Iranian Minorities Human Right Organisation

[noora baloch]

Iranian Minorities Human Right Organisation (IMHRO) Defending Iranian Minorities
Thursday, 26 February 2009
VOA: Iran's Religious Persecution








More than 9 months have passed since 7 leaders of the Baha'i community in Iran were arrested and sent to prison with no access to legal counsel. Now the Iranian government has announced the 7 have been charged with espionage.

The move is the latest in decades of repressive measures against the Baha'is, the largest non-Islamic religious minority group in Iran. Those measures include barring Baha'is from attending public universities or working in public agencies, destroying or closing Baha'i places of worship, bulldozing Baha'i cemeteries, legally confiscating Baha'i property, and killing Baha'is with impunity.

Human Rights groups and others are outraged at the latest move by the Iranian government. Amnesty International said it considers the 2 women and 5 men accused of espionage by the regime to be prisoners of conscience held because of their beliefs or peaceful activities. Amnesty International expressed concern that the charges brought against the 7 could result in their execution.

The U.S.-based non-governmental organization Freedom House condemned the Iranian government for bringing the 7 Baha'is to trial on what it called "contrived" charges, and it demanded their immediate release. Earlier this month, a group of Iranian intellectuals living outside Iran signed a letter declaring they will be silent no longer in the face of the persecution of the Baha'is in their homeland.

In a written statement, U.S. State Department Acting spokesman Robert Wood condemned the Iranian government's decision to level what he called "baseless charges of espionage" against the 7 leaders of the Baha'i community in Iran. "The accusations against them," said Mr. Wood, "are part of the ongoing persecution of Baha'i in Iran. Thirty other Baha'i," noted Mr. Wood, "remain imprisoned in Iran solely on the basis of their religious belief.

"Mr. Wood also expressed concern about other religious minorities who continue to be targeted by the government simply for what they believe. He cited the case of 3 Christians arrested in Tehran last month, as well as several members of the Gonabadi Dervishes, followers of Sufism, who were arrested on Kish Island in January.

Mr. Wood said the U.S. joins the international community in urging the Iranian authorities "to release all religious minorities who are currently in detention for peacefully exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms." Posted by Iranian Minorities Human Right Organisation at 00:51 0 comments The Bulletin of Christian Worldwide Persecution
PoliticalIslam. com

Tehran, Iran: A couple who converted to Christianity from Islam were arrested on 1/21/09 and released on bail. The charges against them are unknown, but they fear being charged with apostacy, which is punishable by execution in Iran. Another has been incarcerated since August. 73 arrests of Christians in Iran were recorded in 2008 and more are expected to take place since it is an election year. 2/9 Posted by Iranian Minorities Human Right Organisation at 00:47 0 comments
Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Expatica.com: Dutch-Iranian rights activist imprisoned










The Maastricht based human rights activist Abdullah al-Mansouri was sentenced to 30 years' imprisonment in Iran.

THE HAGUE—The Maastricht human rights activist Faleh Abdullah al-Mansouri has been given a 30-year prison sentence in Iran. The Dutch Ambassador in Teheran received the information from the Iranian authorities after persistent inquries.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxine Verhagen said that the Netherlands would continue to advocate for Al-Mansouri. Mansouri was captured while visiting Syria in May 2006, and extradited to Iranian authorities.

Al Mansouri received asylum in the Netherlands in 1988 after being sentenced to execution in Iran for his work as a dissident. He became a Dutch citizen, and was awarded the prestigious Order of Orange-Nassau for his work as a human rights activist. Iran has refused to recognize Al Mansouri as a Dutch citizen, and has ignored his rights to receive legal assistance from the Netherlands.“Questions remain about how the process against Al Mansouri was conducted, and the manner in which the sentence was determined,” said Verhagen. “Since the Netherlands was denied its right to extend consular assistance to Al-Mansouri, we can give no assessment on whether he was granted due process.”

Al Mansouri has been allowed regular contact with his family in the Netherlands. The Dutch ambassador in Teheran has been informed that Al Mansouri will be granted the right to an appeal.

Faleh Abdullah Al Mansouri is an ethnic Ahwazi, a minority Arabic group of about 5 million people bordering Iraq.

Ahwazis live in the oil-rich province of Khuzestan.Despite the regions wealth Ahwazi natives are among the world’s poorest, with the majority of children suffering from malnutrition, according to Amnesty International. Most residents are illiterate, and are denied the right to an education in Arabic. The area was independent until 1925, when oil was discovered. Al Mansouri was the leader of the Maastricht-based Ahwaz Liberation Organisation, and an activist for Amnesty International. The Iraqi invasion of the area in 1980 started the Iran-Iraq war.
Radio Netherlands/ NRC Handelsblad/ Expatica
Posted by Iranian Minorities Human Right Organisation at 13:38 0 comments
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the trial with seven Baha'i leaders in Iran










The EU expresses its deep concern at the grave charges raised against seven Baha’i leaders in Iran. They have been detained by the Iranian authorities for eight months without charge, during which time they have not had access to legal representation.

The EU is concerned that, after being held for so long without due process, the Baha’i leaders may not receive a fair trial. The EU therefore requests the Islamic Republic of Iran to allow independent observation of the judicial proceedings and to reconsider the charges brought against these individuals.

The EU wishes to express its firm opposition to all forms of discrimination and oppression, in particular on the basis of religious practice. In this context, the EU urges the Islamic Republic of Iran to respect and protect religious minorities in Iran and free all prisoners held due of their faith or religious practice.

The Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania and Montenegro, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this declaration.

* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process."
Posted by Iranian Minorities Human Right Organisation at 00:17 0 comments
Monday, 23 February 2009
Iranian Authorities Destroy Sufi Holy Site In Isfahan






By Golnaz Esfandiari
A house of worship of the Gonabadi dervishes in Isfahan has reportedly been destroyed by the Iranian authorities. The reason for the destruction -- which reportedly took place shortly after midnight on February 18 -- is not clear, but it comes amid growing pressure on dervishes, who practice the Sufi tradition of Islam, and other religious minorities in Iran.
The dervish house of worship, or hosseinieh, was located next to the tomb of the great poet and dervish Naser Ali at the historical Takht-e Foulad cemetery, where a number of respected Iranian figures are buried. Dervishes gathered there to pray, meditate, read Sufi poetry, and perform religious ceremonies. In recent months, following the demolition of several dervish sites throughout Iran, dervishes in Isfahan had expressed concern that their hosseinieh could meet a similar fate.
To prevent that from happening, several of the local dervishes were spending nights at the hosseinieh to keep watch.But there was little they could do when, in the early hours of February 18, some 200 members of the security forces, police, and plainclothes agents arrived.The dervishes' mobile phones were taken away to prevent them from informing others of the raid, and they were detained and transferred to a police station.
Abdol Saleh Loghmani, one of the Isfahan dervishes, told RFE/RL that the security forces cut off water and electricity to the area, and destroyed the walls around the poet's tomb with a bulldozer."They also destroyed the library where [religious] books were kept. They demolished the big hall where we had our Monday and Friday ceremonies and also our Sunday dawn meetings. They took away all the carpets and other property," he said.He said the five people were detained, but they were released after the authorities completed the demolition. He that added authorities then dispersed the dervishes who, after hearing the news about the destruction, had gathered around the site.
Crackdown On MinoritiesSufis in Isfahan and elsewhere in Iran see the raid as just one part of a campaign by conservatives against the Gonabadi dervishes. The crackdown has included arrests, court summons, and accusations in the media that Sufism is a deviation from true Islam.A Sufi house of worship was demolished in the city of Qom in 2006; another was partially destroyed in Borujerd in 2007; and a Sufi prayer house in Kish was forced to close late in 2008.Some Sufis have faced arrest, been sentenced to lashings, or been forced to pledge not to attend Sufi ceremonies.
Mostafa Azmayesh, the author of several books on Sufism and the representative of the Gonabadi dervishes outside Iran, told RFE/RL that what he describes as "hidden pressure" on dervishes is also growing.
Authorities "have said that dervishes are not allowed to be buried in Beydokht [the main birthplace of leaders of the Gonabadi dervishes] anymore," he said. "There is a [cemetery] there that belongs to the Gonabadi branch, and some dervishes write in their testaments that they want to be buried there -- but the Beydokht municipality has banned it."Sufis observe Islamic beliefs, but they also believe in pursuit of the truth through mysticism. Some conservative clerics consider Sufism a danger to Islam.
Dervishes believe that what they describe as their sect's growing popularity is one of the reasons behind the growing state pressure. They say many Iranians are fed up with the official state interpretation of Islam and are attracted to alternative approaches.Azmayesh says it is clear that there is growing state intolerance toward religious minorities in Iran."These demolitions. ..demonstrate the oppression and crimes that are being committed against the religious minorities in Iran -- when they treat dervishes that are Shi'ite Muslims in this manner.
It's not clear what [authorities] do to the other [Iranian citizens] who are the followers of other religions," he said.Rights groups say respect for religious freedom has deteriorated in Iran since hard-line President Mahmud Ahmadinejad took power some four years ago.Posted by Iranian Minorities Human Right Organisation at 12:54 0 comments
Sunday, 22 February 2009
IMHRO condemning trial of 7 Bahá’í leaders in Iran for spying
Iranian Minorities’ Human Rights Organisation (IMHRO)

Ref.IMHRO.44

22/02/09

The Iranian government has announced that they will put on trial 7 Bahá’í leaders: Fariba Kamalabadi Taefi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie, Behrouz Tavakkoli, Vahid Tizfahm, and Mahvash Sabet. All seven were arrested in 2008 and stand accused of spying for Israel. The Iranian prosecutor has, however, written an open letter that has been published by papers in which he asks the security service to persecute Bahá’í believers in Iran[i].

IMHRO finds this request from the prosecutor to be extremely alarming. We fear that it will result in greater widespread persecution of Baha’i’s. We are very concerned about these 7 Bahá’í leaders, sources in Iran have told us that the government is planning a large scale crackdown and arrest of the Bahá’í in Iran.

Reza Washahi a researcher on minorities in Iran told IMHRO the following:

“The Bahá’í have always been persecuted in Iran, but after the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, Bahá’í faced a new era of terror and persecution. The Iranian government has never recognised Bahá’í as a religion. The government has guided mobs and religious extremists have destroyed their worship and historical places. Many have been murdered in daylight and their cases have never been followed by courts. Bahá’í are banned from employment and higher education and face all sort of social and cultural discrimination.” “It is clear that this is show trial and they persecuted for their faith and nothing else”

IMHRO is appealing to the international community and asks supporters to do the following:

To put a pressure on Iranian government to stop the inhuman treatment of Bahá’í in Iran

To ask the Iranian government to immediately release all the Bahá’í in prison, including the 7 Bahá’í leaders and to so without condition

To request the Iranian government to lift the social and cultural restrictions on Bahá’í in Iran

Actions
Please write to one of the following and express your concern regarding the treatment of Bahá’í in Iran. Ask them to release the Bahá’í prisoners. Remind the Iranian government that they are a signatory party of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Also, please remind them that all of these covenants clearly support the freedom of social life and the freedom of religion

Secretary General United Nations
The Honourable Ban Ki-moon
United Nations Headquarters,
Room S-3800,
New York, NY 10017,
USA

Supreme Leader of Iran
Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei,
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street - Shahid Keshvar Doust Street
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
E-mail via web site
http://www.leader. ir/

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Ms. Navanethem (Navi) Pillay
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights,
Palais des Nations,
CH-1211 Geneva 10,
Switzerland

Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadi Nejad
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
E-mail via web site
http://www.presiden t.ir/en/

