FREE Kouhyar Goudarzi! Human Rights Activist and Student in Iran!

**Update April 15, 2012**

The Committee for Human Rights Reporters (CHRR) in Iran reported that Goudarzi, one of its members, who was given a five-year jail term in March, has been temporarily freed on bail.

An Iranian blogger has published pictures of Goudarzi after release, which shows him along with friends and his mother, who was also jailed following the activist's arrest in July.

A Tehran court sentenced the 27-year-old in March to five years in a prison in the eastern city of Zabol, near the border with Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Goudarzi, an active member of the CHRR, was picked up by plain clothes security officials last July from a friend's house in Tehran. He went missing after the incident with authorities refused to acknowledge holding him.

He was later taken to Tehran's Evin prison, where he spent almost two months in solitary confinement before being allowed to talk to his family for the first time since being held.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/iran-blog/2012/apr/13/kouhyar-goudarzi-released-iran?newsfeed=true

Farsi:
http://chrr.biz/spip.php?article17688

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**Update August 11th, 2011**

ATTENTION: Kouhyar Goudarzi's whereabouts are currently unknown! On August 1st, Kouhyar Goudarzi, who writes for the Committee of Human Rights Reporters (CHRR), and his mother, Parvin Mokhtare, were arrested by Iranian authorities for unknown reasons, according to CHRR. Mokhtare was arrested in Kerman, where she is currently being detained, multiple news websites reported. JARAS website has emphasized that she is not involved in any political activities. A recent update from news website Kaleme reported that in a phone call from Kerman Prison, Mokhtare said she is being held with prisoners tried for murder and drug trafficking and described the prison's poor hygienic conditions and lack of basic amenities. She said she had been informed of her charges, which included "Insulting the Supreme Leader," "Propagating against the regime," and "Acting against national security" in the interviews she gave during her son's prison term.

Kouhyar was initially arrested in December 2009 and served a one-year sentence for his journalistic activities at CHRR. He was charged with heresy, "propagating against the regime," and "participating in illegal congregations," CPJ reported. Goudarzi is a recipient of the National Press Club's John Aubuchon Freedom of the Press Award in 2010.

Kouhyar Goudarzi was released from prison December 14, 2010.

**Update December 15th 2010!**

KOUHYAR GOUDARZI IS RELEASED!!!!!!!!

According to Committee of Human Rights Reporters, Kouhyar Goudarzi was released this afternoon from Gohardasht (Rajai Shahr) Prison in Karaj at the end of his one year prison sentence.

http://www.payvand.com/news/10/dec/1143.html

**Update Oct 28, 2010!**

It was reported on Oct 26th, 2010 (2 days ago) that Human Rights activist and student Kouhyar Goodarzi was interrogated and threatened with a new indictment in prison, even though he only has less than two months remaining until his release! He was sentenced to one year in prison by the lower court and has been in prison since Dec 20, 2009 and has been on 2 hunger strikes during his detention.

http://persian2english.com/?p=15820

Now today, on Oct 28th, 2010, it has been confirmed with CHRR, the human rights website in which he is a member, that Kouhyar Goodarzi has now been exiled to Rajai Shahr prison!

http://persian2english.com/?p=15892

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Sept 15, 2010:

Kouhyar Goodarzi is a student, blogger, human rights activist and member of Committee of Human Rights Reporters (CHRR). After election protests since June 2009, reporters and human rights activists have been targeted for detainment and torture.

Kouhyar Goodarzi, on 20 December 2010, was on a bus with several social activists and families of political prisoners on board, heading for Ayatollah Montazeri’s funeral in Qom, was stopped at Enghelab Square by security forces. After 45 minutes of searching and confiscating identification cards and cellular phones of the passengers, Kouhyar Goodarzi along with others, were arrested.

Last October, through pressure by security forces, Goodarzi, an Aerospace student at Sharif Industrial University, was expelled. The journalist and human rights activist was formerly a member of the Sharif University Islamic Students Association, an editor for the Committee of Human Rights Reporters, a producer for Radio Zamaneh, a member of The Human Rights Committee of Advar-e Tahkim-e Vahdat Alumni Association (Office to Foster Unity), and a member of the Allameh Faction of the Association.

