Student Cases Supporting the Special Rapporteur’s September 2012 Report

This supplement provides documented cases of detained students that served as part of the basis of Dr. Shaheed’s September 2012 report presented to the UNGA. The documentation is based on primary interviews and secondary research conducted for the September 2012 report (Click here for full supplement).

Report Supplement
Septmber 23, 2012

IV. Students

20. There are at least 31 student prisoners of conscience in Iran[7] – including some recently sentenced (see attached chart) – being held on charges ranging from the spurious “putting up posters” to attending an anti-government rally. Some of those imprisoned were handed the additional sentence of “prison in exile,” and sent to distant rural prisons without the right to family visitation.[8]

21. Majid Tavakoli, who was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years after he spoke at a university rally in 2009, remains incarcerated. Tavakoli charges included “participating in an illegal gathering,” “propaganda against the system,” and “insulting officials.” From January until May 2010 he was held mostly in solitary confinement at Evin prison in Tehran. In August 2010, authorities transferred him to Raja’i Shahr prison, where violent criminals are housed. Tavakoli is said to have a respiratory disease, which has reportedly worsened after a hunger strike and because of poor prison conditions. After Majid’s initial arrest, a state-run Iranian newspaper published a photograph of Majid wearing a hijab (a woman’s Islamic headscarf), claiming that he had dressed as a woman in an attempt to evade arrest. However, eyewitnesses have countered that Majid was forced to wear the hijab by security forces in an attempt to shame him.[9]

22. Bahareh Hedayat, who was sentenced in 2009 to nine-and-a-half years in prison after a YouTube video of her surfaced criticizing the Iranian government’s alleged repression of post-election protesters, also remains in prison,[10] as does Zia Navabi, a former member of the Council to Defend the Right to Education and a member of the Bahá’í community. Navabi was sentenced to 15 years in prison and internal exile in January 2010 (later reduced to ten years) for “gathering and colluding against national security,” “propaganda against the system,” “disturbing public order,” and for mohabereh (“enmity against God”) for his alleged links to the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), a banned political group, and to 74 lashes for “creating unease in the public mind.”[11]

Table 4

Students Arrested or Detained Between September 2011 and June 2012¹⁶

Name	University	Case	Duration of Sentence (When Known)
1. Sooran Daneshvar	Democratic Union of Kurdish Students	Arrest	N/A
2. Mehdi Doagoo	Democratic Union of Kurdish Students	Arrest	N/A
3. Arman Zamani	Democratic Union of Kurdish Students	Arrest	N/A
4. Khabat Arefi	Democratic Union of Kurdish Students	Arrest	N/A
5. Shirzad Karimi	Democratic Union of Kurdish Students	Arrest	N/A
6. Milad Karimi	Democratic Union of Kurdish Students	Arrest	N/A
7. Bashir Ehsani	N/A	Prison Verdict	5 Years
8. Masoud Babapoor	AZAD University	Prison Verdict	9 Months
9. Afshin Shahbazi	University of Tabriz	Arrest	N/A
10. Koohyar Goodarzi	Sharif University of Technology	Prison Verdict	5 Years
11. Sahar Mousavi	AZAD University	Arrest	N/A
12. Amin Niaeefar	University of Tehran	Harassment in the prison	N/A
13. Asad Bagheri	Democratic Union of Kurdish Students	Arrest	N/A
14. Majid Tavakoli	Amirkabir University of Technology	Prison Verdict	6 Months
15. Mohammad Habiba	University of Tehran	Arrest	N/A
16. Behrooz Faridi	University of Tabriz	Arrest	N/A
17. Mahdye Golroo	Allameh Tabataba’i University	Prison Verdict	6 Months
18. Aliakbar Mohammadzadeh	Sharif University of Technology	Prison Verdict	N/A
19. Arash Mohammadi	University of Tabriz	Arrest	N/A
20. Siavash Mohammadi	University of Tabriz	Arrest	N/A
21. Bahareh Hedayat	University of Economic Sciences	Prison Verdict	6 Months
22. Farzad Eslami	AZAD University	Prison Verdict	3 Years
23. Saman Aryaman	AZAD University	Arrest	N/A
24. Esmaiel Salmanpour	Amirkabir University of Technology	Prison Verdict	1 Year
25. Ali Abbasi	University of Mazandaran	Arrest	N/A
26. Bahar Alinia	N/A	Arrest	N/A
27. Mohammad Karimi	Lorestan University	Arrest	N/A
28. Mohammadhossein Mahboobian	AZAD University	Arrest	N/A
29. Rahman Yaghubi	University of Mazandaran	Arrest	N/A
30. Zhiar Salamatian	Payam-E-Noor	Arrest	N/A
31. Younes Soleimani	Bu Ali Sina University	Arrest	N/A
32. Mehrdad Karami	University of Tabriz	Arrest	N/A
33. Milad Karimi	Democratic Union of Kurdish Students	Prison Verdict	6 Months
34. Dana Lanjabadi	Payam-E-Noor	Arrest	N/A
35. Saeed Abootorab	Shahrekord University	Arrest	N/A
36. Abbas Pashmi	Shahrekord University	Arrest	N/A
37. Mohammad Heydarzadeh	Shahrekord University	Arrest	N/A
38. Sooran Daneshvar	Democratic Union of Kurdish Students	Prison Verdict	1 Year
39. Ahmad Rahimi	AZAD University	Arrest	N/A
40. Ighan Shahidi	N/A	Prison Verdict	5 Years
41. Ali Moradi	Shahrekord University	Arrest	N/A
42. Dalir Eskandari	Democratic Union of Kurdish Students	Prison Verdict	2 Years
43. Darioush Jalali	Yasouj University	Arrest	N/A
44. Saeed Jalalifar	University of Zanjan	Prison Verdict	3 Years
45. Ruhollah Roozitalab	AZAD University	Arrest	N/A
46. Ali Salem	Amirkabir University of Technology	Arrest	N/A
47. Hossein Taheri	AZAD University	Arrest	N/A
48. Mohammad Hajibabaei	Mazandaran University of Science and Technology	Arrest	N/A
49. Ali Donyari	University of Mazandaran	Arrest	N/A
50. Mitra Rostami	N/A	Arrest	N/A
51. Kaveh Rezaei	Bu Ali Sina University	Prison Verdict	1.5 Years
52. Behzad Talebi	N/A	Arrest	N/A
53. Mohammad Ghafarian	Ferdowsi University of Mashhad	Prison Verdict	3.5 Years and 70 Lashes
54. Moein Ghamin	Mazandaran University of Science and Technology	Arrest	N/A
55. Omid Kokabi	Sharif University of Technology	Prison Verdict	10 Years
56. Rasti Alami	University of Mazandaran	Arrest	N/A
57. Mohammad Ilkhanizadeh	University of Tehran	Prison Verdict	3 Months and 74 Lashes
58. Mohammad Belbasi	Tarbiat Modares University	Arrest	N/A
59. Afsaneh Toghir	University of Tabriz	Arrest	N/A
60. Zeynab Jafarzadeh afshar	Tarbiat Modares University	Arrest	N/A
61. Siavash Hatam	Bu Ali Sina University	Arrest	N/A
62. Pooria Khaleghi	University of Mazandaran	Arrest	N/A
63. Vahed Kholusi	N/A	Prison Verdict	5 Years
64. Mobin Rostamian	University of Mazandaran	Arrest	N/A
65. Omid Rezaei	University of Guilan	Prison Verdict	2 Years
66. Hossein Ronaghi Maleki	AZAD University	Arrest and harassment in the prison	N/A
67. Javad Alikhani	Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz	Harassment in the prison	N/A
68. Mojtaba Karimi	University of Isfahan	Arrest	N/A
69. Abolfazl Garmabi	University of Mazandaran	Arrest	N/A
70. Aliakbar Mohammadzadeh	Sharif University of Technology	Harassment in the prison	N/A
71. Erfan Mohammadi	University of Isfahan	Arrest	N/A
72. Mohammad Moradi	University of Isfahan	Arrest	N/A
73. Rasool Teimoori	Payam-E-Noor University	Arrest	N/A
74. Dayako Khayat	University of Tehran	Arrest	N/A

