Human Rights and Democracy Report 2014: Islamic Republic of Iran - in-year update July 2015

Published 15 July 2015

Contents

There was little change in the human rights situation in Iran between January and June 2015. In some respects, the situation has worsened.

The European Union assesses that, in the first half of 2015, the number of executions in Iran surpassed the total number during 2014. According to the EU, there were 533 executions in the first six months of the year, compared to 482 in the whole of 2014. Over half appear to be for drug-related crimes, which are not considered under international law to be among the “most serious crimes” for which the death penalty can legitimately be imposed.

One of the highest profile cases was Mr Saman Naseem, who was sentenced to death, although he was only 17 years old at the time of his alleged crime. The execution of juveniles contravenes the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Iran is a signatory. The media reported on 20 February that Mr Naseem had been executed; a few days later, there were a number of reports suggesting that the execution had not in fact taken place.

In May, the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Iran, Dr Ahmed Shaheed, and the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions, Mr Christof Heyns, released a report condemning the sharp increase in the use of the death penalty, and urged the Iranian government to establish an immediate moratorium on its use, with a view to abolishing the punishment altogether.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman, Ms Marziyeh Afkham, rejected the report, saying it was a “great pity that the trend of the Special Rapporteur’s activities suggests he does not seek credible evidence”. She went on to claim that Iranian judges hand out the death penalty only for “the most serious crimes, including narcotics trafficking”.

Ms Afkham also criticised the EU’s human rights report, which was published in June. She said that the report was “biased” and “no country or body should imagine that it is qualified to assess human rights issues and interfere in other countries’ internal affairs”.

Between January and June, there were many examples of the Iranian authorities violating their citizens’ right to free expression. In January, Mardom-e Emrouz newspaper was closed down on the orders of the Tehran Prosecutor after its front page showed a picture of actor George Clooney at the Golden Globe awards wearing a “Je suis Charlie” badge. The State Prosecutor said that this amounted to propaganda for Charlie Hebdo magazine, which had insulted the Prophet Mohammad.

In February, a cyberspace expert from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned administrators of social network pages that the IRGC was closely monitoring them. According to Shargh newspaper, social media pages with “unethical content” or “jokes about officials or religious beliefs” will be dealt with. The IRGC expert warned that “administrators may think that the cyberspace is safe for them but they are wrong”.

In March, the IRGC Cyber-security Command Centre for the Investigation of Organised Crime announced plans to intensify efforts to monitor crimes on social media. The unit will employ a surveillance programme named “Spider” which can allegedly monitor Viber and WhatsApp messaging services. Most mainstream social media networks are blocked in Iran, so Viber and WhatsApp have become popular social networking platforms: Viber alone has more than 9.5 million users in Iran.

In May, the Basij, a paramilitary volunteer force, announced the launch of a new messaging service for mobile phones, “Salam”, which will give state officials full access to any content from use of the service. Officials hope that this new app will lure users away from Viber and Whatsapp. Mr Hamid Jafari, the Head of the Basij’s Information Centre, said Salam would offer more “trust, stability and security” than other messaging services.

In April, Zanaan-e Emrouz, a feminist magazine, was reportedly closed down because it “propagated white marriage” (couples co-habiting outside of wedlock). Under Iran’s Shari’a-based laws, extramarital sex is punishable by flogging; adultery can carry a sentence of death by stoning.

A high profile civil rights activist, Ms Atena Farghadani, was sentenced to 12 years and 9 months in prison in June, on charges of “propaganda against the regime”, “conspiring to act against national security”, and “insulting the Supreme Leader, the President, and MPs”. Ms Farghadani was jailed in September 2014 over a caricature of Iranian MPs as monkeys and cows. She was released on bail two months later, but was recalled to court in January, after a video clip of her complaining about her time in detention surfaced on the internet.

Prison conditions in Iran were also a particular cause for concern in the first half of 2015. In February, the Vice-President for Legal Affairs, Mr Elham Aminzadeh, and the Vice-President for Women’s and Family Affairs, Ms Shahindokht Molaverdi, inspected Gharchak women’s prison. A number of the prisoners reportedly told the visitors that Gharchak prison was “very unhealthy, inhumane, and unbearable”. Ms Farghadani reportedly began a “wet” hunger strike to protest at her transfer from Evin Prison to Gharchak. She reportedly said that if she was not returned to Evin she would continue her hunger strike, even if it led to her death.

In March, Dr Hassam Hashemi, the Minister of Health, visited Qezel Hessar prison in Karaj. Following his visit, he said that the hygiene and health conditions in Iran’s prisons were awful. According to the Minister, Tuberculosis, HIV and infectious diseases are common among prisoners at Qezel Hessar. He also said that Qezel Hessar should have twice the amount of space to house the number of prisoners currently in detention there.

On freedom of religion or belief, the treatment of Baha’is remains of serious concern. In May, a number of Baha’i businesses were shut down by the Iranian authorities because they had closed on Baha’i faith holy days. The owners were told that it was “forbidden” for their shops not to trade on these holy days. Iranian regulations state that shops can be closed, as long as local authorities are informed in advance, which Baha’i shop owners routinely do.

Those involved in the Christian house church movement continue to be harassed. Pastor Behnam Irani has now been imprisoned in Iran for four years, and Pastor Saeed Abedini has been detained for three years, both for practising their religion.

In June 2014, a dual British-Iranian national, Ms Ghoncheh Ghavami, was arrested after trying to attend a volleyball match. She was later sentenced to a year’s imprisonment, but immediately released on bail. In March 2015, it was announced that Ms Ghavami had been pardoned by the Court of Appeal in Iran. But she remains subject to a three-year travel ban.

In October 2014, a Universal Periodic Review of Iran’s human rights record took place at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. In March 2015, Iran responded to its recommendations, accepting 130 of 291. Iran rejected the UK’s recommendation to introduce an immediate moratorium on the execution of juveniles and those whose crimes were not recognised as “most serious”. Iran only partially accepted the UK’s recommendation that it should allow detainees access to a lawyer at all stages of pre-trial detention.