisons has been set up across Iran where rape and torture are common practice. In Tehran alone, 37 young men and women claim to have been raped by their jailers. Doctors’ reports say that two males, aged 17 and 22, died as a result of severe internal bleeding after being raped.

Many of the male rape victims also spoke of beatings, being subjected to forms of sexual humiliation including riding naked colleagues, and living in their underwear and in filthy conditions. Some testified that prisoners were subjected to torture including beatings, electrocution and having their toenails torn out.

“Where is the humanity among these agents?” one investigator scribbled on a document.
Female rape victims were mostly held for days, not weeks, like the men. Some said that their jailers claimed to have “religious sanction” to violate them as they were “morally dirty”.
Almost all, male and female, testified that they were ordered to say nothing of their ordeal or they would face more of the same.

The documents detail other systematic abuses: violent raids on student dormitories, attacks on the homes of suspected opposition sympathisers and the widespread intimidation of medics. They cite instances of security forces storming hospitals and ordering doctors not to treat injured demonstrators, not to record deaths by gunshot and to suppress medical reports indicating rape or torture.

Early last week, security forces raided offices of Mr Karoubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi, the other main
opposition candidate, and seized much of their evidence.

On Saturday a three-man panel set up by the head of the judiciary to investigate Mr Karoubi’s charges claimed that they were fabricated. Regime newspapers and supporters are demanding his arrest.

Undaunted, Mr Karoubi said on Monday that the attacks “show that I have hit on something extremely damaging to a number of political figures”.

He continued: “There are no few stories about the rape of girls and boys in prison. I say to myself three decades after the revolution and two decades after the death of the Imam [Ayatollah Khomeini] — what place have we reached?”

2009-09-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

Mission Network News: Iran increases pressure on Christians

Iran (MNN) ― Seven Christian converts posted bail and are out of Tehran's Evin prison, reports International Christian Concern.

ICC's Jonathon Racho says the Iranian government is flexing its muscle in the latest crackdown on believers. Why? Thousands are coming to Christ. "TV channels are playing a very important role in reaching out to the Muslims. This has created a situation where many Muslims are converting, and the Iranian government is very much alarmed by this development."

Voice of the Martyrs Canada reported that Iranian authorities had arrested 25 Christians in late July in northern Tehran. Officials confiscated books, CDs, computers, cell phones and passports, and arrested all of the believers present. Eighteen were temporarily released, while the seven others were taken to Evin Prison.

For those seven who were finally released on bail, "It doesn't mean that the charges against them have been dropped. Still, these Christians who are released on bail face prosecution from Iranian officials."

However, Maryam Rostampour and Marzieh Amirizadeh's case puzzles Racho. Bail was set, he says, and "their families were able to produce the bail, around $400,000 USD. But, the Iranian officials insisted on keeping them in prison." The two have refused to recant their faith under extreme physical duress.

Please pray "for the safety of Christians who convert from Islam in Iran," pleads Racho. "That is the most important tool that we can use at this point."

VOA: Basic Freedoms Violated In Iran

2009-09-30T12:14:00.000-07:00

The fifth round of the mass trial of ordinary Iranian citizens arrested after June's presidential election recently took place in Tehran. Similar to the previous public trials which began on August 1, defendants without the benefit of legal counsel admitted, under duress, to crimes against national security.

The second trial included Iranian-American scholar, Kian Tajabakhsh, who has spent his career working to enhance mutual understanding between Iran and the United States.Observers -- from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Iran's Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri -- have labeled the mass judicial proceedings following the post election crackdown "show" trials.

Another group facing unjust charges are the 7 leaders of Iran's Baha'i community, the largest non-Muslim religious minority in Iran. The 5 men and 2 women were arrested in the spring of 2008 and have been held in Evin prison with no direct access to legal counsel. They have been charged with a variety of offenses, including 2 capital crimes: "corrupting the Earth" and "espionage for Israel."

Their trial date has been set for October 18th. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom all charge that the 7 Baha'is are being targeted solely because of their religious beliefs and have called on the Iranian government to release them.In a recent speech in Washington D.C., Secretary of State Clinton said that she and President Barack Obama stand firmly on the side of freedom of expression and freedom of religion, 2 fundamental human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Iran is among the first nations to ratify the Universal Declaration. Secretary of State Clinton warned against the practice of authoritarian regimes where "discrimination by majorities toward minority faiths ... can threaten the freedom of belief." The U.S., said Secretary of State Clinton, will continue to speak out forcefully against violations of freedom of expression and of religion wherever they exist.

The lies of Keyhan newspaper

2009-08-09T04:32:00.000-07:00

The book “The Lies of Keyhan Newspaper” is published

The Keyhanism cult and the phenomena of Media Mafia in Iran have been one of the biggest challenges and crisis-causing factors in Iran after the revolution.

The analysis and study of the positions of this newspapers and its involvement in causing crisis and misinformation of the happenings of recent yesars signifies a hidden power that is unseen and controls and guides the public mind using this newspaper. A good proof to this claim is the position of this newspaper in the tenth presidential election of Islamic Republic of Iran.

While the media in Iran are known as the forgers and the most mendacious Medias in international opinion, the statistics on the number of lies in this newspaper are clearly showing the dominance of lies in the cultural system of the country (independent of economical, political, religious systems, etc)

Mendacity, distortion and deformation of the truth, insults and demolition jobs against intellectuals of the society, dropping false national security charges against special people, provoking public opinion and authorities against intellectuals, supporting the plots of repentance-making and false confession films have been seen in Keyhan enormously.

In fact, the dominance of Security organizations in thinking and cultural systems of the society, feeding thoughts to people and controlling public opinion in order to conduct security plots by the Media mafia of Iran have been the cause of many social and cultural damages during last thirty years.