European Parliament Human Rights Committee
Ms Hélène FLAUTRE
Bureau d'Hélène Flautre au Parlement Européen,
8G130, rue Wierz,
B-1049, Bruxelles,
Belgique

Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah Mahmud Hashemi Shahroudi
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh / Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St, Vali Asr Ave
South of Serah-e Jomhouri,
Tehran 1316814737, Islamic Republic of Iran

Sources

[i] http://news. bahai.org/ sites/news. bahai.org/ files/documentli brary/699_ 03_farsNewsStory 090215_en. pdf

http://link. brightcove. com/services/ player/bcpid1184 614595?bctid= 13489611001

Posted by Iranian Minorities Human Right Organisation at 13:10 0 comments
Saturday, 21 February 2009
UNESCO: 21 February : International Mother Language Day poster
































Please click on picture to Enlarge the poster
Posted by Iranian Minorities Human Right Organisation at 18:32 1 comments
Friday, 20 February 2009
Balochis intensify rebellion in Iran







By: Chris Zambelis

The conflict between Iranian security forces and ethnic Baloch insurgents led by the Jondallah (Soldiers of God - an obscure militant group also known as the People’s Resistance Movement of Iran) that has been raging in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan-Balochistan since 2003 is experiencing an increase in hostilities. The latest spate of violence was sparked by Iran’s refusal to heed Jondallah’s June 2008 demand that it release Abdulhamid Rigi, the brother of Jondallah founder and leader Abdulmalak Rigi, along with three other jailed members of Jondallah. Pakistani authorities detained Rigi and his associates in Quetta in neighboring Pakistan’s Balochistan province for attempting to pass as Pakistani nationals. The men were later transferred into Iranian custody (Fars News Agency [Iran], June 15, 2008; Press TV [Iran], June 14, 2008; Dawn [Karachi], June 15, 2008). After the handover, Jondallah ambushed an Iranian police outpost and abducted 16 police officers in Saravan, a town located near the Pakistani border. The Iranian hostages were reportedly then transferred over the Iranian-Pakistan border into Pakistani Balochistan (Fars, June 19, 2008). In another incident, Iranian security officials arrested a prominent Baloch cleric in early August 2008, setting off a wave of protests in the province. Iranian authorities then bulldozed the Abu Hanifa mosque and school in Zabol a few weeks later and arrested students and members of the congregation, sparking further outrage among the Baloch (Rooz Online [Iran], January 12). [1] Jondallah later released a video that was aired on al-Arabiya news channel claiming that they had executed 2 of the 16 police officers they were holding and were prepared to kill the rest of the hostages if Iran failed to release 200 of its members currently held in Iranian prisons (Fars, December 30, 2008). Jondallah also assassinated an Iranian official in Sistan-Balochistan, prompting another crackdown by the security services. While Jondallah is reported to have freed one of the hostages under mysterious circumstances sometime in September 2008, a December 5 announcement by Iranian authorities claimed that all of the hostages had been executed. The statement also promised “massive retaliation” against Jondallah (Press TV, September 9, 2008; Fars, December 6, 2008). A Resort to New Tactics Tensions in Iranian Balochistan flared again when Jondallah introduced a new tactic in its violent campaign against Tehran by executing a suicide car bombing on December 28, 2008, against the headquarters of Iran’s joint police and anti-narcotics unit in Saravan (Daily Times [Lahore], December 30, 2008). The attack killed four officers and injured scores more. The bombing was highly uncharacteristic of Jondallah’s previous operations (Rooz Online, January 12). While suicide car bombings have been used to great effect by Iraqi insurgents, especially among groups representing the radical Islamist strain of the Sunni Arab insurgency and increasingly by militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan, similar attacks are unheard of in Iran. Jondallah’s violent track record has generally entailed terrorist attacks and guerilla-style operations against Iranian security forces and other symbols of the state across Sistan-Balochistan, as well as abductions and assassinations of state officials (see Terrorism Monitor, January 11, 2008; Terrorism Focus, February 28, 2007). The introduction of suicide bombings into the conflict points to a new and increasingly violent stage in Jondallah’s struggle against Tehran, one that is sure to elicit harsher crackdowns by Iranian security forces and contribute to wider instability in the region.The identity of the bomber also adds to the significance of Jondallah’s attack. By all accounts, the bombing was executed by Abdulghafoor Rigi, the younger brother of Jondallah leader Abdulmalak Rigi. According to Baloch activist sources, the attack was intended to serve as an example for others within the Baloch nationalist movement to follow, in Iran and beyond. At the same time, the same sources also emphasize that suicide bombings are not compatible with Baloch values, but have become necessary due to the nature of the Baloch struggle and Iranian repression. [2] The suicide attack is also being compared to the first and, until recently, only suicide bombing by a Baloch militant; in 1974, Abdul Majeed Lango targeted Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in a suicide bombing in Pakistani Balochistan, but failed to hit his target. [3] While Jondallah’s emphasis has been to attack Iranian targets in Sistan-Balochistan, the group threatened to carry out more suicide attacks in other parts of Iran, including in major cities such as Tehran. [4] Despite this apparent threat, there are no indications that Jondallah has a genuine interest or ability to expand its violent campaign outside of Sistan-Balochistan in the foreseeable future. Suicide attacks against Iranian targets in Sistan-Balochistan, however, especially those targeting Iranian security services, may become more common. Roots of the Baloch Insurgency To understand the roots of the Baloch insurgency, it is important to consider Iran’s complex ethno-national and sectarian composition. Iran’s ethnic Persian and Farsi-speaking population represents only a slight majority of Iran’s total population of approximately 70 million, a population that includes sizeable Azeri, Kurdish, Arab, Turkmen, and Baloch ethnic communities. A large majority of Iranians are Shi’a Muslims. In contrast, the ethnic Baloch minority in Iran numbers between one and four million, nearly all of whom are Sunni Muslims. Iranian Balochistan is also one of Iran’s poorest and most underserved provinces. Tehran has great difficulty administering law and order in the region, having to rely instead on harsh security crackdowns that alienate the public. Given its poverty, lawlessness, and porous border with Pakistan, Iranian Balochistan has emerged as a smuggler’s paradise, a reputation that has made it both a regular target of the Iranian security services and an attractive base for enterprising criminals. These factors contribute to the belief among many Baloch - and other ethnic and sectarian minorities in Iran - that the highly centralized Sh’ia Muslim and Persian-centric face of the Islamic Republic operates a policy of state-sponsored discrimination and cultural subjugation of non-Persian and non-Shi’a minorities (see Terrorism Monitor, August 2, 2007). Baloch disaffection with the Islamic Republic must also be seen in the context of the Baloch historical narrative. Iranian Baloch, for instance, identify strongly with their kin in neighboring Pakistan, which is home to the region’s largest Baloch community, and the Baloch community in Afghanistan. Baloch family and tribal links also span across the Iranian, Pakistani, and Afghani borders. Iranian Baloch look to their kin in Pakistan, who have been waging a war for self-determination for decades. Baloch nationalists often refer to the lands where all Baloch