Earlier this year, Kouhyar Goodarzi started a hunger strike along with 17 other political prisoners in May 2010. Goodarzi had been transferred to solitary confinement and was on a dry hunger strike after complaining to Evin prison’s head of Ward 350, he ended his hunger strike after four of his demands were met.

Kouhyar Goodarzi’s four demands were as follows:

1) The uncertain situation regarding his case must be addressed
2) Majid Tavakoli’s wishes must be granted
3) Transfer from solitary confinement back to the general ward and his complaints to the head of 350 must be addressed.
4) Right to visitation and telephone contact.

Kouhyar Goodarzi’s mother was finally able to meet with her son. She reported that Kouhyar’s physical and psychological condition was very weak and that he had lost a lot of weight.

His mother, Parvin Mokhtareh stated, “I raised my son as a single mother. I helped him get accepted to [a gifted school] and then he was accepted to Sharif University of Technology. Is this the reward for a mother who has raised such a [wonderful] child?”

The lawyer for Goodarzi, Mina Jafari, said concerning his case in a battle with judicial authorities: “In my follow-ups so far, I went to the Computer Unit of the Revolutionary Courts where I was told to go to Branch 7 of Investigations. But Branch 7 of Investigations disavowed any knowledge of the case. In the end, I realized that my client’s case has been taken to Evin prison’s court branch. Considering the current circumstances, my client and I have been deprived of access to the file and the ability to review its contents. Such treatment highlights the denial of even the most fundamental elements of justice and the possibility of a fair trial.”

Goodarzi was sentenced around 2 June 2010 to one year’s imprisonment for “spreading propaganda against the system by effective cooperation with the website of the CHRR, gathering and circulating news directed against the system and passing on this news to terrorist organizations based outside the country as well as giving interviews to foreign media and publishing articles on websites.” He is held while awaiting the outcome of his appeal.

On August 25, 2010, The National Press Club awarded the 2010 John Aubuchon Freedom of the Press Award to Kouhyar Goodarzi! This award is given each year to individuals who have contributed to the cause of press freedom and open government.

English and Persian Sources: ICHRI, CHRR, Persian2English.com

کوهیار گودرزی از جمله افرادی بود که در جریان اعتراضات پس از انتخابات ریاست جمهوری دهم و هنگامیکه برای شرکت در مراسم تشییع آیت‌الله منتظری عازم قم بود در ۲۹ آذر بازداشت شد و ماهها در زندان و تحت فشار قرار داشت. در اثر این اعتصاب غذا، او بی‌هوش و به بیمارستان منتقل شد. در ۹ خرداد ۱۳۸۹ خبری منبی بر دستیابی گودرزی به چهار خواسته‌اش و شکستن اعتصاب غذای خشک، منتشر شد.

دادگاه این فعال حقوق بشر گودرزی، ۱۲ خرداد در شعبه ۲۶ به قضاوت پیرعباسی برگزار شد. اتهامات گودرزی در این دادگاه، «فعالیت تبلیغی علیه نظام از طریق همکاری موثر با سایت کمیته گزارشگران حقوق بشر و جمع‌آوری و انتشار اخبار جهت دار علیه نظام و انتقال این اخبار به عناصر سازمان تروریستی مستقر در خارج از کشور و مصاحبه با رسانه‌‌های بیگانه و نیز انتشار مقاله در سایت‌ها» عنوان شده بود.

باشگاه ملی مطبوعات, برندگان جایزه آزادی مطبوعات جان آبوچون سال 2010 را اعلام کرد, این جایزه هر سال به افرادی داده می شود که در راستای اطلاع رسانی آزاد و حاکمیت آزاد فعالیت کرده اند. برنده بین المللی امسال کوهیار گودرزی, وبلاگ نویس ایرانی است که در زندان اوین در تهران که معروف به شکنجه بازداشت شده گان است نگه داری میشود