In the book of “The Lies of Keyhan Newspaper”, which is based on several volumes of researches, there was an attempt to analyze the black file of Keyhan and disclose only a part of the proofs showing the lies told by Keyhan, as the head of Media Mafia and the tribune of Power System in Iran, to defend the downtrodden rights of intellectuals, those who think different and also all the people of Iran. This book is considered as a step toward an influential movment.

The fourth declaration of El Yasin Community

2009-07-18T11:07:00.001-07:00

In the name of Truth and Liberty
After two years and a half rapid increase in plots against Master Iliya (Mr. Peyman Fattahi) and after one-year he has been in solitary confinement, we, the members of El Yasin Community announce that we are going to enter a new phase of informing the world of the truth about Master Iliya and introducing him and his teachings and also disclosing all the tyrannies and illegal measures taken by the Religions Department of Intelligence Service of Iran against Master Iliya and El Yasin Community. Regarding this, we announce some of the most important measures we are going to take:
• Establishing a new phase of Thinking plans internationally
• Explanation of Master Iliya’s theories and introducing Master as a great theoretician to the world
• A new phase of research plans in forms of establishing necessary research branches
• Presenting lectures, conducting debates and roundtables
• A new phase of cyber plans and internet communications
• Publishing books and journals more than before
• Communicating with other spiritual movements and social movements more than before
• Expanding our activities and establishing self-governing associations and clubs in other cities
• Establishing supporting associations out of Iran
• Writing books (each person or each group writes a book to react the offences against Master and Community)
• Writing articles and publishing them in internet and internationally(each member one article)
• Expanding interactions with international media especially VOA and BBC in order to disclose and condemn the Religions Department of Intelligence Service)
• …
Greetings to the followers of divine guidance course
A group of El yasin representatives
July 14, 2009

The third declaration of El Yasin Community

2009-07-18T11:05:00.000-07:00

In the name of Truth and Honesty

It is one year that Master Iliya has been in solitary confinement while the religious Taliban of Iran (the hidden authorities of Religions Department of Intelligence Service) has reached to the point that now they apply cruelties against all the people of Iran as it was only human rights activists, university students, religious minorities and spiritual communities who were faced with the cruelties before.

The wave of disclosures about forcing the prisoners to make false confessions and making them repent in front of cameras, which had been announced in El Yasin weblogs and websites long before, is now breaking in the world especially among the leaders of the world.

We, the members of El Yasin Community, congratulate all the people of Iran on this awareness and we know it definite God’s blessing in this time and we hope that the overall liberalism tendency which is started in Iran continue to the point that people of Iran reach their liberty rights.

With the defeat of the Religions Department of Intelligence Service on all the flanks, they are now concentrated on demolition jobs against Master Iliya in the media, as it is their old method. One of the rings of theirs demolition jobs’ chain was performed in the infamous Keyhan newspaper which is known for its Taliban- like authorities and staff.

This old plot which is the sequence of forcing Master Iliya and his students to repent for the accusations they are not guilty of, in our opinion, is a first step to start a new wave of demolition jobs in the national media and we know them all devoid of legal validity and we condemn such acts.

We announce that if religions Department of Intelligence Service continues such measures, it will be definitely faced with commensurate reactions and disclosures by El Yasin members and other friends of Master Iliya all over the world.

Meanwhile we condemn the illegal and irreligious measures of Religions Department of Intelligence Service and we announce that we have promised to continue our disclosures against the Religions Department, which is the most important part of Religious Taliban of Iran.

Even if Master Iliya is released from prison and with greater and double efforts, we continue to inform the world about the crimes and villainy committed by the mentioned security division if any kind of compulsory false confession film is shown on Master Iliya.

Greetings to followers of divine guidance course

A group of El Yasin representatives,

July 10, 2009

2009-07-15T04:33:00.000-07:00

Recourse to fake plaintiffs; the last instrument of Intelligence Service to convict the opponents

Today the Intelligence Service of Ahmadi Nejad’s government, which is infamous for acting against belief-related opponents, is under the pressure of international public opinion as their dirty plots of making false crimes are now revealed internationally.

One simple example is the Religions Department, one of the sub divisions of the Intelligence ministry that does not avoid any forgery or fraud in order to attack their belief-related opponents.

More recently, details on the plot of making fake plaintiffs against Mr. Peyman Fattahi, the leader of El Yasin Community, have been disclosed.

This plot started with a public call for complaining against Peyman Fattahi in Keyhan newspaper and continued with calling the members of El Yasin Community and putting pressure on them to make complaints against the leader of the community but fortunately the plot was unsuccessful.

So they started the plot of repentance-making and forcing the so called penitents to sit for a false confession films.

The news from 209 ward of Evin Prison signifies that at the moment the pressure on the imprisoned members of El Yasin has been increased and the interrogators try to use family films and photos of the prisoners as pressure levers to force them make complaints against Peyman Fattahi.

It goes without saying that using such inhumane ways by the Religions Department is a sign for inability of the security system of Iran to prove even one of the accusations they had made against Peyman Fattahi.

The imprisoned leader of El Yasin had announced before that if even one crime or heresy is proved against him, he would accept all the accusations against himself.

News

2009-07-02T08:23:00.000-07:00

The answer of the leader of EL Yasin Community to inhumane demands of Religions Department of Intelligence Service in Iran

The report on the condition of Peyman Fattahi, the leader of El Yasin Community, indicates that the Religions Department of Intelligence Service forces this great thinking teacher to obey their inhumane demands.

Religions Department of Intelligence Service asks Peyman Fattahi (Master Eliya) to accept sectarianism, to deny many documentaries and people’s attests about him, to assail the books written by El Yasin Community, to do self-destruction and condemn himself in the Television of Islamic Republic of Iran, to ask for forgiveness from the leader of Iran, and to disprove what the spokespeople of El Yasin Community have said in the international media.

