Keyan Ashena ‎

Following further arrests of government critics in the country, the government created ‎Committee to Investigate Rogue Arrests issued its twelfth statement, asking for popular ‎institutions to supervise such arrests. ‎

The committee's statement, noted that "news and reports received on the condition of political ‎and intellectual prisoners held since March 2008 point to renewed rogue arrests of citizens in the ‎present year," and identifies some instances of these arrests. The committee's instances are ‎outlined in 14 sections, which are reported below in full:‎

‎1 - Arrests of Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaleddin Khanjani, Afif Naeemi, Saeed Rezaei, Behrouz ‎Tavakkoli, and Vahid Tizfahm, six Bahai citizens in Tehran who face heavy charges, in addition ‎to the arrest of one Bahai citizen earlier. In addition, several Christian citizens were arrested in ‎Shiraz, whose names are as follows: Homayoun Shokouhi, Fariba Nazemianpour, Amir Hossein ‎Bab Anari, Fatemeh Shenasa, and members of two families, Fatemeh Olamaeddin Hosseini, ‎Hamid Olamaeddin Hosseini, Mohammad Ali Olamaeddin Hosseini, Mahmoud Matin, Arash ‎Pendari, and Mojtaba Olamaeddin Hosseini. Concerns remain that these individuals were ‎arrested because of their beliefs. ‎

‎2 - Continued lack of action in the cases of Hana Abdi and Rounak Safazadeh, women's rights ‎activists in Sanandaj who continue to remain behind bars. Also, continued lack of action in the ‎case of Habibollah Latifi, a 26-year-old student in Sanandaj, coupled with physical confrontation ‎of members of his family, who had attended a court session to gather information of their son's ‎condition. ‎

‎3 - Arrest of Khadijeh Moghaddam, Sayyed Zohour Nabavi Chashmi, who worked at the banned ‎‎"Sarzameen-e Ariayi" publication, Rahim Gholami, a local journalist from Azarbaija, Ardeshir ‎Khiavi, deputy secretary general of the Islamic Student Association of Ardebil's Azad ‎University, Mehdi Keyani, secretary general of the literature and poetry association, "Beilim" of ‎Payam-e Nour University in Ardebil, Aideen Gharebaghi, student, Masoud Rafei Taleghani, ‎journalist in Tehran, Sheis Amani, head of managing council of the National Association of ‎Dismissed and Unemployed Workers in Sanandaj, Arash Karimi, secretary general of the Islamic ‎Association of Ilam University, Farshad Doostipour, student activist, Abdolaziz Azimi Ghadim, ‎cleric from Azerbaijan, Farhas Mohseni in Azerbaijan, and Mamoosta Ayoub Ganji, prayer ‎leader at the Ghaba mosque in Sanandaj along with his brother and several affiliates. It must be ‎noted that most of the individuals listed above have been temporarily released on bail. ‎

‎4 - Continued deterioration in physical and mental conditions of some political and intellectual ‎prisoners such as Emaddedin Baghi, Mohammad Seddigh Kaboudvand, whose trial date has ‎been postponed, and also the critical condition of Arzhang Davoudi following his hunger strike.‎

‎5 - Upholding the death verdict for Hiva Boutimar, currently behind bars, and also death verdict ‎for Farzad Kamanger (teacher from Kamyaran). ‎

‎6 - Kaveh Azizpour, a 25-year old resident of Mahabad, who was arrested two years ago, was ‎admitted to the hospital following a brain stroke in Ordibehesth (April-May). Treatment was not ‎successful and the aforementioned passed away in prison. ‎

‎7 - Lack of information about the condition of several detainees including Behrouz Javid ‎Tehrani.‎

‎8 - Issuing heavy sentences such as lashing verdicts for some social, women and student ‎activists, which have currently been put on hold. Zeinab Peighambarzadeh, sociology student at ‎Tehran University, and a number of other political students who are on probation, and also ‎Nasrin Afzali, Marzieh Mortazi Langeroudi, Nahid Jafari, Rezvan Moghaddam, and Parvin ‎Ardalan are amongh the women activists facing suspended prison and lashing sentences. ‎

‎9 - Hadi Ghabel, an instructor at the Qom seminary school, who was sentenced to 3 years and 4 ‎months imprisonment and defrocking was transported to prison to serve his time. ‎

‎10 – The sentencing to 5 months imprisonment and 10 lashes of Ali Nikoonesbati, Daftar-e ‎Tahkim-e Vahdat's head of public relations office which was transformed to fine. ‎

‎11 - Shiva Kheirabadi, Abdollah Najjar, Ghaleb Hosseini, Ali Hosseini, Bahaeddin Soddoughi, ‎and Sousan Razani are among those arrested in Sanandaj on Labor Day and Javanmeer Moradi ‎and Taha Azadi were arrested in Assaluyeh. ‎

‎12 - Arrests of Hassan Arak, Jamsheed Zarei, Hamid Rezaei, Hojjat Tari Venoudian, Ahad ‎Razavi, Akbar Hosseinzade, Hossein Mirzakhani, and Ali Seddighi, activists in Azerbaijan on ‎the anniversary of Azeri people's protests to an offensive caricature published by one newspaper. ‎This incident took place after a large number of Azeri activists were summoned to intelligence ‎and security offices and released after signing a written declaration. ‎

‎13 - Omid Abbasgholinejad was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment for writing a piece on his ‎personal blog, and Fardin Moradi was sentenced to two years imprisonment and exile to ‎Maragheh; he has been in detention since 6 months ago. Also, Abbas Khorsandi, secretary ‎general of the Democratic Party of Iran was sentenced to eight months in prison. ‎

‎14 - Continued arrest of Abolfazl Jahandar and Saeed Derakhshandi, despite passage of half of ‎their prison sentences, and also refusing to grant vacation or conditional release of Majid ‎Tavakkoli, Ahmad Ghassaban, and Ehsan Mansouri - three Amir Kabir University students who ‎have been in detention for more than a year - despite a request that they have submitted. ‎