Table 4.a

Students Deprived of Education or Expelled Between September 2011 and June 2012

Name	University	Case	Duration of Sentence (When Known)
1. Sooran Daneshvar	Democratic Union of Kurdish Students	Arrest	N/A
2. Mehdi Doagoo	Democratic Union of Kurdish Students	Arrest	N/A
3. Arman Zamani	Democratic Union of Kurdish Students	Arrest	N/A
4. Khabat Arefi	Democratic Union of Kurdish Students	Arrest	N/A
5. Shirzad Karimi	Democratic Union of Kurdish Students	Arrest	N/A
6. Milad Karimi	Democratic Union of Kurdish Students	Arrest	N/A
7. Bashir Ehsani	N/A	Prison Verdict	5 Years
8. Masoud Babapoor	AZAD University	Prison Verdict	9 Months
9. Afshin Shahbazi	University of Tabriz	Arrest	N/A
10. Koohyar Goodarzi	Sharif University of Technology	Prison Verdict	5 Years
11. Sahar Mousavi	AZAD University	Arrest	N/A
12. Amin Niaeefar	University of Tehran	Harassment in the prison	N/A
13. Asad Bagheri	Democratic Union of Kurdish Students	Arrest	N/A
14. Majid Tavakoli	Amirkabir University of Technology	Prison Verdict	6 Months
15. Mohammad Habiba	University of Tehran	Arrest	N/A
16. Behrooz Faridi	University of Tabriz	Arrest	N/A
17. Mahdye Golroo	Allameh Tabataba’i University	Prison Verdict	6 Months
18. Aliakbar Mohammadzadeh	Sharif University of Technology	Prison Verdict	N/A
19. Arash Mohammadi	University of Tabriz	Arrest	N/A
20. Siavash Mohammadi	University of Tabriz	Arrest	N/A
21. Bahareh Hedayat	University of Economic Sciences	Prison Verdict	6 Months
22. Farzad Eslami	AZAD University	Prison Verdict	3 Years
23. Saman Aryaman	AZAD University	Arrest	N/A
24. Esmaiel Salmanpour	Amirkabir University of Technology	Prison Verdict	1 Year
25. Ali Abbasi	University of Mazandaran	Arrest	N/A
26. Bahar Alinia	N/A	Arrest	N/A
27. Mohammad Karimi	Lorestan University	Arrest	N/A
28. Mohammadhossein Mahboobian	AZAD University	Arrest	N/A
29. Rahman Yaghubi	University of Mazandaran	Arrest	N/A
30. Zhiar Salamatian	Payam-E-Noor	Arrest	N/A
31. Younes Soleimani	Bu Ali Sina University	Arrest	N/A
32. Mehrdad Karami	University of Tabriz	Arrest	N/A
33. Milad Karimi	Democratic Union of Kurdish Students	Prison Verdict	6 Months
34. Dana Lanjabadi	Payam-E-Noor	Arrest	N/A
35. Saeed Abootorab	Shahrekord University	Arrest	N/A
36. Abbas Pashmi	Shahrekord University	Arrest	N/A
37. Mohammad Heydarzadeh	Shahrekord University	Arrest	N/A
38. Sooran Daneshvar	Democratic Union of Kurdish Students	Prison Verdict	1 Year
39. Ahmad Rahimi	AZAD University	Arrest	N/A
40. Ighan Shahidi	N/A	Prison Verdict	5 Years
41. Ali Moradi	Shahrekord University	Arrest	N/A
42. Dalir Eskandari	Democratic Union of Kurdish Students	Prison Verdict	2 Years
43. Darioush Jalali	Yasouj University	Arrest	N/A
44. Saeed Jalalifar	University of Zanjan	Prison Verdict	3 Years
45. Ruhollah Roozitalab	AZAD University	Arrest	N/A
46. Ali Salem	Amirkabir University of Technology	Arrest	N/A
47. Hossein Taheri	AZAD University	Arrest	N/A
48. Mohammad Hajibabaei	Mazandaran University of Science and Technology	Arrest	N/A
49. Ali Donyari	University of Mazandaran	Arrest	N/A
50. Mitra Rostami	N/A	Arrest	N/A
51. kaveh Rezaei	Bu Ali Sina University	Prison Verdict	1.5 Years
52. Behzad Talebi	N/A	Arrest	N/A
53. Mohammad Ghafarian	Ferdowsi University of Mashhad	Prison Verdict	3.5 Years and 70 Lashes
54. Moein Ghamin	Mazandaran University of Science and Technology	Arrest	N/A
55. Omid Kokabi	Sharif University of Technology	Prison Verdict	10 Years
56. Rasti Alami	University of Mazandaran	Arrest	N/A
57. Mohammad Ilkhanizadeh	University of Tehran	Prison Verdict	3 Months and 74 Lashes
58. Mohammad Belbasi	Tarbiat Modares University	Arrest	N/A
59. Afsaneh Toghir	University of Tabriz	Arrest	N/A
60. Zeynab Jafarzadeh afshar	Tarbiat Modares University	Arrest	N/A
61. Siavash Hatam	Bu Ali Sina University	Arrest	N/A
62. Pooria Khaleghi	University of Mazandaran	Arrest	N/A
63. Vahed Kholusi	N/A	Prison Verdict	5 Years
64. Mobin Rostamian	University of Mazandaran	Arrest	N/A
65. Omid Rezaei	University of Guilan	Prison Verdict	2 Years
66. Hossein Ronaghi Maleki	AZAD University	Arrest and harassment in the prison	N/A
67. Javad Alikhani	Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz	Harassment in the prison	N/A
68. Mojtaba Karimi	University of Isfahan	Arrest	N/A
69. Abolfazl Garmabi	University of Mazandaran	Arrest	N/A
70. Aliakbar Mohammadzadeh	Sharif University of Technology	Harassment in the prison	N/A
71. Erfan Mohammadi	University of Isfahan	Arrest	N/A
72. Mohammad Moradi	University of Isfahan	Arrest	N/A
73. Rasool Teimoori	Payam-E-Noor University	Arrest	N/A
74. Dayako Khayat	University of Tehran	Arrest	N/A

Table 4.a

Students Deprived of Education or Expelled Between September 2011 and June 2012

Name	University	Case	Duration (Where Known)
1. Farnood Jahangiri	University of Mazandaran	Expulsion from University	N/A
2. Moein Mohammadbeigi	AZAD University	Expulsion from University	N/A
3. Samira Gholami	Sirjan University of Technology	Expulsion from University	N/A
4. Hadi Binesh	Tarbiat Moaalem University	Expulsion from University	N/A
5. Dorsa Allahverdi	Golestan University	Expulsion from University	N/A
6. Shervin Fallah	University of Bojnord	Expulsion from University	N/A
7. Khashayar Zarei	Shiraz University	Expulsion from University	N/A
8. Shahin Mousavi	Tabari University	Expulsion from University	N/A
9. Farshid Abdifar	Shahid Beheshti University	Expulsion from University	N/A
10. Yekta Fahandezh	Shiraz Payam-E-noor University	Expulsion from University	N/A
11. Shaghayegh Agah	University of Tehran	Expulsion from University	N/A
12. Farid Shamsipur	Shahrekord University	Deprivation from Education	N/A
13. Maryam Malekshaaban	Shahrekord University	Deprivation from Education	N/A
14. Emad Hashemi	Shahrekord University	Deprivation from Education	N/A
15. Fatemeh Noori	N/A	Deprivation from Education	1 Year
16. Rahman Yaghoubi	University of Mazandaran	Deprivation from Education	N/A
17. Darioush Jalali	Yasouj University	Deprivation from Education	1 Semester
18. Mehdi Jamalvand	Bu Ali Sina University	Deprivation from Education	N/A
19. Jabbar Dastbaz	University of Saghez	Deprivation from Education	N/A
20. Foad Shams	University of Tehran	Deprivation from Education	N/A
21. Reza Arab	University of Mazandaran	Deprivation from Education	N/A
22. Kamyar Giveki	K.N.Toosi University of Technology	Deprivation from Education	N/A
23. Babak Maghazei	N/A	Deprivation from Education	N/A
24. Vahid Sheybani	University of Birjand	Deprivation from Education	N/A

[1] Human rights violations against the Bahá’ís in the Islamic Republic of Iran (June 2012), Bahá’í International Community report, submitted to the Special Rapporteur in June 2012.

[2] Ibid.

[3] “Profiles of the seven Baha’i ‘leaders’,” Bahá’í World News Service, available at: http://news.bahai.org/human-rights/iran/yaran-special-report/profiles

[4] Human rights violations against the Bahá’ís in the Islamic Republic of Iran (June 2012), Bahá’í International Community report, submitted to the Special Rapporteur in June 2012.

[5] Iran: Executions by Stoning. Amnesty International, December 2010.

[6] Ibid.

[7] “Speak Out for Imprisoned Students in Iran,” International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, 26 April 2012 (available at: http://www.iranhumanrights.org/2012/04/imprisoned-students-campaign/).

[8] Shourd, Sarah. “They Were Arrested Too; Iran’s Harried Student Movement,” Huffington Post, 3 May 2012 (available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-shourd/they-were-arrested-too-irans-students_b_1475567.html)

[9] “Student Activist Jailed for Speaking Out,” Amnesty International, available at: http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/cases/iran-majid-tavakkoli?id=1181062

[10] Shourd, Sarah. “They Were Arrested Too; Iran’s Harried Student Movement,” Huffington Post, 3 May 2012 (available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-shourd/they-were-arrested-too-irans-students_b_1475567.html)

[11] “Urgent Action: Iranian Prison Returned to Cell,” Amnesty International, 16 March 2011 (available at: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE13/031/2011/en/31fe312d-e501-4280-81d2a9a0f67e21f01/mde130312011en.html)

[12] All information presented in paras 22-26 is based on or taken from a report submitted by Reporters Without Borders to the Special Rapporteur in July 2012.

[13] Information from: Human rights violations against the Bahá’ís in the Islamic Republic of Iran (June 2012), Bahá’í International Community report (annex), submitted to the Special Rapporteur in June 2012.

[14] Iran: Executions by Stoning. Amnesty International, December 2010.

[15] Sources have reported more than 300 arbitrary arrests of Christians throughout the country since June 2010. The following tables, 3 and 3.a, contain only some cases, for which some details are known. The information is drawn from a report presented by a number of organizations to the Special Rapporteur in July 2012, as well as his own interviews.

[16] All Information in Tables 4 and 4.a is based on a report submitted by the Daftar Tahkim Vahdat student association to the Special Rapporteur in July 2012.

[17] Unless otherwise noted, all information in Tables 5 and 5a is drawn from a July 2012 report submitted to the Special Rapporteur by Reporters Without Borders.

[18] Information on the arrests of Mohammadi and Mohadess can be found at the website of the Beheshti Foundation (available at: http://www.beheshti.org/).

[19] According to the Masregh website (http:.//masreghnews.ir).