This is while he has announced that if the Religions Department could prove only one of the accusations against him denoting he has committed a crime or heresy, he would accept any accusations against himself.

On the other hand, the members of El Yasin Community have asked the high ranking authorities of Islamic Republic of Iran several times to debate with Peyman Fattahi live in the international Media but unfortunately this request has left unanswered by the authorities of the government.

It is worth mentioning that the leader of El Yasin community has promised to the Islamic government of Iran to cooperate with them do demolition jobs against himself because the members of El Yasin Community have been threatened in crazy ways to be executed and some of them have been imprisoned.

During Peyman Fattahi’s imprisonment, the mentioned security division has taken any possible measures to conduct its suppression plans with even using illegal and inhumane ways; for instance torturing Peyman Fattahi severely, keeping him in solitary confinement for more than one year, imprisoning him in a basement cell with lots of mice for months, not letting him go out for breathing fresh air, treating him barbarically with attempts to suffocate him in one of the interrogation sessions, not letting him have medical care although he is stricken with heart and respiratory problems in prison and etc.

News

2009-07-02T08:22:00.000-07:00

An NGO requests the largest film making companies of the world to react against the project of making fabricated false confessions films in Iran

The latest news from prisoners of the last chaos in Iran signifies that all of the prisoners are under pressure to sit for confession films.

It is said that the arrested and imprisoned people’s confessions are going to be used in a preplanned scenario about soft abolishment with scarlet revolution method so this film can be used in the Media of Iran. It is while the Human Right Organizations and international media have warned about developing such projects in Iran.

On the other hand, a cultural NGO in Iran (which is affiliated with El Yasin Community) has announced recently that is going to request the largest film-making companies of the world to make films about the crimes of security system of Mahmud Ahmadi Nejad’s government in order to react against the projects of making fabricated confession films in Iran and help divulging such dirty projects to repel such crimes.

It is worth mentioning that the members of this NGO are a group of Peyman Fattahi’s students; Peyman Fattahi is one of the belief-related and political prisoners in Iran who has been in solitary confinement for more than one year and according to human right organizations and international Media, he has been under severest mental and physical tortures to sit for a false confession film and deny his beliefs.

The pressure levers for compulsory cooperation

2009-07-02T08:20:00.000-07:00

Religions Departments of Intelligence Service misuses the personal documents of El Yasin members

During last few years, the Religions Departments of Intelligence Service (DARRM) has invaded the privacy of El Yasin members by putting hidden cameras and microphones in their houses especially in bed rooms and bathrooms using these films and records as pressure levers to force the members of El Yasin cooperate with the security system in Iran.

The treats and misuses are still continuing by the Religions Department and as we are informed it is a while that the agents of this horrible security department have accessed the personal photos and family films of the members of El Yasin by recovering their personal computers and laptops and therefore they misuse them wildly to put pressure on members in order to pursue their gross aims.

This is while the security system of each country is responsible for establishing social security and protecting people’s privacy but unfortunately in Iran the security system is a threat for personal privacy and disturbs the comfort of Iranian people.

Social demolition jobs against opponents in Islamic Republic of Iran

2009-07-02T08:19:00.000-07:00

The following news is about demolition jobs against Master Eliya (Peyman Fattahi) and his prosecution which is reported in the web log of crisis- in – Iran: http://www.crisis-in-iran.blogfa.com

Social demolition jobs against opponents in Islamic Republic of Iran

While the report card of the Ninth Government is full of lies and forgery, the solution of Mahmud Ahmadi Nejad’s government for the problems, that Power System is facing, are “demolition jobs against thinking leaders of society” and “their prosecutions”.

According to the latest news from Peyman Fattahi’s condition, the Intelligence Service of Iran – the security division of religions- stipulated that Peyman Fattahi must do self-destruction and self-prosecution in public in order to be released from prison and also other imprisoned members of El Yasin Community must do the same to be released.

Such stipulation which aims to demolish Peyman Fattahi among his advocates, who are mainly young people, signifies that the Power System in Iran is greatly terrified from his popularity among people.

Also during last two years which El Yasin Community has faced with arrests, imprisonments and tortures of its members, Peyman Fattahi, the imprisoned leader of this community, has promised several times to cooperate with Intelligence Service and deny and condemn himself in public in order to save his students and other members of this community .

There is a high possibility that the Governmental Media of Iran show fabricated stories and montaged films against Master Eliya (Peyman Fattahi).

Such measures which are taken by the Government of Iran are considered as social execution of opponents and are among the old methods of Intelligence Service taken along with physical omission projects.

news

2009-06-25T19:50:00.001-07:00

The report of arresting the strikers of El-Yasin Community in Imam Khomeini’s Tomb after explosion of a bomb

El-Yasin strikers in Imam Khoemini’s Tomb, who witnessed the suicide bombing of yesterday evening, say that the suicide bomber who was dressed in caretakers’ uniform was intending to enter the Tomb exploded the bomb in the entrance of the Tomb. In this happening, the suicide bomber was killed and some others were wounded.

Immediately after the explosion, the security forces surrounded the strikers and forced the ordinary people leave the Tomb.

The security forces told the strikers that they should leave the Tomb due to the terrorist attack and then the agents of Intelligence Service entered and said that they were going to transfer all the strikers to prison and no one could leave.

After about five hours of siege and quarantine, no team was in the place to clean and check for other bombs. The security forces pushed the strikers out while beating them badly with kicks and punches in a very offensive way especially towards women. They took all the mobiles of the strikers and their personal stuffs and forced them to get on three buses and transferred them out of Imam Khomeini’s Tomb.

