Mehran Raouf

Mehran Raouf is a labor activist who holds dual Iranian-British citizenship. He was arrested on the charge of being a “member of communist groups”. Mr. Raouf was accused of “belonging to a communist group” during the initial stages of the investigation.

• <coverage-outsourcing id='34357'> <reference source='https://prisonatlas.com/?p=6920&preview=true'> He was arrested at his home by IRGC forces. He was initially taken to Evin Prosecutor's Office and then to Ward 2-A of Evin Prison. The agents confiscated some of his personal belongings during the arrest. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='34358'> <reference source='https://prisonatlas.com/?p=6920&preview=true'> In a phone call to a friend, he said he had been accused of membership in a communist group during interrogations. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='34359'> <reference source='https://prisonatlas.com/?p=6920&preview=true'> According to Atlas sources, Mehran Raouf is still imprisoned in the solitary cell of Ward 2-A of the IRGC and is denied access to a lawyer. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='36458'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2021/hranews/a-29654/'> HRANA reported that Mehran Raouf suffered physical problems due to long-term interrogations and six months of solitary confinement. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='35935'> <reference source='https://bit.ly/3f0KtxF'> According to the Free Union of Iranian Workers, Mehran Raouf went on a hunger strike for several days in early April to protest the uncertainty of his situation. Considering that Mr. Raouf is more than 65 years old, there are serious concerns about his health. According to this report, so far, more than 90 trade unions and labor unions worldwide, including in Argentina, France, and England, and 12 human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, and dozens of Iranian organizations and groups inside and outside the country, have protested his arrest and demanded his freedom. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='35663'> According to an IPA source, the first trial session of the six defendants in the case was held at the 26th branch of the revolutionary court of Tehran. Since the attornies did not have access to the cases of their clients, the trial was postponed to another day. In this session, Nahid Taghavi, Somayeh Kargar, Bahareh Soleimani, Nazanin Mohammadnejad, Mehran Raouf, and Elham Samimi were arraigned. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='36403'> According to IPA sources, the trial session of Nahid Taghavi, Somayeh Kargar, Bahareh Soleimani, Nazanin Mohammadnejad, Mehran Raouf, and Elham Samimi was held. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='36457'> <reference source='https://twitter.com/MostafaNili58/status/1422814248015646720?s=20'> Mostafa Nili tweeted that the 26th branch of the revolutionary court has sentenced Nahid Taghavi and Mehran Raouf to 10 years in prison for administering an illegal group and eight months in prison for propaganda against the state. Somayeh Kargar and Bahareh Soleimani were also sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for the same charges. Nazanin Mohammadnejad was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for administering an illegal group and eight months in prison for propaganda against the state (Article 134: 10 years for Nahid Taghavi and Mehran Raouf, six years for Somayeh Kargar and Bahareh Soleimani, and 2 years and eight months for Nazanin Mohammadnejad). </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='48794'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2023/hranews/a-40004/'> According to HRANA, his sentence was reduced to seven years and six months in prison </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='48793'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2023/hranews/a-40004/'> Currently, he is being held in Ward 8 of Evin Prison. HRANA reported that Mr. Raouf has been in prison for 27 months without any visitation or furlough. According to this report Mohammad Hamidirad, the judicial liaison of Evin prison, has informed Mr. Raouf that he is not eligible for the recent amnesty as one-third of his sentence term has not yet passed. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='50521'> <reference source='https://www.radiozamaneh.com/760511/'> Mehran Raouf wrote a letter that was published on Radio Zamaneh. In the letter, Mr. Raouf discussed the violation of the rights of dual-citizenship prisoners. He mentioned that he was informed that certain dual-citizenship prisoners are not included in the announced general amnesty. He further explained his own conditions during his solitary confinement and temporary detention and described the violation of the law by the correctional officers. According to Mr. Raouf, the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC Intelligence) kept him for eight months without leave during which he was deprived of seeing a lawyer. He also stated that his family and relatives had been kept in the dark for several months and he was not allowed any phone calls during this time. Regarding the conditions of dual-citizenship prisoners, he wrote: > As in the case of Siamak Namazi, Emad Sharqi, Morad Tahbaz, and Sam Rajabi who have been imprisoned in Ward 4 of Evin Prison, the government either attempts to get large sums of money for the exchange of dual-citizens, or tries to exchange them with Iranian criminals imprisoned in European and American prisons. This by itself is a form of forced exile." Mr. Rauf also added that on April 14, 2023, one-third of his imprisonment time will end and according to the laws, there is a possibility of his conditional release. He explained that he was accused of being a supporter of the Communist Party of Iran (M.L.M.) due to his involvement in the translation and publication of several works by Bob Avakian. Regarding his citizenship, Mehran Raouf wrote: I applied for permanent citizenship because I was a student in England and had a permanent residence permit. But my home, residence and work have been in Iran, and I have no intention to emigrate and live in England or any country. I think discriminating against dual citizens is a violation of United Nations’ resolutions and a tool for the Iranian government to exploit its citizens.” </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='53383'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2023/hranews/a-42596/'> Mehran Raouf's request for parole was denied. While publishing this news, HRANA wrote that despite the passing of more than a third of Mehran Raouf's sentence, his request for parole was rejected. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='53946'> <reference source='https://www.instagram.com/p/CwGMYigxQjk/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link'> Anisha Asdollahi, Mehran Raouf, Reza Shahabi, and Keyvan Mohtadi published a joint statement on the occasion of the coup anniversary of August 19, 1953, from Evin prison. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='55957'> <reference source='https://t.me/EdaalateAli1400/586'> Edalat Ali hacking group hacked the management system of the Judiciary. In this cyber attack, Edalat Ali obtained more than three million judicial files, including confidential letters and documents, and published them on a website called "Edalat Iran" affiliated with the same hacker group. Among the published documents, Mehran Raouf has been accused of founding the "New Communist Party of Iran" in a document that was issued with a very confidential label and signed by Nasiripour, deputy prosecutor and head of Tehran's 33rd Prosecutor's Office (Shahid Moghaddas). In this document, it is stated that Mr. Raouf, along with 12 other defendants whose names have not been given, "have attempted to follow the example of China's Communist and Social Democratic model to establish a party." According to this document, the case of these 11 people along with Mr. Raouf was sent to the Revolutionary Court on May 8, 2021, by issuing an indictment, and after issuing the verdict, it was sent to the sentence enforcement office. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='56353'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2024/hranews/a-47222/'> HRANA wrote that Mehran Raouf was deprived of the possibility of taking leave during the four years of his sentence. According to this report, despite the fact that Mr. Raouf has served more than a third of his sentence, his parole request is still opposed. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>