Sentencing of Mr. Reza Khandan

Sentencing/

Judicialharassment

Iran
January 28, 2019

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a jointpartnership of FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), hasreceived new information and requests your urgent intervention in the followingsituation in Iran.

New information:

The Observatory has been informed by the League for the Defence of HumanRights in Iran (LDDHI) about the sentencing of Mr. Reza Khandan, a human rights defender known for having raisedconcerns on Facebook about human rights violations in Iran, including theimprisonment of human rights defenders and the prosecution of women who havecampaigned against the imposition of the hijab. Mr. Khandan also campaigned forthe release of his wife, Ms. NasrinSotoudeh, one of Iran’s most prominent human rights lawyers, who wasarrested on June 13, 2018[1].

According to the information received, on January 22,2019, Mr. Khandan’s lawyer was notified that Branch 15 of the IslamicRevolution Court in Tehran sentenced his client to six years of imprisonment - five years for “gathering andcollusion with intent to commit crimes against national security” (Article 610of the Islamic Penal Code) and one year for “spreading propaganda against thesystem” (Article 500 of the Islamic Penal Code). He was also banned from“membership in social and political groups and parties, undertaking activitiesin cyberspace, the media and the press” and from travelling abroad for twoyears. Mr. Khandan will appeal the court’s decision and will remain freepending the appeal.

The Observatory recalls that Mr. Khandan was arrested onSeptember 4, 2018, and released on bail on December 23, 2018 (see backgroundinformation). The Observatory also recalls that several other humanrights defenders remain in arbitrary detention.

The Observatory condemns thesentencing of Mr. Reza Khandan, which seems to be only aimed at punishing himfor his legitimate human rights activities. The Observatory calls on Iranianauthorities to end all acts of harassment, including at the judicial level,against Mr. Reza Khandan and all human rights defenders in the country.

Background information:

On September 4, 2018, Mr. Reza Khandan wasarrested by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence at his home in Tehran andsubsequently taken to Branch 7 of the Prosecutor’s Office in the capital’s Evinprison. He was detained on charges of “gathering and colluding against nationalsecurity”, “spreading propaganda against the system”, and “propagating andpromoting disregard for hijab in the society”. The Prosecutor’s Office orderedhim to deposit bail to the amount of 7,000 million Iranian rials (approximately55,000 Euros). Mr. Reza Khandan refused to pay the bail, arguing that hehad not committed any offences, and remained detained in Evin prison.

On December23, 2018, Mr. Reza Khandan was provisionally released on a ‘personal guarantee’[2]. This followed a court hearing that was attended byMr. Reza Khandan on December 19, 2018, at Branch 15 of the Islamic RevolutionCourt in Tehran. During the hearing, the Court agreed to change Mr. Khandan’sfinancial bail to a personal guarantee.

Actions requested:

Please write to the authorities of Iran asking them to:

i.Guarantee in all circumstances the physical integrity and psychologicalwell-being of Mr. RezaKhandan and all human rights defenders in Iran;

ii. Putan end to all acts of harassment, including at the judicial level, against Mr.Reza Khandan and all human rights defenders in the country;

iii.Comply with all the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on HumanRights Defenders adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9, 1998, inparticular its Articles 1, 6, 9, 11 and 12;

iv. Ensurein all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms inaccordance with international human rights standards and internationalinstruments ratified by Iran.

Addresses:

• Leader of the Islamic Republic, H.E. Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei, Fax: + 9821 441 2030, Email: info_leader@leader.ir; Twitter: @khamenei_ir
• President Hassan Rouhani, Islamic Republic of Iran, Fax: + 98 21 644 54811;Email: media@rouhani.ir; Twitter: @HassanRouhani (English) and @Rouhani_ir(Persian).
• Head of the Judiciary, H.E. Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, Islamic Republic ofIran, Fax: +98 21 879 6671 / +98 21 3 311 6567, Email: info@dadiran.ir /info@dadgostary-tehran.ir / info@bia-judiciary.ir
• Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Islamic Republic of Iran,Fax: +98-21-66743149; matbuat@mfa.gov.ir
• Secretary General, High Council for Human Rights, Mr. Mohammed JavadLarijani, Islamic Republic of Iran. Email: info@humanrights-iran.ir
• H.E. Mr. Javad Amin-Mansour, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of theIslamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Fax: +4122 7330203, Email: mission.iran@ties.itu.int
• H.E. Mr. Peiman Seadat, Ambassador, Embassy of Iran in Brussels,Belgium, Fax: + 32 2 762 39 15. Email: secreteriat@iranembassy.be

Pleasealso write to the diplomatic representations of Iran in your respectivecountries.

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Paris-Geneva, January 28, 2019

Kindly inform us of any action undertakenquoting the code of this appeal in your reply.

The Observatory for theProtection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 byFIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). The objective of thisprogramme is to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rightsdefenders. FIDH and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented byinternational civil society.

[1] See Observatory UrgentAppeal IRN001 / 0618 / OBS 085, published on June 15, 2018.

[2] This is a type of bailunder which a person guarantees to bring the defendant to the court, whenasked.