The last news signifies that the Intelligence Service did not keep the members of El-Yasin who were about 200 people for long because they had limitations in prisons due to the chaotic situation of Iran and the great number of arrested people. so they made the strikers sign a commitment paper and after taking photos and finger prints of the strikers, they made them get off the buses around the cemetery, Islamshahr and out of Tehran.

The suicide attack which led to Intelligence Service Agents force strikers out of Imam Khoemini’s Tomb, happened while the chief officer of the police, Sardar Radan, announced that the police would have serious encounters with any kinds of gatherings after Ayatollah Khameneie’s speech in the Friday prayers of Tehran

Payam Elyasin News Group

www.payame-elyasin.blogfa.com

news

2009-06-25T19:49:00.000-07:00

The last news from Imam Khomeini’s Tomb and El-Yasin strikers after explosion of the bomb

The last news from Imam Khomeini’s Tomb and the strikers of El-Yasin, who were there, signifies that all the strikers are healthy.

On the other hand, the security agents forced the people out and imprisoned El-Yasin members in Tomb and did not let them out at all.

It is said that due to not letting the strikers go out of the building, elderly and sick people who are much weaker than other strikers, are in very bad condition.

The security agents also threatened to arrest all the strikers and intimidated them.

Statement

2009-06-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

A Statement of innocence of the members of El-Yasin on Imam Khomeini’s sepulcher bomb explosion

Quoting eyewitnesses, today (June 19, 2009) on 5 pm , during individual action of a man suicide with a bomb attached to himself, one person being killed and injured two people . Since 200 members of El-Yasin has been in hunger strike to deal with their request and sit-stricken are calm, there is the possibility that some elements of security system are trying to assign this non-human action to members of El-Yasin.

Herein, we, the members of El Yasin Community, announcing the innocence of our members in this action, it is condemned, and have no proportion between the subject and hunger strike or sit –stricken of El-yasin.

Representatives of El Yasin Community

June 19 2009

Latest News

2009-06-18T14:41:00.000-07:00

The status of El-Yasin strikers has been reported critical.

Three members of El Yasin community who were following their day 9 hunger strike admitted to hospital yesterday due to severe physical weakness and after the officials failed to free master Eliya (Peyman Fattahi).

Also five other members reported to be unconscious today, June 17, 2009 due to low blood pressure. The authorities of Imam Khomeini holy shrine, under the influence of “Department against Reliogions and Religious Minorities" (DARRM) belongs to ministry of intelligence, banned drinking water to the strikers.

On the other hand in a telephone conversation with members of El-Yasin, the paramedics have announced that not to contact for the treatment of strikers. It seems that the State Emergency officials refused to treat strikers due to the threats and intimidation of security agents, who had previously refused to allow the stretcher inside the shrine of Ayatollah Khomeini.

Also, due to lack of paramedics for immediate treatment, the status of other strikers have become critical in a way that they are being carried by other people present at the shrine to received I.V.

The session is considering possibility of arrest of those who were transferred outside the shrine for treatment due to earlier threats of security officers who had beaten some of the members of El Yasin inside the Shrine.

Letter of El Yasin to President Obama

2009-06-17T20:03:00.000-07:00

June 13, 2009

The Honorable US president

Mister Barak Obama

Dear Mr. President;

As Iran’s tenth round of Presidential Elections to be left behind and with the rise of Mahmud Ahmadi Nejad as elected president in despite of all opposition of masses of people, continued violation of human rights and suppression of freedom of opinion and expression is considered to be one of the problems of Iranian people.

Unfortunately the account for Iran’s 9^th government in the past four years reflects the fact that suppression of dissidents, religious and cultural-spiritual groups progressive process, in the month before the elections, many of civil, academic and human rights activist arrested prior to the government of Mahmud Ahmadi Nejad.

Regrettably the situation of Iran today has reached a stage that more than any other time the immediate attention and care of international institutions and direct interference with world leaders to make changes and developments in fundamental and improving the current needs.

The stifling atmosphere ruling on Iran has caused dissatisfaction and many protests from all walks of life. But it seems that indifference of officials and leaders of Islamic Republic compared to the issues and request of the Iranian people from the main cause of the nation with the government. As long as no ears to hear the cries and there is not the slightest stomata for people to deliver the message to the officials and especially the Leader of Islamic Republic of Iran have been closed and even writing a letter from Iranian citizens to Ayatollah Khamenei, has the most punishment to follow, is there a way left for people to appeal?

Mr. Obama,

Presently and in addition to the students, women, teachers, workers, journalists and human rights activists, the case of El-Yasin community’s (an academic and spiritual community) leader is considered to be one prominent instances of human rights violation in Iran who is of the victims of the Inquisition in Iran.

Two hundred thousand members of El-Yasin community whom is led by Mr. Peyman Fattahi (known as the Master Eliya) started their activities mostly in academic and spiritual teaching many years ago and today is known as one of the most active NGO Known in Middle East.

But by the order of some high ranked political and religious seats, the leader of this community along with some of his students have been arrested by a sect of the Intelligent and Security Ministry (Department Against Religions and Religious Minorities) and kept in Evin prison ward 209 under solitary confinement and under the most severe torture to deny his beliefs.

We fans of Eliya know him as a great teacher of thought and a theoretician and we believe that dispersal of his ideas and theory in the society can solve many of today's issues in Iran. Eliya’s desirous for the realization of spiritual freedom and free spirituality in society and is one of his views that the marriage civilizations and religions known to the principle that “interaction between Islam and Judaism, Christianity can be many of the world today to resolve because most of the issues rooted in the world is ideological differences”. And in general this attitude in the teaching of Eliya is that “religion is for Man and Man is not for religion and that human life should not be sacrificed for between religions differences.”