reside as “Greater Balochistan,” and Iranian Balochistan as “West Balochistan.” The Baloch narrative is also shaped by a feeling that the legacy of colonialism has left the Baloch people divided and without a homeland, much like the predicament facing the Kurds in the Middle East (see Terrorism Monitor, June 29, 2006). The Baloch also feel as if they have no allies, as even regional rivals of Iran have a history of collaborating to curb Baloch nationalist aspirations to further their mutual interests. Iran and Pakistan, for instance, have a history of jointly suppressing Baloch nationalism through harsh measures, as both countries perceive Baloch activism as a threat to their territorial integrity. Pakistan’s speedy handover of Jondallah members to Iran reflects one aspect of Iranian-Pakistani security cooperation in this area. The politics of energy pipelines also help foster closer cooperation between Iran and Pakistan in suppressing Baloch nationalism. The greatly coveted Iran-Pakistan- India (IPI) pipeline that will carry natural gas from Iran’s South Pars field to Pakistan and India will traverse both Iranian and Pakistani Balochistan on its way to India and possibly even to China down the line (Fars, December 31, 2008; January 16). For Iran and other countries with a stake in IPI, the potential for insurgent groups such as Jondallah to threaten critical energy infrastructure is cause for serious concern. The threat of attacks by Jondallah against regional energy infrastructure will surely increase if the Baloch feel that they are not reaping any of the benefits of the revenue earned by Tehran from its gas exports via IPI. Radical Islam and Baloch Nationalism Given the Sunni faith of its members and its violent history, some observers suggest that the group maintains ties to radical Sunni Islamists. Tehran also regularly accuses Jondallah of maintaining ties to Sunni extremists such as al-Qaeda and the Taliban in what likely amounts to an effort to tarnish Jondallah’s image abroad. Iran also happens to accuse Jondallah - among other minority ethno-national and sectarian insurgent groups operating on its territory - of receiving support from U.S., British, and Saudi intelligence in an effort to destabilize the Islamic Republic from within by fomenting ethnic and sectarian strife (Press TV, June 14, 2008). Jondallah fervently denies any links to radical Sunni Islamists and any suggestion that it operates at the behest of foreign intelligence services (see Terrorism Monitor, June 29, 2006). Despite reports linking Jondallah to radical Sunni Islamists, there is no hard evidence linking Jondallah to radical Sunni extremists such as al-Qaeda or the Taliban. Since its inception, Jondallah has been keen to frame its cause as a mission to improve the daily lives of the Baloch in Iran. At the same time, Jondallah has also presented its struggle in sectarian terms, essentially as a struggle between a besieged Sunni minority and an aggressive Shi’a Islamist order. While Jondallah’s emphasis on sectarian grievances may lend credence to the argument that the group does harbor radical Sunni Islamist leanings akin to al-Qaeda or the Taliban, in reality this approach most likely reflects the group’s effort to showcase its plight as an ethnic and sectarian minority community that faces systematic discrimination within Iran. In fact, given that the name Jondallah is imbued with religious overtones typical of radical Sunni Islamist movements, the group’s decision to begin referring to itself as the People’s Resistance Movement of Iran (PRMI) - in addition to Jondallah - may have represented an attempt to reintroduce itself internationally amid growing concerns about the spread of al-Qaeda’s brand of radical Islam (see Terrorism Focus, February 28, 2007). Baloch leader Abdulmalak Rigi has stated that Jondallah and the Iranian Baloch are not interested in independence from Iran, but only seek to achieve a better life for the Baloch minority, within a state that respects their human rights, culture, and faith. During an October 2008 interview, the Baloch leader also stated that Jondallah is prepared to lay down its arms and to enter Iranian politics: “If we were allowed to practice our rights in full, we are willing to drop weapons and enter political life.” [5] Jondallah’s stated willingness to enter the political process in Shi’a Islamist-dominated Iran also suggests that the group’s radical activities and violence are meant to further nationalist objectives as opposed to radical Islamist objectives. Jondallah’s decision to execute a suicide bombing nevertheless raises questions regarding the potential influence of radical Islamist ideologies on the larger Baloch nationalist movement in Iran, even if only among a fringe minority within the larger movement. At the very least, Jondallah’s decision to resort to suicide bombings indicates that tactics used by radical Islamists in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan are serving as a template for other militant groups to emulate in their own campaigns across the globe. There are also indications that radical Sunni Islamists in Iran and abroad who are strongly opposed to the Islamic Republic are following events in Iranian Balochistan closely, as evidenced by the growing number of extremist websites and chat room forums appearing in Arabic, Farsi, English and other languages concerning the plight of the Baloch and other Sunni minorities in Iran. The radical fringes of Sunni Islam consider Shi’a Muslims to be heretics and non-believers. Sunni extremists who subscribe to al-Qaeda’s brand of radicalism also consider Shi’a Muslims and Iran as secret allies of the United States and part of a conspiracy to undermine Sunni Islam. Increasing violence and instability in Iranian Balochistan may eventually attract foreign fighters to Iran. Jondallah’s threat to expand its violent campaign outside of Iranian Balochistan will also highlight the plight of Sunnis in Iran and may therefore attract radical Sunni Islamists to the Baloch cause. Conclusion While concerns regarding the spread of radical Sunni Islamist ideologies within the Baloch nationalist movement in Iran will continue to receive attention, there is no conclusive evidence linking Jondallah to al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or affiliated groups. By all accounts, the trajectory of Jondallah’s militancy will continue to emphasize the plight of the Baloch as a disaffected minority within Iran. At the same time, the ongoing violence and instability in Iranian Balochistan can potentially draw radical Sunni Islamists to the Baloch cause. There is also evidence that radical Sunni Islamists are paying closer attention to events in Iran, a trend that is likely to continue due to the widely held belief among many Sunni extremists that Iran and Shi’a Muslims constitute an enemy akin to the United States. Notes:1. For more details regarding these and related incidents in Sistan-Balochistan from a radical Sunni Iranian perspective that is staunchly critical of the Shia Islamic Republic, refer to the official website of the Sons of Sunnah Iran, “Iran’s War Against Sunni Muslims,” October 20, 2008, sunnairan.wordpress .com/2008/ 10/20/irans- war-on-sunni- muslims/. The same site carries an extensive list of Sunni Islamist websites opposed to Iran and Shi’a Muslims. 2. Reza Hossein Borr, “The Armed Struggle in the Eastern Parts of Iran Entered a New Phase When the First Suicide Mission Was Carried Out in a Military Base in Sarawan, Baluchistan, on 29 December 08,” January 1, 2009, http://www.thebaluch. com/010109_ report.php. 3. See “An Overview of the Baloch Students Organization,” http://www.balochistaninfo .com/magazine% 20of%20balochist aninfo/BSO2. htm.  4. Reza Hossein Borr, op cit.5. Quoted in Sons of Sunnah Iran, “Iranian Sunni Group Wants to Enter Political Life,” October 24, 2008, sunnairan.wordpress .com/2008/ 10/24/iran- sunni-group- jundollah- wants-to- enter-political- life/.Posted by Iranian Minorities Human Right Organisation at 23:20 0 comments Fars News Agency: Iran Denies Holding Former FBI Agent







TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Judiciary Spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi here Tuesday rejected claims by a US senator that former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who disappeared almost 2 years ago, is in Iranian jails.

Responding to the recent remarks by a US Senator about Levinson's fate, Jamshidi told reporters, "We do not have anyone with this name in our jails or in judicial centers." Levinson's family claim that the former FBI agent had traveled to the Iranian island of Kish in March 2007 to investigate cigarette counterfeiting in the region, but Iranian officials stress that his entry into the Persian Gulf island has never been traced.

Florida Senator Bill Nelson told Newsweek this month that he believed Levinson was alive and that "he's being held by the Iranians."

Elsewhere during the Tuesday press conference, Jamshidi told reporters that Tehran has issued arrest warrants for 7 Bahais on charges of espionage for other countries. "As has been announced repeatedly, action is taken against those Bahais who embark on criminal actions," he said, adding, "And these seven individuals are prosecuted on charges of spying for the aliens." The spokesman said the judiciary would release their lawsuits next week. Posted by Iranian Minorities Human Right Organisation at 00:01 0 comments
Thursday, 19 February 2009
Reuters: Iran mosque blast causes no casualties






TEHRAN (Reuters) - A sound bomb exploded in a city mosque in a volatile area of eastern Iran near Pakistan on Wednesday, causing minor damage but no casualties, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported.
The blast in Al-Ghadir mosque in the city of Zahedan came less than a week after Iranian state media said four members of the security forces had been killed in a booby-trap attack set by rebels in the same region.
"The aim of this bombing was to create fear," Fars quoted a local police official, Salah Asgarpour, as saying.He said the device had been placed in the mosque's kitchen area and caused no major damage.
Zahedan is capital of Sistan-Baluchestan province, where Iranian security forces often clash with heavily armed drugs smugglers and bandits. The province is home to Shi'ite-dominated Iran's mostly Sunni ethnic Baluchis.
In December, Iran said the Sunni rebel group Jundollah (God's Soldiers) had killed 16 police hostages who were abducted from a checkpoint in Sistan-Baluchestan in June.

Tehran has said Jundollah is part of the Sunni Islamist al Qaeda network and has also accused the United States and Britain, the Islamic Republic's two Western arch foes, of backing the group.

Last April, a blast in a mosque in the southern city of Shiraz killed 14 people and wounded 200. Iran's Intelligence Ministry said U.S. agents had trained and armed those behind the blast.

(Reporting by Parisa Hafezi; Writing by Fredrik Dahl; Editing by Alison Williams)Posted by Iranian Minorities Human Right Organisation at 23:57 0 comments VOA: Iranian Women Wait for Freedom, 30 Years After Islamic Revolution








By Mandy Clark Dubai

Iran's Islamic revolution was all about bringing change - toppling a repressive monarchy, rolling back western influence and, many hoped, ushering in a freer and better life for its citizens. While change certainly came, it had different consequences from what many had hoped. Now, 30 years later, many Iranian women abroad and at home are calling for more equality and personal freedom.

Siba ShakibWalking along a Dubai beach, Siba Shakib gazes across the Gulf to nearby Iran. She grew up in Tehran, but left shortly after the 1979 revolution. She has done well. She is a best-selling author and has homes in Italy, New York and Dubai. She has returned to Iran only a few times since, but would like to go back.
"I hope I will be able one day to live and work in Iran, like I live anywhere else now," she said.

