After couple of months, Three South Azerbaijani activists were freed with unusual bails
Savalan Sesi (Translated by Oyrenci):
Today, 27th February, three south Azerbaijani political prisoners including Saeid Matinpour, human rights activist and journalist, Jalil Ghanilou, journalist, and Alireza Matinpour, activist of Azerbaijani culture, were freed from Evin prison with 500,000 USD, 80,000 USD, and 100,000 USD bails respectively.
Mr. Saeid Matinpour from 25 May 2007, Jalil Ghanilou from 26 May 2007, and Alireza Matinpour from 28 August 2007 had been detained by Iranian intelligent services in north-western city of Zanjan and had been transferred to the Evin prison.
These three prisoners have passed more than half of their detention in sporadic cells of the section 209 of Evin prison under vision and torture of Iranian intelligent services. Worthy to say, they were not allowed to access to any advocatory in this time period.
From the other side, according to the received news, bail amount of Mr. Behrouz Safari and his wife has been changed to 120,000 USD and 80,000 USD respectively. Iranian official asked their family to prepare mentioned bails to free them.
Oyrenci-News congratulates freedom of South Azerbaijani prisoners in Zanjan to Azerbaijan nation, and hopes other Azerbaijani prisoners also be freed as soon as possible.
One more activist of Azerbaijani movement in Iran arrested
Today Azerbaijan:
Hojat-ul-Islam Abdulaziz Azimi Gadim, one of the activists of the movement for restoration of the rights of Iranian Azerbaijanis, has been sentenced to one year of imprisonment.
According to movement activists, the decision was passed by the court of Gum city, Iran.
The decision states that A.Gadim failed to fulfill the requirements of the decision, passed on him two years ago, by taking part in the meetings near Sattarkhan and Bagirkhan^s graves, as well as a march to the Babek fortress in a garment of a clergymen, which contradicts the rules set in Iran for clergy.
For this reason, A.Gadim was prohibited to put on religious garments along with being sentenced to one year imprisonment. Yet, now the court, referring to Gadim^s failure to fulfill the second paragraph of the decision, sentenced him to imprisonment again.
Moreover, Gadim will be sent to exile to one of Azerbaijani provinces of Iran.
In 2006 A.Gadim was imprisoned for 6 months for his socio-political activity.
Tabriz Revolutionary Court Decision: 1 Year Jail for 7 Nationalist Activists
Savalan Sesi (Translated By Oyrenci-News):
Revolutionary Court No.2 in Tabriz, sentenced Khosro Derakhshi, Yusef Lotf Hagh, Mehdi Afsari, Mohammad Ali Javadi, Javad Kanaani and Hasan Asadi, charged with "membership in Islamic Republic^s opponent group "GAIP" (south Azerbaijan Independence Party) to 1 year actual imprisonment. Besides, Taher Mahdavi blamed due to "propagation against Islamic regime" and sentenced to 1 year imprisonment.
According to article 25 of Islamic Criminal Law, 8 months of these indictees^ punishments, except Hasan Asadi, is suspended for three years.
This decision has been issued by judge Hamlbar, the highest judge in Tabriz Revolutionary Court No.2.
These activists have been detained and subsequently released on bails, last year (2007)
Voice of America: Pressures and confinements to continue for Azerbaijani activists
Translated By Oyrenci-News:
According to reports issued by ASٍMK (committee to protect Azerbaijani political prisoners rights), Iranian special court for clergy crimes, sentenced Azerbaijani clergyman and nationalist activist, Abdolaziz Azimi, to one year jail. Hosein Bahrami, high judge in Ghom clergy crimes court, has blamed clergyman Azimi for "provoke anti-national feelings". Musavat newspaper has reports that Mr. Azimi has been detained several times because of his pursuits for Azerbaijani nation requests. Previously, Amnesty International had issued three statements advocating his activities.
Furthermore, in accord with student committee to defend human rights reports, Hadi Hamidi Shafigh, jailed in prison of Urmia due to vague charges such as "illegal protest" and "insult national unity", has been tortured when he was kept in detainment center of Intelligence Ministry. Hamidi Shafigh has been sentenced to 10 months in primitive court, but reviewal court increased to 17 months.
Province court to persist in jail and lash for seven Azerbaijani activists
Savalansesi (Tran. By Oyrenci):
Lash and imprisonment sentences for seven activists, participated in demonstrations in northwestern city of Ahar on 26 may 2006 in protest at offensive cartoon published by the state-owned daily newspaper Iran, confirmed by reinvestigation court of East Azerbaijan Province.
Reinvestigation court of East Azerbaijan No. 2, confirmed primitive sentences, actual 6 months imprisonment and 70 hits of lash, for Afshin Bazzaz Ghadim, Karim Kargar, Mortaza Shokri Serqini and Avaz Hasanpoor, accused of disturbance in public order by participating in illegal demonstration.
Parviz Ghaneh and Reza Salmanzadeh who appealed too, sentenced to six months imprisonment and 50 hits of lash, wich suspends for 5 years.
Besides, Farhad Heydari who convicted in primitive court trial and sentenced 2 years actual imprisonment for destruct of public properties and six months actual imprisonment and 74 hits of lash for disturbance in public order, commuted his sentence to 6 months jail and 70 hits of lash which are actual.
