Stand with Free Iran

Dedicated to speaking out on behalf of those silenced in Iran.

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The US Can’t Abandon Iranian Human Rights Activists Now

“The Iranian human-rights community supported the nuclear deal because it sees its implementation can result in opening the space to focus the domestic discourse on the dire rights crisis gripping the country for the past a six years and compel Rouhani to fulfill his promises,” said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. “But this will not happen automatically and the proponents of the deal outside Iran must also call for improvements inside the country.”

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Atena Farghadani is a 28-year-old Iranian artist. She was recently sentenced to 12 years and 9 months in prison for drawing a cartoon.

This cartoon, that she posted on her Facebook page last year, depicts members of the Iranian parliament as animals. It was drawn in protest of new legislature in Iran that will restrict access to contraception and criminalise voluntary sterilisation. Atena’s charges include ‘spreading propaganda against the system’ and ‘insulting members of parliament through paintings’.

Last August, 12 members of the elite Revolutionary Guard came to Atena’s house, blindfolded her and took her to the infamous Evin Prison in Tehran. According to Amnesty International:

“While in prison last year, Atena flattened paper cups to use them as a surface to paint on. When the prison guards realised what she had been doing, they confiscated her paintings and stopped giving her paper cups. When Atena found some cups in the bathroom, she smuggled them into her cell. Soon after, she was beaten by prison guards, when she refused to strip naked for a full body search. Atena says that they knew about her taking the cups because they had installed cameras in the toilet and bathroom facilities – cameras detainees had been told were not operating.”

She was released in November and gave media interviews and posted a video on YouTube detailing her beatings, constant interrogations and humiliating body searches. She was then rearrested possibly in retaliation for speaking out and has been imprisoned ever since. In January, Atena went on a hunger strike to protest the horrible prison conditions. Her health suffered dramatically, and after losing consciousness and suffering a heart attack in February, she was forced to eat again.

The quote used in the comic is taken from the speech Atena gave at her trial. It has been translated into English by the Free Atena Facebook page. You can read the whole thing here.

Time is now against her, she has just two weeks to lodge an appeal. Michael Cavna, comic journalist for The Washington Post, has launched a campaign appealing to artists to help bring awareness to Atena’s case by creating their own artwork in support of Atena and using the hashtag#Draw4Atena. Can a bunch of artists and a hashtag really make a difference and put pressure on the Iranian Government to release Atena? Probably not. But just remember that Atena is currently in prison enduring horrible conditions, and if her appeal isn’t successful, she will be there for another twelve years. FOR DRAWING A CARTOON AND POSTING IT ON FACEBOOK. Don’t we owe it to her to at least try?

Alot worse actually happens out there.. once Being a soldier (which turned me into an activist) showed me..

Signal boost.

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This definitely deserves a boost

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Just nasty….

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#IF YA WENT HARD FOR CHARLIE HEBDO YOU SHOULD GO HARD FOR THIS

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Russian Tech Mogul Says Iran Wants Mobile App To 'Spy'

A renowned Russian Internet entrepreneur who created a mobile messaging app popular in Iran said Iranian authorities temporarily blocked the app after his company refused their demands to help them “spy on their citizens.”

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Safe Activism provides critical information to Iranian activists on how to minimize the risk of arrest, navigate the interrogation process, and mitigate the consequences of incarceration. This booklet lists key best practices for stages before, during and after arrest, based on the experiences of over 30 Iranian activists.

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anyone wanna contribute to Stand with Free Iran?

As you might already know, I’m an admin on the Stand with Free Iran tumblr, dedicated to human rights in Iran. The blog has been around for quite a while, and I’ve had other contributors with me over there in the past, but they’ve moved on from tumblr so now I’m on my own. I’d love to post on there more frequently, but I just haven’t had the time. So I’m looking for others to help get news/information out into the tumblrverse.

If anyone is interested in posting about Iranian human rights issues over there, just send me a message.

[standwithfreeiran]

Sign the petition: Release Human Rights Activist Mehdi Khodaei

...Mehdi had been an active board member of Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI), an organization known for exposing human rights abuses in Iran and helping the families of political prisoners. In 2009, Mehdi was actively involved in pro-democracy protests as a key organizer for the student wing of HRAI. He also worked to produce and distribute human rights pamphlets publicizing abuses by the IRI. The government responded brutally, and over 30 members of HRAI, including Mehdi, were arrested. Ultimately, Mehdi was sentenced to 7 years in prison for “propaganda against the system."

I cherish my childhood memories with Mehdi. As a teenager, everyone loved to spend time with him because he was always laughing and telling jokes. But Mehdi also had a deeply serious side, and once he made a decision changing his mind was not easy. Mehdi’s humor and determination have been his gift as a human rights activist and have kept him going during his time in prison.

Mehdi is not a criminal. His activities were peaceful, thoughtful, and aimed at improving the lives of individuals in Iran. Further, according to Iranian law he has been in prison too long. Changes to Iran’s penal code in 2013 should have led to reduced sentences for people like Mehdi, but the Iranian judiciary has chosen not to enforce these laws. We are simply asking the Iranian government to enforce its own laws.

I want to show the Islamic Republic that the world cares for Mehdi and activists like him. Time and time again we've seen how pressure from the international community can help political prisoners like Mehdi win their freedom. I'm asking for your support one more time.

Sign this petition for Mehdi Khodaei and ask Sadegh Larijani, Head of the Iranian Judiciary to release him.

In Solidarity,

Alireza Mousavi United for Iran

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Bahareh Hedayat is a brave student and women’s rights activist imprisoned in Iran. Please support her freedom. A Tehran court sentenced Bahareh, a member the nationwide student organization Daftar-e Tahkim-e Vahdat, to a total of nine years and six months in prison, for allegedly “insulting the Supreme Leader,” “insulting the President,” and “acting against national security and publishing falsehoods.” Bahareh's sentence is purely political in motive and she has committed no real crime. We are writing to demand her immediate release.

Sign the petition.

[standwithfreeiran]

Tell Ayatollah Khamenei: Stop Arresting Social Media Users!

As Iranian government leaders use Twitter to communicate with the world, everyday Iranians operate at the risk of arrest, torture, and death for joining social media communities and expressing their opinions. In the wake of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s #letter4u campaign addressing Western youth, join us as we respond to Ayatollah Khamenei in a call to release arrested social media users!

Sign the petition to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran.

[standwithfreeiran]

Iran: Death Sentence for Facebook Posts

(New York) – Iran’s judiciary should vacate the death sentence of a 30-year-old man who faces imminent execution for Facebook posts linked to his account. On November 24, 2014, Iran’s Supreme Court upheld a criminal court ruling sentencing Soheil Arabi to hang. The court transferred his file to the judiciary’s implementation unit, opening the way for his execution. A Tehran criminal court had convicted him in August of sabb al-nabbi, or “insulting the prophet,” referring to the Prophet Muhammad, which carries the death penalty. Arabi’s legal team has asked the judiciary to suspend the death sentence and review the case. “It is simply shocking that anyone should face the gallows simply because of Internet postings that are deemed to be crude, offensive, or insulting,” said Eric Goldstein, deputy Middle East and North Africa director. “Iran should urgently revise its penal code to eliminate provisions that criminalize peaceful free expression, especially when they punish its exercise with death.”

More from Human Rights Watch...

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Demand Release of Woman Jailed for Wanting to Watch Sports in Iran

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Iranian authorities should immediately ensure the release of three journalists and a fourth person arrested in recent days, including the Tehran correspondent for The Washington Post, unless they plan to bring recognizable criminal charges against them and guarantee them fair trials. The arrests are the latest in a series of actions that Iran’s security and intelligence forces, supported by elements within the judiciary, have taken against at least 10 journalists in recent months. The Washington Post correspondent, Jason Rezaian, has dual Iranian and American nationality. The Washington Post reported his arrest together with his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, also a journalist, and two unnamed people, a photojournalist and her spouse, in a statement on July 24, 2014. Gholamhossein Esmaeili, the head of Tehran’s judiciary, confirmed Rezaian’s arrest on July 25, saying he had “been detained for some questions,” but gave no other explanation. He said the judiciary would issue further details after completing its investigation. Salehi is a correspondent for The National, an English-language news outlet based in the United Arab Emirates. The photojournalist and her spouse reportedly also have dual Iranian and American citizenship.

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State Department urges Iran to release Washington Post correspondent

Jason Rezaian was detained last week in Tehran along with his wife and two others.

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New York, July 24, 2014-- The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by a Washington Post report today that says Iran has detained four journalists--three of whom are U.S. citizens--and calls on authorities to release them immediately. Jason Rezaian, a U.S. citizen and a correspondent for the Post, and his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, an Iranian correspondent for the United Arab Emirates-based newspaper The National, were taken into custody in Tehran this week. The report said the other two are photojournalists, but did not identify them. It is not clear why the journalists were arrested.

[standwithfreeiran]

Iran women flout dress code in Facebook campaign

Thousands of Iranian women have come together in an online campaign for greater social freedoms, posting pictures of themselves flouting the Islamic dress code required of all women in public. More than 146,000 people have supported the Facebook page "Stealthy Freedoms of Women in Iran," which was created just 10 days ago with the aim of sparking debate on whether women should have the right to choose to wear the hijab. It has yet to provoke an official response from the Iranian authorities, who fear people are letting Islamic values slip as they turn towards a more Western lifestyle.

[standwithfreeiran]

My Son Shahram Ahmadi has been sentenced to death. He is 26 years old and has spent the last 6 years of his life in prison. I couldn’t stop the execution of his younger brother Bahram and had a heart attack when I heard the news. The Iranian government refuses to hand over Bahram’s body. Now I need your help to stop Shahram’s execution.

Bahram is on the right and Shahram is on the left in the picture above. 

We are Sunni and Kurd. My son Shahram like many other Sunni youths has been critical of how badly the Iranian government treats the Sunni minority. Security police arrested him in April 2009 on his way home from mosque in our town, Sanandaj. They shot, beat, and kicked my son in the face, breaking his nose and head. They took him to the Intelligence Bureau of Sanandaj and subjected him to severe torture including electric shocks and forced him to falsely confess to armed resistance. It took the authorities 10 months before they allowed us to see him.

My son's trial was unfair. The authorities kept him in detention for 4 years before charging him. The first time they allowed him to talk to his attorney was on the day of his trial. His trial lasted less than 10 minutes. Judge Mohammad Moghiseh used his coerced confession, the only evidence against him, to declare him a mohareb (enemy of God). I have no doubt that my son would have been found innocent if he had received a fair trial.

Your support could save my son. In the past international pressure has been instrumental in protecting individuals who had been unfairly prosecuted in Iran. A recent example is Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani who in 2006 was sentenced to stoning. Due to international pressure her sentence was later reduced to 10 years in prison and in March of this year, the Iranian judiciary announced that she has been released.

Shahram is not the only one at risk. Dozens of other Kurds have been unfairly sentenced to death. Please help me save my son and the other Kurds' lives by asking Iranian officials to halt their executions and grant them fair trials.

Sign the petition. Pass it on.

[standwithfreeiran]

Intelligence Ministry Reviews Cases of Iranian Expats for Return

Iran has established a secretariat for the Committee for the Return of Expat Iranians, inside Iran's Intelligence Ministry, the Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Parliamentary, and Iranian Expatriate Affairs Hassan Qashqavi said in an interview with Tadbir News Website. "The Committee's meetings are regularly held at the Intelligence Ministry, and the Intelligence Ministry has achieved good results in this area," Mr. Qashqavi told Tadbir, adding, "Reports of these meetings will soon be published."

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Report: Iran Has Executed 529 People in 2013

Iran has executed 529 people this year, including more 300 since President Hassan Rouhani assumed office in August, according to a tally compiled by the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (IHRDC).