She has written a lot about Afghanistan, focusing on the strength of women in difficult times. As for Iran, she says the Islamic revolution has been both good and bad for women.

"In a way we have become more suppressed, but we were never free. The past 30 years in Iran has not only taught men and boys, but especially girls and women, to fight even more - and a lot of women and girls who otherwise would not have education do have education now, they do work, they do have responsibility, they do have an opinion," she said.

The Islamic revolution forced Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi out of office and swept into power religious cleric Ayatollah Khomeini. But after he took power, draconian laws were put into place that took away many women's rights.
Shirin EbadiHuman rights activist Shirin Ebadi was a judge under the Shah. Like many professionals and intellectuals, she initially supported the revolution. She was soon forced out of her job, but did not give up her fight for democracy and human rights - often amid death threats. In 2003, she won the Nobel Peace Prize for her work.

Speaking to VOA in London, she said the revolution's promises of individual and social freedom have not been realized.

"I never saw the freedom that I wanted being realized," she said. "That is why I became a defender of human rights and I am fighting so that we actually gain that freedom."

Ebadi stayed in Iran, but between two million and three million other Iranians left during and after the revolution. Many settled in the United States, Europe and in Dubai.

Fariba ShivaFariba Shiva is a beautician in Dubai. She left Iran when she was eight but returned last year to visit her sister in Tehran. She believes many Iranian women want a change in their status.

"They are looking for equality, they are looking for respect, they are looking for equal opportunity. They are very well educated, most of them, and they are trying to open a space for themselves in society," she said. But author Shakib says change should not mean imposing western culture on Iranian women.

"My hope for Iran is that if 80 percent of Iran's population, of which the half should be women and girls, proudly and freely could raise their voice and say, 'The way my life is taking place now is good', that is my hope for Iran and for the world," she said.

Like Siba Shakib - many Iranian women, at home and abroad, say it is time the revolution finally delivers on its promises. Posted by Iranian Minorities Human Right Organisation at 23:53 0 comments RFE/RL: Relatives Say Ethnic Azeri Activist Held Without Charge In Iran






The family of ethnic Azeri activist Abdullah Abbasi Javan says he has been held incommunicado in Tehran's Evin prison for more than two months without being charged.
Abassi Javan, an architect and university lecturer, was arrested along with nine others in the Iranian city of Rey on November 14 while celebrating the anniversary of an Azerbaijani national hero. The others detainees were later released.
Abassi Javan's brother, Yadulla Abbasi Javan, told RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service that officials will not allow him to see his brother in prison. He says his brother was badly beaten and tortured during his last arrest in 2007, and fears he is undergoing the same abuse this time. When he was arrested in 2007, Abdullah Abbasi Javan was charged with promoting "pan-Turkism" and spreading propaganda against the regime.Posted by Iranian Minorities Human Right Organisation at 23:48 0 comments AFP: Britain 'very concerned' over Iranian Bahai charges





LONDON (AFP) — Britain expressed concern Monday over charges laid against seven members of the banned Bahai religion in Iran, accusing Tehran of targeting religious minorities.

The charges, which include "espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities and propaganda against the Islamic republic", were brought last week.
Junior foreign minister Bill Rammell said he was "very concerned" over the charges, which he noted could attract the death penalty.

"The Iranian government appears to be increasingly using vaguely worded charges of this nature to target human rights defenders and religious minorities," Rammell said in a statement.

"It is hard not to conclude that these people are being held solely on account of their religious beliefs or their peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression and association. "

The group had been forced to wait eight months before being notified of the charges against them, he said: they did not have access to their lawyers, and their lawyers had not been given access to their case files.

"We have also received disturbing reports of systematic discrimination against and harassment of Bahais on the grounds of their religion," he said.
"Iran should also uphold fully the right to adopt and practise a religion of choice, and end discrimination against the Bahai community," said Rammell.

He called on Tehran to ensure that any trial was fair and transparent, adding.
Followers of the Bahai faith, founded in Iran in 1863, are regarded as infidels and have suffered persecution both before and after the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Bahai teachings emphasise the underlying unity of major religions, with history having produced a succession of divine messengers, each of which founded a religion suitable for the times.

Bahais consider Bahaullah, born in 1817, to be the last prophet sent by God. This is in direct conflict with Islam, the religion of the vast majority of Iranians, which considers Mohammed to be the last prophet. Posted by Iranian Minorities Human Right Organisation at 23:39 0 comments The Independent: Asylum for lesbian on the run from Iran







A lesbian who fled Iran after her girlfriend was arrested and sentenced to death in Tehran has won her battle to be granted asylum in Britain.
Supporters of Pegah Emambakhsh, 41, who claimed she would be executed if she was deported back to her homeland, welcomed the Government's change of heart last night after their hard-fought, four-year campaign.
Ms Emambakhsh came to the UK in 2005 fearing for her life, but last year she lost a court battle to stay in this country. Following a high-profile campaign involving gay rights groups, MPs and The Independent, the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, agreed to reconsider her case.
Yesterday, Lesley Boulton, of the Friends of Pegah campaign group, said: "We have just heard that Pegah has finally been granted refugee status in the UK. This is fantastic, wonderful news and a great reward for all the hard work put in to ensure she was not sent back to Iran – so thank you, thank you, thank you. This has been a long struggle but it is a real vindication of what can be achieved when we all work together."
The case is the second victory by a gay Iranian seeking sanctuary in the UK. In May last year, Mehdi Kazemi, a 20-year-old student, was granted asylum after his supporters said he also faced the death penalty if sent home. Mr Kazemi came to London to study in 2005 but in April 2006 discovered that his partner had been arrested in Iran and had named Mr Kazemi as his boyfriend before being executed.