Omid Seyfi, Reza Soleymani and Jalal Esfandyari, impeached in recent file, were excused by province court.
Reviewal sentence has been issued by judge and prosecutors of reinvestigation court No.2 in East Azerbaijan Province.
Further Information on UA 61/07 (MDE 13/027/2007, 09 March 2007) and follow-up (MDE 13/067/2007, 7 J
PUBLIC AI Index: MDE 13/035/2008
7 February 2008
Further Information on UA 61/07 (MDE 13/027/2007, 09 March 2007) and follow-up (MDE 13/067/2007, 7 June 2007) - Prisoners of conscience/Torture
IRAN Jelil Ghanilou (m) ]
Released: Esma'il Javadi (m), aged 31, journalist ]
Ebulfezl Alilu (m) ]
Ramin Sadeghi (m) ] Azerbaijani cultural and linguistic
Qahreman Qanbarpour (m) ] rights activists
Adel Allahverdipour (m) ]
Safar Ali Kho'ini (m) ]
Ja'far Haqnazari (m) ]
All of those named above, except Jelil Ghanilou have been released. Safar Ali Kho'ini was released on 11 March 2007 on bail totalling around the equivalent of US$325,000. It is not known whether he has been charged or tried. Esma'il Javadi and Ebulfezl Alilu were released on 12 March and on 30 April respectively after a judge dismissed a case against them. Ramin Sadeghi was released on 15 March 2007. However he was sentenced on 20 October 2007 by Branch 14 of Ardabil Revolutionary Court to 50 lashes and a fine of the equivalent of, roughly, US$325. It is not known whether the flogging sentence was carried out. Qahreman Qanbarpour, Adel Allahverdipour and Ja'far Haqnazari have also been released. Amnesty International has no further information concerning them.
Azerbaijani cultural and linguistic rights activist Jelil Ghanilou continues to face torture and interrogation following six months' arrest and ongoing interrogation, while being moved between prisons in two different cities. He has neither been charged nor given access to legal representation. He has however been allowed to meet with and speak with family members. Amnesty International believes that Jelil Ghanilou is a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression.
Jelil Ghanilou was arrested in Zenjan in February 2007 in connection with his participation marking International Mother Language Day. He was released around 10 days later but on 28 May 2007 he was re-arrested following demonstrations marking the anniversary of the publication in May 2007 of a cartoon seen by many Iranian Azerbaijani activists as offensive. It appears that he was then moved to incommunicado detention, prompting a statement by the National Movement of Azerbaijan - Zenjan (Harakat-e Melli-ye Azerbaijan - Zenjan) on 2 June 2007, entitled "Where are Sa'id Metinpour [another Azerbaijani activist] and Jelil Ghanilou?" Amnesty International has now learned that from June 2007, he was repeatedly been moved between Evin Prison in Tehran and a Ministry of Intelligence detention facility in Zenjan and that he continued to face both interrogation and torture throughout the latter part of 2007 and into 2008.
Amnesty International has learned that Jelil Ghanilou was permitted one family visit in September 2007. By then he had reportedly been deprived of sleep for long periods and faced 24-hour interrogation. Officials also threatened that members of his family could be harmed. He is reported to have required medical treatment several times and when family members apparently tried to post the bail that officials demanded, they were turned away. They reportedly had irregular telephone contact with him in the latter part of 2007, though if he spoke Azerbaijani Turkic, the line was sometimes cut, when conversations in Persian were allowed to continue. Guards watched over him during his telephone conversations.
Jelil Ghanilou has been held in the Ministry of Intelligence-run Section 209 of Tehran's Evin Prison since 4 December 2007. On 3 February 2008, flanked by guards, he is reported to have said in a telephone conversation that he had been held in solitary confinement for 6 months and that he continued to face torture. Jelil Ghanilou allegedly added that he is no longer afraid to say over the telephone that the psychological pressures of uncertainty, misleading information; of repeated interrogations and threats from the authorities are wearing him down. Secret detention has been shown to facilitate torture and ill treatment. Prolonged incommunicado detention can itself be a form of cruel inhuman and degrading punishment.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Iranian Azerbaijanis speak a Turkic language and are mainly Shi'a Muslims. The largest minority in Iran, they live mainly in the north and north-west of the country, and in the capital, Tehran. Many Iranian Azerbaijanis demand greater cultural and linguistic rights, including implementation of their constitutional right to education in Azerbaijani Turkic. Article 15 of Iran's Constitution states that Persian is the official language of Iran and that “official documents, correspondence and texts, as well as textbooks, must be in this language and script.” It adds that “the use of regional and tribal languages in the press and mass media, as well as for teaching of their literature in schools, is allowed in addition to Persian.”
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in English, Farsi, Arabic, French your own language:
- calling on the authorities to halt any torture that Jelil Ghanilou may continue to face, and ensuring that any such reports are fully investigated and, if necessary, the perpetrators brought to justice;
- urging the authorities to promptly charge Jelil Ghanilou with a recognisably criminal offense and try him in a fair trial or release him;
- expressing concern that Jelil Ghanilou has been detained without charge or access to a lawyer of his choice for over six months, and that prolonged Secret detention has been shown to facilitate torture and ill treatment;
- pointing out that if he is detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression, Amnesty International would consider him a prisoner of conscience, and would call for his immediate and unconditional release.
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