Name Kasra Nouri | Role Activist | |
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Born June 27, 1990 (age 33) ( 1990-06-27 ) Shiraz, Iran Occupation Sufis rights activist and blogger | ||
Kasra Nouri (Persian: کسری نوری), born 1990 in Shiraz, Iran) is a journalist and Sufis rights activist . He was a reporter for a news website "Majzooban-e noor" and also a member of the independent campaign of Mehdi Karroubi (presidential candidate of Iran) in 2009. Majzooban-e-Noor covers news about the Gonabadi dervishes' religious community. Nouri had reported that security and intelligence forces had incited local residents to attack the dervishes during a September 2011 confrontation, causing one death and injuries to several others. Many dervishes, including several other journalists with Majzooban-e-Noor, were imprisoned immediately after the 2011 crackdown.
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Nouri studied at Shiraz University in Civil Engineering, Islamic Azad University in 2008. During his time at university there were "light clashes" between students and university security. In 2010 he joined the Independent Electoral Commission, he and other Sufis came and supported Mehdi Karroubi. The journalist was jailed twice by security forces.
Arrest and imprisonment
He was first arrested on January 11, 2012 at his home by plainclothes police, which occurred after 47 days of confinement in the Intelligence Office. His family knew nothing of his whereabouts or condition until a month later; after repeated attempts they were finally allowed to visit. Known under the pseudonym "No. 100", he was released on bail set at 50 million Tomans (or 500,000,000 Iranian Rials). The temporary release of political prisoners took two weeks. For the second time, on March 24, he was again arrested at his home by plainclothes police after an alleged interview with Radio Free Europe. His release on bail was blocked, after 15 months in detention and transfer to the Revolutionary Court of Shiraz, he was sentenced on April 23, 2012, receiving a four-year, four-month jail term.
According to the Human Rights Campaign the charge against him states that this human right activist's actions would result "promoting innovation in doctrine matters", "insecurity in society and promoting superstitions". The warrant was issued by Judge Rashidi, president of Branch 3 of the Revolutionary Court of Shiraz and finally, after a delay of five months was confirmed in appeal. A qualified lawyer, in 2012 he and a group of other lawyers and human rights defenders issued calls to maintain the independence of the Iranian Bar.
He was arrested during a visit to members of the Human Rights Commission after the judiciary of the Islamic Republic came to Nouri. He was imprisoned close to Mir Hossein Mousavi. On the January 28, Kasra Nouri was moved to a prison in another province.
Hunger strike
In January 2013 prisoners in Tehran protested against mistreatment by going on hunger strike for 90 days. The journalist began waging a hunger strike in April 2013 to protest the transfer to solitary confinement of several Majzooban-e Noor journalists. Finally, after authorities met the demands of dervishes, the prisoner hunger strike ended. Dervish prisoners on hunger strike along with Nouri caused worldwide concern over the situation. Ana Gomes, a member of the European Parliament wrote to the Iranian Embassy in Belgium and Portugal and sent a letter to the Iranian Foreign Ministry calling for Kasra Nouri and other dervishes imprisoned, to be freed. The German Foreign Ministry released a statement regarding the status of Kasra Nouri and other political prisoners, expressing concern on Germany's Deutsche Welle Radio on the 69th day of his hunger strike. Amnesty International also shared concern with regard to the issue. As well as this, in his statement Mr.Kasra Nouri claims that detention authorities in the Shiraz "prison ministry", beat the prisoners to end their hunger strike. The Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, in a letter to Ahmed Shaheed, expressed sympathy over Kasra Nouri and the dervishes' situation, especially with regards to the rights of religious minorities in Iran.
Convictions
Kasra Nouri is charged with: propaganda against the regime, acting against national security, disclosing state secrets, interviews, membership in gangs majzooban deviant, insulting the leadership, public opinion, spreading lies, interview with the foreign media. He had two court cases in both the general public and Shiraz Criminal Court, calling the judge incompetent. He was sentenced to a one-year suspended sentence. with the verdict issued by Judge Rashid, head of the Revolutionary Court of Shiraz, Shiraz Branch 3 of the Revolutionary Court. He was sentenced to four years and four months.