Asylum rights groups have been pressing the British Government to introduce a moratorium on returning gay and lesbian refugees to Iran, where homosexuality is still considered a crime. But the Home Office made clear last night that it was not prepared to grant a blanket exemption in such cases. A spokesman for the UK Border Agency said: "We consider each case on its individual merits and, whenever someone needs our protection, we grant it. We constantly monitor the human rights situation in countries like Iran and press for an end to abuses, but we do not believe that everyone claiming to be a homosexual from Iran is in need of international protection."

Under Iran's strict Islamic laws, lesbians found guilty of sexual relations can be sentenced to 100 lashes, but for a third offence the punishment is execution. Ms Emambakhsh came to the UK after her partner was arrested and sentenced to death by stoning. Speaking through her asylum representative in Sheffield, Ms Emambakhsh said at the time: "I will never, never go back. If I do, I know I will die."

She narrowly avoided deportation in August 2007 when her constituency MP, Richard Caborn, and other parliamentarians persuaded the Government to allow her to stay while further legal avenues of appeal were explored. Ms Emambakhsh was already on her way to Heathrow when she learnt of her last-minute reprieve. But last year the Court of Appeal turned down her request for a full hearing. Ms Emambakhsh said she was "very disappointed" by the ruling but planned to apply for a judicial review at the High Court.

Emma Ginn, of the asylum campaign group Medical Justice, said last night: "Pegah being granted refugee status begs the question of why she was ever detained in the first place. She is not an isolated case; 40 per cent of those detained were later released into the community, which suggests that immigration detention is often inappropriate and unnecessary. "

Medical Justice claimed that despite a 72 per cent fall in asylum claims between 2002 and 2007, there had been 106 per cent increase in the number of people detained. "The average estimated cost of immigration detention, including overheads, for one week is £1,230 per person. But of course, it is detainees like Pegah who pay the highest price in terms of human misery and worsening health," it said. Posted by Iranian Minorities Human Right Organisation at 12:57 0 comments
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
Radio Netherlands Worldwide: Iranian-born activist sentenced to 30 years





Wednesday 18 February 2009 08:12 UTC
The son of human rights activist Abdullah al-Mansouri has announced his father has been sentenced to 30 years in Iran. Mr al-Mansouri, who was born in Iran, fled to the Netherlands in 1998 and has been an active member of Amnesty International ever since. He was arrested while travelling to Syria and extradited to Iran, where he was charged with terrorism for supporting the Arab minority in Ahvaz. Ahvaz is an oil-rich region near the Persian Gulf which seeks autonomy. Since his arrest, the Dutch government has repeatedly called on Iran to ensure that Mr al-Mansouri receives a fair and open trial.Posted by Iranian Minorities Human Right Organisation at 13:19 0 comments Older Posts Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)



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IMHRO started in January 2008. We are a NGO and are independent from governments and political parties. We campaign for the human rights of Ethnic, Religious, Gender and Sexual Minorities in Iran.
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"Only when the last prisoner of conscience has been freed, when the last torture chamber has been closed, when the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a reality for the world's people, will our work be done." Peter Benenson
Blog Archive
▼ 2009 (60)
▼ February (37)
VOA: Iran's Religious Persecution The Bulletin of Christian Worldwide Persecution Expatica.com: Dutch-Iranian rights activist impris... Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the Eur... Iranian Authorities Destroy Sufi Holy Site In Isfa... IMHRO condemning trial of 7 Bahá’í leaders in Iran... UNESCO: 21 February : International Mother Languag... Balochis intensify rebellion in Iran Fars News Agency: Iran Denies Holding Former FBI A... Reuters: Iran mosque blast causes no casualties VOA: Iranian Women Wait for Freedom, 30 Years Afte... RFE/RL: Relatives Say Ethnic Azeri Activist Held W... AFP: Britain 'very concerned' over Iranian Bahai c... The Independent: Asylum for lesbian on the run fro... Radio Netherlands Worldwide: Iranian-born activist... IMHRO: 30 Years on from the Revolution, Minorities.. . VOA: US Condemns Religious Persecution in Iran amnesty: The seven people named above, all members... VOA: Azeri-Iranians Under Pressure IMHRO condemns pressure on British Council by Tehr... amnesty: Iran: Worsening Repression of Dissent as ... HAARETZ: Iran charges 7 members of Baha'i faith wi... Aljazeera: Iranian Arabs seek equal rights IMHRO condemning arrest of Sufi’s in Kish Island REUTERS: U.S. brands anti-Iran Kurdish group terro... BBC: British Council statement on Iran amnesty: Iran: Human Rights in the spotlight on th... Reprters Without Boders: Iran Annual Report 2008 BBC: UK culture body halts Iran work British film director Ken Loach: I am writing to s... amnesty: Iran: Fears for man and woman facing ston... SMH: Iranian faces 'eye-for-eye' punishment CNN: Senator says Iran may want to swap for missin... Pakistan Christian Post: 26 security officers were... Christian Today: Iran More Hostile to Christians AFP: Iran arrests women's rights campaigner: repor... IMHRO condemns Channel 4 for giving a platform to ...► January (23)
AFP: Six Bahais, Christian arrested in Iran: judic... IMHRO: Iran is responsible for missing American ci... AP: Iran: Men vs. women soccer game draws punishme... VOA: U.S. Condemns Stoning In Iran MNN: Iran more hostile to Christians Compass Direct News: IRAN: THREE CHRISTIANS ARREST... OMCT: Five members of the Baha'is community detain... IMHRO condemns the execution of a Baha’i man HRW: Mohammad Sadegh Kaboudvand Awarded Hellman/Ha.. . amnesty: Iran: Preserve the Khavaran grave site fo... IMHRO Letter to President Obama VOA: Persecution Of Kurdish Iranians Human Right Watch World Report 2009► 2008 (114)
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American citizen Bob Levinson went missing on March 2007 in Kish Island and Iranian government denying he is arrested or having any information about him. Appeal Section
For more details please see the archive

