Mohammad Reza Nekounam

Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Nekounam is a Shia Cleric. Despite his old age and illness, he has been arrested several times and sentenced to prison for his views. Many of his supporters believe he was arrested due to his criticism of Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi. He was arrested before the revolution as well

<coverage-outsourcing id='7534'> After publishing his book titled "Unchangeability and Absolute Authority of Quran", his publishing and his institution's permit were revoked </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='5084'> He was arrested by security forces in his residence. This prior instructor of the Qom Seminary had criticized the comments made by Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi against high speed internet </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8060'> According to a report from Harana, on August 2016 he had a brain aneurism in solitary confinement of Special Clerical Detention center </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='5085'> He was released from prison due to his severe medical condition </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='5086'> He was arrested again, after an interview with the Ghanoon Newspaper </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='5087'> He was transferred to Evin Prison's Special Clerical Ward. </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='5206'> According to some reports the special clerical court, initially, condemned Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Nekounam to two years incarceration. But, two years later, the special clerical prosecutor announced in a press release that Mr. Nekounam was condemned, in a second hearing, to five year prison, lashes of the whip, and defrocking of the clerical garb--claims that were later denied by some news sources </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7214'> While referring to Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Nekounam as "M.N", Fars News Agency quoted Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the chief of Special Clerical Court as saying: > In this case, Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi has not a plaintiff and has not brought up even a complaint, but unfortunately the foreign media brings up these issues... this person had a conviction and this arrest was in regards to that verdict... his charges are on a variety of issues </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='5207'> He was banned from being sent to hospital to receive treatment and visitation with his family due to his refusing to wear his prison uniform.. </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='5208'> His sentence was upheld by Appeals Court. </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='5651'> The Kalameh website reported that his sentence had been increased to five years in prison. </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='5088'> He was transferred from the Special Clerical Ward in Tehran to Qom Prison. </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='5092'> His son and two of his disciples were arrested. </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='5558'> It was reported that he was released from prison. </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='5652'> The HRANA website reported that the defendant continues to remain incarcerated in Qom Prison. </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='5748'> It was reported that security forces broke into his private library in Qom with a warrant from the Special Clerical Court. These forces confiscated all of the books despite the fact that they were permitted by the Ministry of Culture & Islamic Guidance and transferred them to an unknown location using tens of vehicles. </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6842'> It was reported that despite the fact that the defendant suffered a stroke while in solitary confinement, he is still not being allowed to receive medical treatment </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='6888'> According to Harana, he has exited the prison. It is not clear whether he is indeed released from prison, or just on temporary leave </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7578'> Ina strongly worded letter addressed to the chairman of the Human Rights Office of the Judiciary, 128 teachers and students of Qom Seminary complained about Ayatollah Nekounam's conditions and heavily criticized the office for becoming pointless </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7345'> According to Saham, in the farewell seminary event for "Seyed Hashem Hosseini Bushehri", a group of teachers, clerics, and students of Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Nekounam, protested against the framing of their professor by the "mafia" of the seminaries and Special Clerical Court. In response to their protest, Mr. Hosseini Busheri said that Mr. Nekounam shouldn't claim that the current marja's are not mujtahids and "he should not bother Qom Seminary, and if he wants to make changes in seminaries, he should go to Najaf and start there" </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7213'> He was arrested at his home and transferred to Qom coastal prison. According to Harana, a source close to this cleric has reported that he was released on this condition that he would back down from his positions. But after his stance on his position and sending letters to Larijani brothers (Heads of Judiciary and Legislative), he was returned to prison </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7535'> According to Kalame, in a complaint letter addressed to the nation, and regarding the overlooking of Ayatollah Nekounam's lawsuit against Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi by the authorities, allmost150 teachers and students of seminaries warned the Judiciary about the "financial corruption and as of late, ideological corruption of Mr. Makarem Shirazi" </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7280'> Harana reported that his blood sugar has increased in prison, and despite his terrible health conditions, the prison authorities refuse to transfer him to the medical center </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8049'> His short essay titled "The necessity of resignation of the Religious Leader in a Lustful Society" was published </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7682'> According to Harana, despite his high blood pressure and the doctor's order for his transfer to a treatment center outside the prison, the prison authorities still refuse to transfer him </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='7868'> According to Harana, he was transferred to a hospital </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8059'> According to Harana, against the doctors' advice, he was transferred back to prison from the hospital by the order of Special Clerical Court </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8130'> According to "Iran Human Rights Tarnegar", he was temporarily released due to deterioration of his health. He was allowed to go home for a few days </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8276'> He was returned to Qom coastal prison. According to Saham, the Special Clerical Court has announced the following "five conditions" for Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Nekounam: 1- Not criticizing the regime; 2- Not criticizing the Marja's close to the regime; 3- Not criticizing the management of the seminaries; 4- Not publishing religious and scientific books 5- Not opening a new Sharia office </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9200'> A source close to him told Harana that he is being denied