But the dispersion of Eliya’s views and teachings among people is considered dangerous for the power of religious Taliban in Iran and in their thought; they can imprison his ideas and views by his detention.

Meantime the students and fans of Eliya in Iran and outside, in protest against oppression and severe pressures of executioners of thought and spirituality have set numerous efforts and one of the last their actions is holding a continuous hunger strike has began in threshold of the tenth round of presidential elections of June 2009 and is continued.

Presently, more than 200 members and general representatives of El-Yasin Community in protest to more than 11 months of imprisonment of their leader Master Eliya (Mr. Peyman Fattahi) in solitary confinement and to the ruthless physical and mental torture, the community of El-Yasin gathered in the holy shrine of Ayatollah Khomeini are on hunger strike, with inquiries like; “we ask for an immediate medical examination on physical condition of our teacher Eliya", "we asked for an end to the physical and mental torture of our teacher, and "Mr. Shahroudi has the Eight Articles Commandment of Imam been forgotten?”, have declared their protest to the detention, torture and illegal behavior of “DARRM” in Ministry of Intelligence and their sabotaging attacks through media against master Eliya (Mr. Peyman Fattahi) and the members of the El-Yasin Community.

The participants with slogans persistently called for direct intervention of Iranian leader (Mr. Khamenei) in master Eliya‘s (Mr. Peyman Fattahi) case and El-Yasin Community and to put an end to oppression and injustice revealed by “DARRM” against the community’s leader and of the members of community.

On the other hand the strikers repeatedly face threats of security agents who are violently beating some of the members and news broadcasting crew and using tear gas to disperse them.

Unfortunately not only all efforts by El-Yasin to pursue the case had led authorities to investigate and end the situation, yet the official spokesperson for the community was illegally arrested and imprisoned during a follow up of the case. Essentially, the written request of El-Yasin members to all presidential candidates asking for freedom of Master Eliya has not been replied. But they have stood bravely to this silence of the Iranian authorities and intend to hold their strike until the freedom of Master Eliya (Mr. Peyman Fattahi) the leader of community, and seven members of El-Yasin from prison.

Mr. Obama,

Since that the Islamic Republic of Iranian governs and leader of are ignorant of problems created for the political, ideological prisoners, whom are the main cause of these silent academic and ideological crimes, up to this moment had not realize their responsibility for this human tragedy, consequently we are express our deep concern in connection with the status of strikers and bringing our appeal to you hoping you could put some pressure on Iranian officials requiring them to observe the human rights towards political–opinionative prisoners and ask for freedom master Eliya and his students as soon as possible.

Mr. Obama,

We know you as one of the best and the most sympathetic world leaders for establishing peace and unity in the world who are making great efforts for realization of humankind dream. Therefore we are pleading to you for justice, because we are confident of your concern for Iranian people and their issues.

We strongly believe that the just leaders in the advanced societies and free world can be a major impact on the fate of the nation and their release of the injustice and oppression of the absolute power and autocratic. In addition, since none of the Iranian political and religious leaders yet been responsible for their people and their demands for freedom, the people of Iran are seek justice and need your aid.

Sincerely yours,

A group of Master Eliya’s followers and admirers (inside and outside of Iran)

Other supporters of this letter are:

The representatives of The Union for Human Rights and International Affairs of El-Yasin (UHRIAE (

The Professional Association of Thinkers and Probers of Iran

Publications Council of El-Yasin Community

Yahoo Publishing House

Taalime Hagh (Divine Teachings) Publishing House

"Ha-Mim" Publishing House

Executive manager and Editorial Board of Esoteric Science Magazine

The Writers and Researchers Council of El-Yasin (Payam)

Executive manager and Editorial Board of “The Art of Sublime Life”

Nature-Front Group

Executive manager and Editorial Board of “The Arts of Living”

Yasin Translators Council

Executive manager and Editorial Board of “The Science of Success”

The Association of Eliya’s Supporter (out of the country)

Executive manager and Editorial Board of “Motivators”

Women Crusade of El-Yasin Community

Executive manager and Editorial Board of “Sublime Thinking”

Youth Society of El-Yasin

Ms. Nazi Hesami’s Supporting Campaign

El-Yasin Reporters Committee

Mrs. Mitra Haji Najafi Supporting Campaign

Yasin Freedom of Thoughts Organization (the first public cyber organization which is anti inquisition in Iran)

2009-06-14T20:06:00.001-07:00

Beating El-yasin Strikers in Imam Khomeini’s tomb in Presidential Election Night

At the last hours before election getting started, agents of the intelligence service if Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s government started to beat terribly a group of strikers after abusing to them by the justification that Tomb is an election domain. Reports denote that when people saw the scenes of beating and using abusing language, started to shout “ALLAH Akbar” and “La Elah ella ALLAH” and broke some glasses of the Tomb and showed their accompaniment with this movement of protestation.

After that, agents of the intelligence service turned the lights off and used lachrymatory gas and threatened and frightened the strikers and sent out pilgrims and surrounded the strikers. Other strikers confronted agents by shouting slogans such as “GOD is with me” and “GOD is my protector”.

Agents of intelligence service hold batons and electric shockers and they had covered their faces and even before starting to beat strikers they had announced to strikers to be ready to be collectively arrested.

As the present people witness, after two hours of fighting, Tomb authorities started to negotiate with representatives and promised from the side of Imam’s Beit (Beit-e Imam) to support strikers’ security and they calmed the shaky atmosphere and gradually agents of intelligent service and those who had covered their faces(wearing normal cloths) leaved the place.

Films from this event will be published for the public soon

2009-06-14T20:06:00.000-07:00

The Authorities of Iran Do not Pay Attention to Master ILIYA’s and El-yasin Strikers’ situation

In the fifth day of El-Yasin’s general council hunger strike. There has not been any attention to requests of this community. As witnesses claim, a responsible person who had not introduced himself, has promised to help strikers and to prepare the possibility for negotiating to Hodjjatol eslam Hasan Khomeini. Hearings denote that this person is Mr. Ansari, the caretaker if Imam Khomeini’s Tomb.

After this promise there was not any consideration to the requests of the strikers and agents of religions department of Intelligence service forced Mrs. Shabab Hesami- Mr. PEYMAN FATTAHI’s wife – to attend in Imam’s Tomb and try to discourage El-yasin strikers to stop the strike.

In addition the present people in the Tomb have announced that the exterior yard of the Tomb is encircled by the intelligence service’s cars and minibuses. Meanwhile the present clergyman in the Tomb has announced that El-yasin’s letter has been sent to the leader of Iran and he has claimed that this letter has been passed on leader of Iran.

It is mentionable that until now none of representatives of the leader’s office, upper authorities and Seyyed Hasan Khomeini have not started negotiation and speaking to El-yasin strikers.Also none of promises to El-yasin have not been accomplished. Agents of the intelligence service have repeatedly claimed during last days that if the authorities if Iran come to negotiate, we will not let them negotiate with El-yasin

Report

2009-06-13T19:08:00.000-07:00

June 12, 2009

El-Yasin holds Hunger Strike in Imam Khomeini’s shrine for release of their leader

200 of the of El Yassin community representatives hold hunger strike in the shrine Ayatollah Khomeini in protest to the 11 months of solitary confinement of their leader Mr. Peyman Fatahi including various interrogations and torture for making false confessions. The security agents effort to drive them out, so far have been result less.

According to the news of Union for Human Rights and International Affairs of El-Yasin, 200 Members of El-Yasin in protest to the critical physical condition of their leader held in Evin security prison are still holding their hunger strike in the shrine to Ayatollah Khomeini.

They started their strike on Tuesday June 9, 2009 with slogans and carrying placards for freedom and treatment of their leader Peyman Fatahi who is suffering 11 months of solitary confinement in the ward 209 of Evin prison and recently the shocking news of tortures and respiratory problems and bleeding.

Those who favor Peyman Fatahi know him as Master Eliya, a teacher of thought, culture and life. They stress that “El-Yasin” community is an academic society with 200 thousand members and apolitical.

Peyman Fatahi has started his public teachings 12 years ago in the subjects of theology, dream interpretation and revival of the soul, and the owner of 4000 pages of didactic text which were detained by the security and secret service of Iran.

According to Deutsche Welle one of the witnesses during a telephone conversation said: "On the first day the security forces locked down the shrine. They came inside and started pulling women on ground and threw their bags. We maintain calm and quiet and chained our arms together then they came back and brought the shrine Imam and he tried to make a peaceful dialogue with us. They told people that we are Baha’i or Wahhabi and devil worshipers! So people have a bad image of us. But they can’t force us to leave because we are inside the Holy shrine. We have been drinking only sweeten water in past two nights. Last night they lowered the air freezing cold we trembled till next morning.” She continued: “some strikers were not feeling good they were weak and needed medical attention. First they let some emergency medical crew inside the shrine, but later we were told that whoever gets sick can’t have medical attention and that we must go out to see a doctor. We were given an ultimatum to leave the shrine otherwise they’ll bring the special police squad.”

According to the latest reports online, security agents surrounded the shrine and cut off water. In addition to the lack of entry to foreign reporters, the officials are not allowing the Emergency medical forces for treatment on hunger strike.

Also in the final hours before the beginning of the election a number of armed with to teaser Guns and tear gas attaching the strikers and told them that holy shrine of Imam is the area for voting and you have to leave the premises. A group of people present at the shrine witnessing the scene of strife and officials of insults entered the scene with slogans breaking glasses of the shrine of Ayatollah Khomeini and supported the protest movement.

According to the witnesses, after two hours of tension, the shrine officials negotiate with the representatives present in promising those talks with officials. The hunger strike is due to lack of attention senior officials of the Islamic still continuing.

The videos taken from this violent incident will be added to “you tube” website for public review.

The Union for Human Right and International Affairs of El-Yasin (UHRIAE)

The Third statement of El-Yasin Central Council

2009-06-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

In The Name Of Liberty

The Third statement of El-Yasin community in regards to their continuous Hunger Strike in the holy shrine of Imam Khomaini.

Someone who has committed tyranny himself or had partnered in tyranny, and the one who has helped someone in tyranny, and the one who is pleased it, all Three are partners in Tyranny

After two days of food strike El-Yasin representatives inside the holy shrine of Imam Khomaini in protest against the cruelties and injustice, and the lack of attention by the Iranian officials, hereby we announce that the responsibility for any cause danger to El-Yasin Community strikers will be over the high-ranking officials and custodianship of the shrine. Although the 200-members on hunger strike are not in a proper physical condition, they are under all kinds of pressure and threats in many ways.

We as Muslims in an Islamic country whose rights have been violated and seeking justice has became a challenge, have taken refuge and appealed to the leader of revolution Imam Khomaini and his holy shrine, faced with anti human security agents against strikers, including cutting off the water on them, lowering air to the severe cold to break down the strikers in which some has been reported in the critical condition. We hereby announce the outcome of these consequences will be of the high-ranking officials of Iran. Also any threat, pressure and offensive limitations towards who sought refuge in the holy shrine are responsibilities for all the high ranked officials who were current to oppressions inflicted on the Master Eliya and El-Yasin Community during past two years.

Unfortunately it’s unbelievable that after two days of peaceful and overpowered ways not only the requests of community had an appropriate reply but have received the Medias boycott which has been accompanied with silence of senior officials.

Central Council of El-Yasin

June 10, 2009

Announcement of UHRIAE

2009-06-13T19:04:00.000-07:00

Announcement of the Union for Human Rights and International Affairs of El-Yasin relating protest gathering of 200 members of the El-Yasin general councils.

The Union for Human Rights and International Affairs of El-Yasin (UHRIAE) hereby announce that more than 200 of the authorities of El-Yasin councils in protest to;

Two years oppression, injustice and distortion of the Master Eliya (Peyman Fattahi) and the community of El Yasin;

In protest to nearly a year solitary imprisonment of master Eliya which caused him serious respiratory problems;

In protest to months of torture and all kinds of physical and mental pressure on him, his family and other close members of El Yasin.

In protest to all kinds of the recent attacks and sabotage made by the Iranians’ extremist media, today the hunger strike action has began inside the holy shrine of Imam Khomeini in Tehran.

With supporting this protest action, The Union for Human Rights and International Affairs of El-Yasin, announced that the gathering started on June 19, 2009 after frequent references made by the representatives of El-Yasin Community to Islamic Republic authorities during past two years not only was answered, yet the outlawed measures of Department against Religions and Religious Minorities, “DARRM”, (branch under the Ministry of intelligent and security of Iran) has gone too far and today expands more than ever. Meanwhile all rights to El-Yasin to a possible view in public media are completely banned.

The Union for Human Rights and International Affairs of El-Yasin (UHRIAE) has invited all the authorities of the international community to be one voice with us and send this sound to the members of the international community in defense of freedom of opinion, with extensive reflection of the news humanitarian move their support of this brave protest movement in Iran.

Also with regard to Iran's present atmosphere that elections of the tenth of the presidency, has been living with a burning sensation, the Union declares their deep concern about the scope of abuse by “DARRM”, and arrest more members of the El-Yasin Community.

With hope for your prompt attention to this request, Please accept our respect.

Thanks and regards

Union for Human Rights and International Affairs of El-Yasin

For more information please visit our website. www.ayahra.org

The organizations and groups who have supported this movement:

The Professional Association of Thinkers and Probers of Iran

Publications Council of El-Yasin Community

Yahoo Publishing House

Divine Teachings Publishing House (Taalime Hagh)

"Ha-Mim" Publishing House

Nature-Front Group

Executive manager and Editorial Board of “Esoteric Science” Magazine

Yasin Translators Council

Executive manager and Editorial Board of “The Art of Sublime Life”

The association of Eliya’s Supporter (out of the country)

Executive manager and Editorial Board of “The Arts of Living”

Women Crusade of El-Yasin Community

Executive manager and Editorial Board of “The Science of Success”

The Writers and Researchers Council of El-Yasin (Payam)

Executive manager and Editorial Board of “Motivators”

Executive manager and Editorial Board of “Sublime Thinking”

Youth Society of El-Yasin

Ms. Nazi Hesami’s Supporting Campaign

Mrs. Mitra Haji Najafi’s Supporting Campaign

El-Yasin Reporters Committee

Yasin Freedom of Thoughts Organization[1]

[1] The first public cyber organization which is anti inquisition in Iran

Special Report

2009-06-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

Special report: El Yasin Community on Hunger strike

Today The El Yasin community went on a continuous hunger strike in protest against the two years of tyranny and injustice of the Department against Religions and Religious Minorities, “DARRM”, branch acting under the Ministry of intelligent and security of Iran.

More than 200 members of the El Yasin Community and representatives of the general members of the council gathered today Wednesday 06-09-2009 to protest against the oppression of “DARRM” and its confliction with El Yasin community and its leader Mr. Peyman Fatahi; they have requested to meet with the Iranian leadership Aatollah Khamenehie. This strike took place in the holy shrine of Imam Khomeini and is intended to be for continuous days. It's worth mentioning, few minutes after the gathering of the El Yasin community, this calm and harmless gathering was conflicted with the security personals of the holy shrine.

According to Yasin news group, the gathering started early this morning soon after interpretation of a signed scroll, explaining their impetus for this action.

In the text of this scroll is specified; to protest against two years of oppression, injustice and distortion of Master Eliya (Peyman Fattahi) and the El Yasin Community, in protest to nearly a year of solitary imprisonment of master Eliya that has caused him serious respiratory difficulties, in protest for months of torture and all kinds of physical and mental pressure on him, his family and other members of the El Yasin, in protest to all kinds of the recent attacks and sabotage made by the Iranians’ extremist media, resulted to our strike action today. The gathering along with continuous hunger strike started today and after two years of ignoring any reference to the El Yasin did not led authorities to investigate and end of this situation yet, the spokesman for the community had been illegally arrested and imprisoned following the situation.

According to this report, individuals read some verses of the Yasin from Holy Quran, hunger strike officially began. They carried placards with themes like "we asked for an immediate investigation on physical condition of Master Eliya", "after 27 years the Eight Article Commandement of Imam Khomainie is not implemented", "we are asking to end the physical and mental torture of master Eliya".

They continued their gathering while chanting slogans such as "free Eliya" and" God is with me" The reports indicates that immediately after the slogans, they were attacked by the security appertains of shrine started to collect the placards and raised the volume to an audio voice of Quran in the in the yard of holy shrine, prevented the resume slogans. The foreign reporters were present in the holy shrine taking reports and pictures of this gathering and hunger strike and interviewed some members of the El Yassin.

According to the latest reports, police forces surrendered around the sanctuary and getting ready to a possible attack with tear gas to strikers.

2009-06-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

Ms. Shabab Hesami , spouse of Mr. Peyman Fattahi , leader of the El-Yasin community arrested

According to the news of the Union for Human Rights and International Affairs of El-Yasin (UHRIAE), the Department Against Religions and Religious Minorities, “DARRM” acting under the Ministry of security and intelligent, arrested Ms. Shabab Hesami on June 6, 2009.

Ms. Shabab Hesami, a writer and powerful Iranian editor was deceptively drafted to the Islamic Revolution Court as an excuse for allowed to meet with her husband (Mr. Peyman Fattahi the leader of El Yasin Community), and then arrested. This illegal detention occurred while Ms. Hesami’s physical situation was reported to be poor in past days evident that there is a suspicious mass in her abdominal area and according to her doctor she is in need of an immediate surgery.

Ms. Shabab Hesami is the author of more than 20 books and 80 articles published in local and internal publications. She is the third victim of her family who is been arrested during last 4 months in result of the Iran’s security forces “DARRM” who encounter individuals and groups with other beliefs, and has been transferred to prison in security section 209. The two other members of the family, Mr. Peyman Fattahi – the spiritual leader of the El Yasin community and Ms. Nazi Hesami the publishing manager of Yahoo publications are being held in the 209 security ward of Evin prison since January 14, 2009.

Reports indicate that it is now two little children a four-year-old and a year old of Mr. Fattahi are without their father and mother living in serious mental conditions.

The Union for Human Rights and International Affairs of El-Yasin -UHRIAE

www.ayahra.org

The Al-Yassin Followers

2008-06-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

First time I met Ramin Ahmadi, it was during a conference in London. We were sitting at the back of the room and bored to the point of going to sleep listening to the older generation of Iranian opposition ranting on about the same stuff we had heard over and over before from them. Then the chair introduced Ramin Ahmadi, a professor of internal medicine, a human rights activist who had represented Physicians for Human Rights in Chechnya where he had investigated and documented human rights violations as well his work in East Timour etc...

Just the impressive introduction of Ramin's previous activities was enough to wake us up. The 'organisers' had told Ramin Ahamdi that his presentation will be in English but at the last minute they told him to do it in Persian. Still composed, Ramin Ahmadi, grabbed our attention because he was not just telling us that the Islamic Republic was bad, which we all knew any way, but actually what can be done about it. I have never seen Ramin Ahamdi since but have kept in constant contact with him and he is one of those trusted circle of friends whose opinion I value and often ask for.

Few days ago, I came across an article titled 'Who is scared of the Ale-Yassin' by Ramin Ahmadi on a Persian website. As I have always said, I am not a spiritual person, I had decided at a very young age, years before the 1979 revolution that I will spare myself the burden of organized religion of my elders. Not being a spiritual person, I knew nothing about the Ale-Yassin society other than Yasin was some weird chapter in the Koran, which I had glanced through a few times and then had asked myself why did I waste my time and not do something more practical or worthwhile instead?

Having said all this, I have also come to the conclusion that although many individuals like myself may feel comfortable without the need for spiritual fulfilment, society as a whole needs religion. I believe anything which is force fed to people will be vomited back. Look at the Socialist countries who for decades tried to force their people to become atheist and yet the churches were stronger in Poland and Russia than in Western Europe. Similarly but in reverse, ever since the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, the Iranians, particularly the youth, have converted away from Islam on a scale never seen before. There is a youtube clip of a fiery Shiite cleric in Iran which shows him saying, 'Don't worry about converting others into Islam this year, it will be more than enough if you make sure the Shiite youth in Iran have not converted into Zoroastrianism'.

Of course society needs a pure untarnished spiritualism, this is something that the current corrupt, decadent and brutal version of state Islam in Iran can not provide. Thus a society which is placed in a free fall of moral values, looks for new spiritual leaders, new sects and even new religions become an alternative for those who demand something beyond this material world.

Ramin Ahmadi writes about a spiritual group, the Ale-Yasin Society, whose 35 year old leader, Payman Fattahi known to his followers as Master Ilia, was jailed last year in the notorious section 209 of Evin prison. Fattahi suffered 150 days in solitary confinement as well as 104 interrogation sessions, as a result of his tortures, Fattahi suffers from a variety of physical ailments. His brother Ramin Fattahi died in mysterious circumstances in Evin prison and the regime even arrested his pregnant wife. The Islamic Republic now wants Fattahi to recant his activities in front of the camera or face execution.

How is it that a young man and his followers who have no interest in politics, no interest in overthrowing the regime or even offering any political alternative and whose sole pre-occupation is to live a 'purer' and more spiritual life are subjected to such state crackdown and brutality?

'Are youngsters who instead of turning into drugs, alcoholism and prostitution, the very traits which have become instutionalised in Iranian society by the regime itself, have turned to meditation, reciting Rumi's poetry, debates and discussions of self awareness and such like a threat to the Islamic Republic?' Ramin Ahmadi asks in his article and answers:
'Sadly the answer is yes. A society facing a crisis of legitimacy and credibility where its religious leaders are deeply submerged in corruption and immoral behaviour, becomes sensitive towards all new sources of spiritualism which appeal to the public.
The ruling cast blatantly says, if you do not accept me and my interpretation of religion as the only source of the truth, then you are a non-believer and immoral.'

I tend to agree with Ramin here. The Islamic Republic itself is a product of exploiting the faithfuls beliefs, it knows full well the overwhelming power of this phenomena, this is why the punishments handed out to religious dissent, whether it is the Bahaiis, the Christians, the MeK, followers of Ayatollah Shariatmadari or Boroujerdi or the Sufi sects etc. has been so ferocious and so draconian.

http://azarmehr.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.html

Ramin Fatahi passed away

2008-02-17T12:06:00.000-08:00

Ramin Fatahi passed away due to severe kidney dysfunction within his 45 days confinement in Evin prison.

He was the brother of Peyman Fatahi, the founder and leader of Elyasin Community. Peyman Fatahi (well-known as Master Elia) is the leader of Elyasin who has been released on bail of 30000 dollars in November 2007. His court is supposed to hold soon.