7 Bahá’í leader, the religious minority, arrested by security forces in Iran. Iranian government accused them of working for Israel
Iranian revolutionary court, branch 15 in Tehran has sentenced Mr. Mohammad Sadigh Kabodwand, founder of the Kurdish Human Rights Centre to 11 years in prison
Hiwa Butimar, a Kurdish Journalist and Environmental activist, for second times, sentenced to death
Mohammad Hassan Falahieh, an Ahwazi Arab Journalist and Broadcaster is in prison for reporting bad Living conditions of Ahwazi Arabs
Farzad Kamngar a Kurdish teacher and environmental campaigner sentenced to death
28-year-old Tina Rad, who converted to Christianity from Islam had tortured by Security police
Iranian government sentenced Yusef Azizi Bani Turfi, a prominent Ahwazi Arab writer and author of several books, to five years in prison after he criticised the government’s heavy handling of peaceful demonstration in Arabic area of al Ahwaz in April 2005.
police and special elite Revolutionary Guard forces stormed the Muslim Sufi lodge, Some 80 people were injured
Poverty in Baluchistan: Iranian government deliberately not investing in Baluchistan as they are mainly Sunni
Sunni mosque Bulldozered by Iranian government in Baluchistan
An Iranian Christian couple,Abbas Amiri and Sakineh Rahnama, in their 60s died last week from injuries sustained when secret police raided a house church service hosted at their house and severely beat them
Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni, 14 and 16 years old Gay Executed in Iran Amnesty International
Pakistan fails to come clean on secret detentions Time for justice for Guatemala's war victims Nigerian states urged not to execute Political prisoners set free in Myanmar Thousands of Colombian civilians punished for refusing to take part in conflict
Yaghub Mehrnahad, a Baluchi human Right Activist, after a secret trial, executed in August 2008
Farhad Mohseni Negarestan, 25 year old Turk, had killed under torture while he was interrogated by Iranian intelligence service
Kaveh Aziz Poor, a Kurdish man who was from a village near Mahabad city, lost consciousness under torture and after 20 days died in hospital in the city of Uromiyeh
Zamel Bavi 29 year old, an Ahwazi Arab, executed after a year in solitary confinement and torture Iran's Minorities
List of major Religious, Ethnic and LGBT Minorities in Iran

Baloch
Turk
Assyrians
Kurd
Turkmen
Arab
Talysh
LGBT Community
Sunni
Jewish
Sufism
Christian
Bahá’í
Mandaeanism Related Link
Organization for the Defence of Human Rights in Turkmensahra Savalan Sesi Balochistan Human Rights Watch (BHRW) Organization for the Defence of Human Rights in Turkmensahra Human Right Organisation of Kurdistan ASMEK Association for Defense of Azerbaijani Political Prisoners in Iran
Turkish man injured during demonstration in Tabriz city America.gov Human Rights
Serious Human Rights Abuses Continue in Belarus, Report Says Serious Rights Abuses Continue in Central Asian Republics Russia’s Human Rights Follow Negative Trajectory Human Rights Report Sees Worldwide Demand for Greater Freedom Zimbabwe’s Political Crisis Tied to Rights Abuses in 2008
Turkmen elderly Abdul Halim Gook shot by Iranian security VOA News: حقوق بشر
جامعه بین المللی بهایی اتهام ها به هفت تن از اعضا خود در ایران را رد کرد هواپیماهای اسراییلی یک هدف را در غزه بمباران کردند وزارت امور خارجه آمريکا محاکمه هفت تن از اعضاء جامعه بهائی در ايران را محکوم کرد بريتانيا نسبت به سرنوشت هفت عضو اقليت مذهبی بهائی در ايران ابراز نگرانی کرد اظهارات سخنگوی قوه قضاییه در مورد پرونده های مطرح تعدادی از زندانیان
Ali Afrawi 17 years old Ahwazi Arab, Hanged in Public Human Right Watch
Morocco: Rights Activist Detained Syria: Dissolve the State Security Court Far From Justice Far from Justice The forgotten Damascus Spring
Shivan Qaderi, who with two other men were shot by Iranian security forces the security forces, then They tied Qaderi's body to a Toyata jeep and dragged it through the streets Human Rights Iran - Google News
Human Rights No Laughing Matter Say Comics - Sky News US slams China's 'worsening' human rights record - ABC Online US Rights Report Cites Abuses in China, Russia, Iran - 조선일보(영문판) US criticism of China's human rights condition groundless - China Daily Human rights plea to Iran - TeleText
Mr Ebrahim Lotf Alahi, Kurdish Student killed in Detention IFEX Middle East and North Africa
Syria - Human Rights Watch says Supreme State Security Court should be abolished, report documents prosecution of defendants on vague charges that criminalise freedom of expression Tunisia - Human rights activists Mohammed Abbou, Abdel Wihab Miatir and Radia Nasrawy briefly detained, prevented from attending human rights symposium Bahrain - ARTICLE 19 concerned about upcoming trial of activists Hasan Mushaima, Mohamed Habib Al-Muqdad and Abdul-Jalil Alsingace Egypt - Dissident Ayman Nour released following concerns over his health Palestine - Detained cameraman Isam Al Remawi released after two weeks in jail
A Baluch man Hanged, officer taking photo Human Rights First
Demand Release of Detained Colombian Activists, Victims of Baseless Prosecutions Thai Army Must End Harassment of Human Rights Defenders Urge Iranian Authorities to Release Women Human Rights Defenders Demand that Killers of Human Rights Defenders in Russia be Brought to Justice Demand Review of Charges against Guatemalan LGBT Activist
Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring—when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others
An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind
Only when the last prisoner of conscience has been freed, when the last torture chamber has been closed, when the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a reality for the world's people, will our work be done Links
OHCHR amnesty international FIDH Minority Rights Group International Huamn Right watch IFEX Foreign & Commonwealth Office Human Right US State Department Human Right World Organisation Against Torture The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO)