Today, Hamid Gharagozloo the U.S.A. representative of the International Organisation to Preserve Human Rights (IOPHR) presented updates at the weekly USCIRF roundtable. Firstly, he talked about the four Sunni prisoners whose death sentence was upheld by the regime’s highest court and they have been transferred to another facility for carrying out their sentences.
He also added that a few days ago, three Sunni men were arrested for their religious activities and accused of the usual charge of “Activities against The State”, and are now serving time in a facility for political prisoners.
Manouchehr Bakhtiari, Pouya Bakhtiari’s father was arrested on July 13, 2020 and no one has seen or heard from him since. Pouya Bakhtiari is the young protester who was murdered by Ghasem Soleymani’s sharpshooters during the November 2019 protests.
Amir Hossein Moradi is another young protester who was arrested and sentenced to death for participating in the November 2019 protests. His father committed suicide yesterday due to the constant and intense pressure and threats against him and his family. After his suicide, the security apparatus has intensified its pressure on the family even more to ensure their silence.
Nargess Mohammadi’s father has written a heart wrenching open letter to the authorities regarding the inhumane and unjust treatment of his daughter in prison, asking them to end their vicious abuses.
A Gonabadi Sufi was committed to an asylum for the mentally insane as punishment for his protests in prison. A Sunni prisoner whose original sentence was changed to a “death sentence” after serving several years of his original sentence, has been told again that he is on the cusp of being executed. This constant emotional and psychological war against him and his family has been going on for a year now and continues daily.