access to medicine, and continued: > This restriction is on purpose and green lit by the Special Clerical Court. They have certain demands from Mr. Nekounam including his silence, which he has refused to accept. They do not even allow this cleric to write in prison </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8370'> According to Saham, he was transferred to his home due to the deterioration of his health </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8708'> In a letter addressing the government officials, 310 of his students and clerics and teachers in Qom Seminary asked them to refer to his jurisprudence opinions. The letter emphasizes that prison and illness and no public outlet has prevented him from "crying out the remedy to society's material and spiritual ailments" </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8707'> According to Saham he was transferred to Qom's coastal prison. A few days later it was reported that his blood pressure has reached 22 and his blood sugar 350, and according to physicians, he might have another brain aneurism in prison at any time </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9320'> Kalame reported that he was transferred to his home again after his health deteriorated </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9369'> Saham reported that he was transferred to prison again </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9641'> He submitted his complaint suit to the prosecutor of Special Clerical Court, in which he provided a detailed recount of all the violations he witnessed until then. Among these violations, Mr. Nekounam mentions: during the arrest which was made without notice, the security forces have damaged the house, he was not indicted during his 56 days in solitary confinement, the abuse and malnutrition has caused his brain aneurism which was unprecedented, his acquaintances were pressured to bring lawsuits against him, the Qom city prosecutor refers to his ideas as "under the covers mysticism" in a public speech before the court verdict but this speech is interrupted by the protest of clerics present, security forces have confiscated money from his house and has returned a fraction of it. An image of the letter was published by Harana and is documented in the Supporting Evidence section of this page </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9615'> Kalame published a report about his books being seized from public and his scientific presence in seminary being challenged </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9855'> According to Kalame, he was once again transferred to a hospital. According to this report, he has been hospitalized since late September. The Special Clerical Court has kept the names of both hospitals secret </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9814'> 305 members of Seminary published a letter addressed to the "Nation of Iran", explaining the details of his treatment and conditions and how he was "framed" and demanded his freedom </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9859'> According to Kalame, he was returned to prison despite the doctors' orders </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='10499'> According to Harana, he was transferred to an unknown hospital in Tehran </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='10498'> Harana reported that he was transferred home from prison on medical leave. He was returned to prison after a few days </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='11093'> Kalame reported that he has gone on hunger strike in protest to "pressures to accept the conditions of Special Clerical Court and being denied medical treatment" </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='11409'> While emphasizing the necessity of upholding Human Rights principles, the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked the Iranian government to release Arash Sadeghi, Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee, Mohammad Reza Nekoonam, and Morteza Moradpour </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='11541'> Human Rights Activists in Iran group issued a statement inviting "the judicial authorities to act independently from security institutions" and while emphasizing the need to transfer prisoners on hunger strike - particularly Arash Sadeghi - to medical centers, they asked for opening the door to negotiation with the prisoners on strike, namely Ali Shariati, Saeed Shariati, Hassan Rastegari, Nezar Zaka, Mohammad Reza Nekounam, and Mehdi Koukhian </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='19090'> Amad News, in a report quoting its own “news sources”, wrote that Makarem Shirazi has asked Mohammad Jafar Montazeri to have Mohammad Reza Nekounam “confronted more severely” </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='11972'> Asma Jahangir, special human rights rapporteur of the United Nations for Iran, along with Michael Forst, special rapporteur for human rights defenders, and Roland Adjovi, the special rapporteur to the UN for arbitrary arrests, in a statement, expressed concern regarding the long hunger strike, of Arash Sadeghi, Ali Shariati, Saeed Shirazi, Mohammad Reza Nekounam, Hassan Rastegari Majd, and Nizar Zakka, and warned that it may lead to death. These three United Nations special rapporteurs, while raising alarm over the dire condition of some of the political and ideological prisoners on hunger strike in Iran, asked the Iranian government for the immediate and unconditional release of prisoners arrested arbitrarily. According to Zamaneh, this statement underlined the special concern for those prisoners who were arrested because of peaceful efforts to defend and expand human rights in Iran </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='12529'> HRANA reported that he has ended his hunger and medication strike. Amnesty International had asked for his release prior to this </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13362'> HRANA reported that a court certified doctor has ruled, once again, that he cannot endure his sentence </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='14623'> HRANA, quoting an informed source, wrote, “the special court of clerics has devised certain conditions for the early release of this cleric that are not acceptable to him and for this reason he remains in prison </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='15064'> HRANA reported that Mohammad Reza Nekounam has been banned from reading and writing in the special clerics ward of Salehi prison in Qom </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='15896'> Having been transferred to the hospital several times before, was given sick leave. After several weeks at the hospital he was returned to the prison. Mr. Nekounam’s frequent transfers between the hospital and the prison have, for the most part, not been recorded in this profile </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='18991'> Fars news agency published a statement from the public relations office of the special clerical court in Qom, in this statement it is claimed that Mohammad Reza Nekounam, “because of the charges against him, (that we can not detail for the sake of preserving the sacred honor and reputation of the clergy) in a was sentenced to five years incarceration, lashes of the whip, and defrocking of the clerical garb, in a second hearing, and his verdict has been confirmed by the appeals court”. The court stressed that in the “reviewing his case the elders and notables of the clergy had absolutely and undeniably no role to play” </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='19613'> His son Mohammad Mehdi Nekounam was arrested again </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='19686'> Went on furlough </coverage-outsourcing>