Monthly report of violation against followers of religions in Iran – July 2019

Tables Preparation: Hamid Reza Dehghan Tabrizi

Data Compiler: Hadi Dartomi, Mohammad Hosein Malai Barzi, Mohammad Aftabi

Translated by Amin Jafari

Edited by Alireza Jahanbin

Article 18 (The right to freedom of opinion)

Everyone has the right of freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Article 19 (The right to freedom of expression)

Everyone has the right of freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

This report consists of statistical information about violation against the rights of followers of other religions in Iran until the end of Tir 1398 (22 July 2019). This report has been presented statistically-analytically.

It is obvious that because of strict actions of Islamic Republic of Iran with the Human Rights activists especially in observation and reporting the Human Rights violations and also deprivation of free circulation of information and constantly refusal of Iran`s government to recognize an independent domain in civil activities, at the present time, reporting is very difficult and dangerous for many reporters and activists (whom are in prison or custody) and are facing a lot of limits.

Important note: The current report covers only 20-30% of realities of human rights violations against the followers of religions in Iran.

This report has been compiled from accredited agencies and local medias which are approved by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The news sources for this report are:

BBC news-agency, Doichevele news-agency, IRNA news-agency, Fars news-agency, Harana news-agency, Voice of America, Balouch activists’ campaign, Radio Farda, Mohebat News, Human rights in Iran, Centre of Kordestan Democracy and Human Rights, Centre of Iran’s Human Rights documents, Khorasan news-agency and Nasim news-agency.

The pressure on followers of other religions still continues:

The current authorities in Iran and its leaders are believing that some religious groups are the enemies of the country, because their religious beliefs may challenge the loyalty to the regime and under the pretext of preserving national and political security, they suppress the religious activities of other religions followers.

Detentions and targeted violence against the followers of other religions in Iran still continues by the security and judicial organizations of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In Iran, citizens on the basis of religion beliefs are divided into two official and non-official categories.

the Baha`i religion is one of the non-official religions in Iran which is under more pressures rather than other religions. The Baha`is are deprived of performing ritual rites, propagating their religion and teaching and educating in higher educational levels. At the present time, hundreds of Baha’i citizens are suffering from long prison terms in different jails of the country, including Semnan, Mashhad, Tehran, Karaj and other cities of Iran.

Official religions like Christianity have faced great limitations. The government only recognizes the Assyrian Christians, Armenian and Chaldean worships, preaching the gospel to Iranian is a crime, the Persian language people are forbidden to enter the churches, and churches are tasked to submit their members names to the Ministry of Intelligence, along with copies of their national identification card.

Based on the Article 13 and 26 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Christianity is a recognized religion, and the right to pray or build a community has been given to the Christians but confrontation with the Protestant Christians who are believing in the gospel of their religion still continues, and domestic churches are facing widespread suppression.

Religious discrimination is strictly enforcing against the Sunni Muslims. They mostly are living in the boarder sides of the country, and are deprived of the right to build mosques and their religious rituals like Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha prayer in central areas as well as Tehran.

Even in some cases the destruction of the Sunni Mosques has been reported and These people are dealing with execution, detention and persecution. They are prohibited from hiring in governmental organizations. A prominent example is the Bijan Zolfaghar Nasab who was appointed to the Minister of Sports in the Hassan Rouhani government, but because he is Sunni they did not give him the vote to be selected for this position.

Sunni:

Sunnis are seeking the security and brotherhood, they expect to have the religious liberty and this is the demand of every member of the Sunni community.  It is expected that the Sunni community in the great cities of the country, like Isfahan and other cities, can pray freely and educate their children. This expectation is perfectly legal.

The right to build the mosques in any city or have the freedom for Friday and Eid prayers or have the complete freedom, are completely legal and they do not have a lot of demands. The Sunnis are believing that their right should be consider and that no one would be deprived of their rights for religion beliefs, because respecting the rights of the people causes unity and closeness.

Because of religious propaganda the Sunni prisoners are convicted with charges of action against national security, they have the sentence of combat against GOD, they are spending their conviction time in jail and in an inappropriate space and constantly being insulted by the prison officers and guards because of their opinions.

Article 20 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran stresses that based on the rules of Islam, all Iranian citizens are equal. However, along with other religions in Iran, the constitution has failed to ensure equality for more than three decades to guarantee the rights of citizens. Sunni followers in Iran are in the same condition, even though they are Muslims. They are deprived not only, of the management responsibilities of the country and military but also, equal opportunities and facilities. They are facing strict obstacles and constraints to publicize their beliefs and to perform their religious rites from the Iranian government.

In this Month:

1. Based on HARANA news agency: on June 24^th, Abdolbaghi Saiedi, the Sunni clergy, was invited to the court of law by a phone call on June 30^th.
2. Based on human’s right activist report quoted from Balooch activist campaign: some of the prisoners’ relatives have reported the prevention of prisoners from congregational prayer which was accompanied by violence.
3. Based on Human’s right report in Iran on 7^th of July, Hamze Darvish, the Sunni prisoner in Rajaie prison in Karaj has been transferred to 8^th division which is National security division.
4. Based on Balooch activist campaign: there is no vivid information about Abdolsamad Tambarzehi, the 24-years old boy who was arrested on September 2018.
5. Based on Human’s right report in Iran: on 10^th of July Tohid Ghoreishi, the Sunni prisoner in Rajaie prison in Karaj, was told that his court will be on 29^th of July.
6. Based on Human’s right report in Iran: on 16^th of July Hassan Rashidi, the Sunni prisoner in Rajai prison in Karaj who has served 5 years in prison, based on receiving no respond on hid conditional freedom has gone on hunger strike.
7. Based on Human’s right report in Iran quoted from Torkan Sahra human’s right activist: on 19^th of July Amjad Akhond Nazari, the Sunni clergy, was refused to go to Meka due to denial of security officers.
8. Based on Balooch activist campaign: Molavi Abdolsamad Rakhshani, after summons to ministry of national security hasn’t returned to his home.
9. Based on Human’s right report in Iran: on 17^th of July, Sunni prisoners in 36^th saloon in Rajai prison in Karaj have gone through a hunger strike due to the bad condition in their cells.
10. Based on Balooch activist campaign on 16^th of July Abdolsamad Rakhshani was warned by national security to close his book shop or stop selling Sunni books otherwise he will face some consequences.

The statistical report of violations against the Sunni People:

Baha`i:

Iran, a country that many Baha`is are living in, The Baha’i is still considered as an “apostate sect” in Iran. It is well known that Baha`is are seeking the peace, they do not want political power and do not pose the security threat. However, the Iranian religious regime pursues them. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, methodically Baha`is were deprived of access to higher education levels as well as employment rights, and if they persevere in claim for their lost rights, they will face the false accusations, imprisonment and intimidation, and always have been exposed to arbitrary arrests and imprisonment. They have never been able to follow their religious instructions in public. They are being abused almost all the way of their life.

It is not possible to transfer the knowledge and human experience, except through specific trainings. And so the right to education is one of the fundamental human rights which has been mentioned in Articles 26 and 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 2 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Articles 13, 14 and 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, that everyone has the right to educate  without discrimination based on distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. The Iranian government is obliged to provide all essential facilities for enjoyment of all citizens from this natural right and also should remove any kind of obstacles based on geographical, political, economic and cultural conditions in order to provide these fundamental rights.

Prohibition of work and business is another strain and harassment that the Baha`is are facing in society. In most of the provinces, the Public Places Surveillance Authority which is affiliated with the Police Force, without any permission is sealing their businesses places.

In this month:

1. Based on Human’s right report in Iran: on 27^th of July, after passing 50 days from arresting Ardeshir Fanaiean, Behnam Eskandari, Yalda Firoozian, three Baha`i citizens, by central intelligence office, their families couldn’t have had any contact or even any news from them.
2. Based on Harana news agency: Sima Behroozi Mehdi Abadi, the Baha`i citizen in Yazd has got an official court notice from Revolution court.
3. Based on Human’s right report in Iran: on 6^th of July Bahman Salehi, Firooz Ahmadi, Khalil Malaki, Sohrab Malaki, Shida Abedi, Simin Mohamadi, Bijan Ahmadi, Maryam Mokhtari and Saghar Mohamadi, Baha`i citizens in Birjand, were all condemned to 6 years in prison. Due to Islamic republic of Iran’s criminal proceedings they have no right to get a lawyer.
4. Based on Harana news agency: court sentence of appeal court was communicated to Moein Mohamadi, the Baha`i citizen in Yazd. Due to the verdict was condemned to serve one year in jail.
5. Based on Human’s right report in Iran: on 7^th of July Niloofar Hakimi, the Baha`i citizen in Shiraz, after summoning to the court warrant from Revolution court in Shiraz, her bail was increased to 80 million tomans. Based on another report on 11<sup>th</sup> of July Elahe Samizadeh, another Baha`i citizen, after summoning to the court, her bail was increased up to 60 million Tomans.
6. Based on Human’s right report in Iran: Yekta Fahandaj Sadi, the Baha`i citizen in Shiraz, due to a court verdict from appeal court in Fars province was freed from any charge.
7. Based on Harana news agency: on 3^rd of July, Farzad Homayouni, the Baha`i citizen, was released from Prison.

The statistical report of violations against the Baha`i People:

Christians:

The Islamic Republic is trying to destroy the Christianity, and this is a bitter fact about the violations against the Christians rights. Christians, who have been charged and sentenced to persecution by the Islamic Republic because of their heresy and religious conversion.

Violation against the Christian rights is increasing in the Islamic Countries and many of them are facing the racial harassment on a daily basis.

In the Islamic Republic of Iran, a numerous number of Christians are jailed for religious conversion and religious activities. Currently, according to the human rights organizations in Iran, a large number of well-known Christians are in prison for offences such as preaching the gospel, or teaching and distributing the Bible or other citizens who are convicted of spying and many rights of Christian neophytes have been violated, they have been punished, persecuted, sentenced to the imprisonment or penalties like whip only because of some of their religious rituals like drinking the wine in the Eucharist (the Lord`s Supper) or even in some cases they were threatened to the death.

Security and judicial Organizations pressure on churches still continues and in continuation of the series of restrictions imposed by the security authorities, the Official Evangelical Churches, the Central Numinous Community Church in Tehran, the Protestant Immanuel Church, Peter ‘s Evangelical Church in Tehran and etc.  have been forced to cooperate with the security Organizations and accepting their demands on revealing the list of their members along with other information about them, including their national identification number, also preventing the participation of the Persian language Christian neophytes in their religious rituals, preventing them to hold the ceremonies in Persian.

Even the churches are refusing to accept the Persian language Christians, and they must hold their ceremonies in non-Persian language.

Prison sentences for Iranian Christians continue to be issued. In the Constitution of Islamic Republic, the religious freedom of Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians has been recognized but so far, the government’s actions against religious propaganda and the performance of their religious rites has shown that the Principles of the Constitution on the freedom of religion and prevention of ideas and beliefs Inquisition, were only intended to cover the violations against the rights of other religions in Iran. Based on the Islamic Republic Constitution, the twelve Imam Shia is the official religion of Iran and the religious and security organizations of the Iranian government are considering that the propaganda for the principles of these religions is a threat to the dominant ideology of the government and it is one of the main reasons why the regime has suppressed the Christian followers and missionaries by closing their churches and preventing them of religious propaganda.

In this month:

1. Based on Mohabat news: forces of ministry of central intelligence on 1^st of July at 9 am have attacked Christian houses and arrested 8 Christians and took some Bibles and crosses or other Christian’s signs.
2. Based on Fars news agency: on 8^th of July in an interview with Younatan Betkelia, representative of Assyrian Christians, has tried to hide the life and behaviors of this infamous representative in Iran and with this excuse they have attacked newly converted Christians.
3. Based on Mohabat news: Christianity in Khouzestan province dates back to too many centuries ago. Christians have lived peacefully with other citizens. But due to problems and limitations that has been done by the government they had to immigrate to other cities. All the Christian’s churches in this province have been closed by the authorities.
4. Based on Human’s right report: on 7^th of July Milad Goodarzi, Alireza Noormohamadi, Shahabodin Shahi, Amin Khaki and Yaghoub Nateghi, five Christian neophytes were taken to Central prison in Karaj to serve 14 months in prison plus 4 months of discretionary imprisonment.
5. Based on Human’s right report in Iran: on 15^th and 16^th of July Sam Khosravi, Maryam Falahi, Sasan Khosravi, Marjan Falahi, Khatoon fatholahzade, Fatame Talebi,Habib Heydari and Pooria Peyma, eight of Christian neophytes in Booshehr whom were arrested and imprisoned by central intelligence forces were temporary freed by the bail worth of 300 million Tomans each.
6. Based on Mohabat news report: on 20^th of July Soda Aghasar, the Christian citizen in Evin prison after passing one third of her sentence were conditionally freed. Her conditional freedom was approved one year ago but it wasn’t implemented by authorities.

The statistical report of violations against the Christians:

Followers of Other Religions:

In this month:

1. Based on Human’s right report in Iran: on 11^th of July Hosein Sepenta, political Zoroastrian prisoner in Adel Abad prison in Shiraz who is serving his 10 years of sentence in jail, has gone on a hunger strike due to refusal of his conditional freedom. On the contrary of passing 60 days none of the authorities have done anything and he is suffering from a severe physical condition.

The statistical report of violations against the Followers of Other Religions: