December 09, 2011

Reports of illegal acts and tortures against political prisoners in Iran


Explanation:
This report includes human rights violations in the religious supreme leadership (Velayat-e-Faqih) dealing with detainees and prisoners. It has been prepared based on Mr. Seyed Hossein Kazemeini Boroujerdi's request and is based on his reports and direct observations from many prisons of Iran. It has been set under supervision of Dr. Roya Araghi, his vice chancellor in Human Rights.

In this report, Violence and punishments are taken into considerations that are not defined in the criminal and Penal laws for the punishment of political prisoners in Iran. Even main principals and judicial authorities have always denied the existence of such actions, but everyone knows that there are such inhumane behaviors since the begging of Iran's revolution. In this regards, all old and new prisoners have provided shocking reports for the human rights organizations and Independent Media, which are available in the Internet archives, news agencies, and official human rights institutions. It is obvious that these will be heard directly by them if the state of Velayat-e-Faqih accepts Dr. Ahmad Shaheed to visit Iran, its prisons, prisoners and their families. The main items are as follows:
1. The detention of accused people without any notice and summon sheets.
2. The arrests are done as kidnapping or a sudden brutal attack to accused people’s workplace and home by security guards and the agents of intelligence service and without any judicial warrants and providing a clear explanation to the accused people or even to any other audience in the scene. Therefore, accused people's reputations are ruined among their acquaintances and relatives.
3. The accused are under verbal abuse, beating and brutal treatment during their arrest and transferring to prison in the situations that no crime is charged or proved.
4. The accused are held illegally in solitary confinements and secret places for first weeks and months So that they cannot even inform their upset and worried families about their survival.
5. Unreal and distressing news are provided about the accused, and the other arrested people with him or her. Also providing severe physical and mental tortures to break the resistance of accused person and force her/him to make false confessions against herself / himself and the others, which these confessions can lead to very heavy penalties.
6. Forcing accused person to accept anti-security, illegal and even immoral actions and obliquity for her/his character assassination.
7. Setting a sham, unfair, illogical, and heavy indictment so that even prosecutors and regulators cannot defend and justify their requested punishments in any interview, and debate.
8. The investigation is not fair in preparing the indictment and it is only based on the hidden objectives of the government to eliminate opponents and terrorization in the society. In addition, to convince public opinions, they refer to the accused’s writings and confessions that are obtained under torture and pressure.
9. In the issued indictment, they have cited laws and rules that have general concepts and have nothing to do with actual the accused’s performance. Although any simple criticism or expressing of opinion that differs from the government is the idea of majority of the community, it is taken into consideration as accusations such as "Waging war against God", "Acting against national security", "Attempting to change the regime", "publishing lies for disturbing public opinions", "Espionage or Spying", "communicating with enemy governments" and etc. And very heavy and cruel punishments such as executions and longtime imprisonment are applied for accused people.
 10. A sentence is issued by a judge before that an accused realizes her or his charge and without having any possibility to self-defend in a court.
11. The accused are deprived of having access to any independent lawyer.
12. The courts are held behind closed doors and without the presence of representatives of Media and News Agencies.
13. Trials are held without a jury.
14. The accused are never allowed to debate and even have ordinary discussion with their original plaintiffs, who are usually the religious supreme leader or senior government authorities; they even cannot talk to prosecutors and judges who have issued long-term prison sentences. Instead, they only encountered low rank officers who are available for insolence, torment and torture.
15. Having access to the actual documents in the case is prevented. Instead, they give false news, and rumors about the accused's moral, social, and scientific status. Moreover, publishing of the accused's writings are prevented.
16. Character assassination of the accused by the state media and press.
17. The accused are held in solitary confinements. Also, they are under severe restrictions in the general wards, so that they cannot communicate with the outside to defend their ideas, character, and identity.
18. Lack of life safety for the accused. Also, they are transferred to the wards that dangerous criminals are kept.
19. They transfer prisoners to crowded and unsafe wards, and use tactics that create tension and fabricated conflict in order to hurt the accused. These actions are sometimes bloody and deadly.
20. Keeping convicts in prisons with old and damaged building and facilities, which cause injuries or fatal disease.
21. Prisoners are kept in extreme cold and hot weather without proper equipment such as warm water in winter and coolers and air conditioners in summer.
22. Poor nutrition and using expired and infected food lead to disease, extreme weakness, and even death of prisoners.
23. Repeated failure and restrictions on visiting prisoners and their phone calls with their families for various false reasons.
24. Hostile behavior, affront and insulting of some of the officers and guards in the prison, which there is no monitoring for their behavior.
25. Illegal and rude treatment with the families of prisoners in the convention hall.
26. In response to any simple critique or object, Security forces attack with tear gas, batons, and shockers. They provide different types of physical punishments and violate basic human rights of prisoners.
27. They Prevent prisoners to sign protest petitions for international human rights institutions, especially in certain cases that all prisoners have the agreement about the brutal treatment of agents.
28. Lack of right to have an independent and trusted physician.
29. Lack of right to have a proper medical care, enough medicines, and specialized treatment. They oppose the admission of prisoners in equipped hospitals, and damage sensitive organs of their body in a way that may cause death in prison or chronic and incurable diseases in the long time. Also, it might lead to disabilities and death even after release.

30. Failure to give permission of vacations and sick leave for prisoners who have been imprisoned for long years without even one day off and suffer from a range of physical and mental illnesses due to tortures.
31. Confiscation of the accused property and personal items, important documents and manuscripts that are the results of many years of research and exploration about required subjects for society.
32. Prisoners are asked for very heavy commitments and bails for a few days vacations and sick leave.
33. Future employment and social life of prisoners are destroyed because of his criminal record on their files.
34. Judicial authorities do not pay attention to the concerns of national and international human rights observers about the fate of prisoners, and they provide fully false reports for the public opinion.
35. Complete deprivation of the prisoners to visit human rights observers and reporters, representatives of news agencies, the International Committee of Red-Cross, and borderless physicians.
36. There are no responses to complaints and letters of prisoners and their families.
37. Prisoners are under very violent behaviors such as sexual assault of prisoners or their pride (honor), that its damage and psychological pressures and effects will remain for life time.
38. They Neglect emotional and financial needs of prisoners’ families to the extent that it causes psychological crisis and irreversible damages such as broken families.
39. They arrest and torture friends, supporters, and family members of jailed to put pressure on them and forcing prisoners to remain silent and not protest or to participate in mock interviews on TV.
40. They threat and even illegally detain prisoner's lawyer for the charge of defending the rights of his or her client.

In a nut shell: Prisoners are depriving of having access to their basic rights and putting them in the slow death situation and relevant authorities neglect that and humanitarian law obligations.
Sincerely,
Roya Araghi,
Vice Chancellor of Seyed Hossein Kazemeini Boroujerd in Human Rights and Farmer political prisoner
(Persian date: Aban 1390)
Thanks, November 2011
(Persian date: Aban 1390)
Roya Araghi,
Vice Chancellor of Seyed Hossein Kazemeini Boroujerd in Human Rights and Farmer political prisoner
Copies to:
Dr. Ahmad Shaheed, the Special Reporter on Human Rights in Iran
Human Rights Watch
Amnesty International
Borderless Reporters
International Federation for Human Rights
International Committee of the Red Cross
Organization of borderless physicians
International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
World Forum on Human Rights

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