IRAN* The Islamic Republic of Iran, with a population of ...

IRAN
Political prisoner Behrouz Javid-Tehrani, who spent four years in prison for his
activities during the 1999 student uprising and was sentenced in 2005 to seven
more years in prison following a secret trial without legal representation, remained
in prison at year's end. At the time of the most recent conviction, Javid-Tehrani
was in solitary confinement in Gohardasht Prison in Karaj, where he alleged
security agents severely tortured him on numerous occasions.
Civil Judicial Procedures and Remedies
By law the judiciary is independent from the executive and legislative branches; in
practice it remained under the influence of executive and religious government
authorities. According to the constitution, the Court of Administrative Justice,
under the supervision of the head of the judiciary, investigates the grievances of
citizens with regard to government officials, organs, and statutes. In practice
citizens had limited ability to sue the government. Citizens were not able to bring
lawsuits against the government for civil or human rights violations. Dispute
resolution councils are available to settle minor civil and criminal cases through
mediation before referral to courts.
Property Restitution
The constitution allows the government to confiscate property acquired illicitly or
in a manner not in conformity with Islamic law, and the government particularly
targeted religious minorities, especially members of the Baha'i faith. During the
year there were reports that authorities destroyed several Sufi libraries containing
sacred texts and took over nursing homes and hospitals connected to Sufi orders.
f. Arbitrary Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or
Correspondence
The constitution states that "reputation, life, property, [and] dwelling[s]" are
protected from trespass except as "provided by law," but the government routinely
infringed on this right. Security forces monitored the social activities of citizens,
entered homes and offices, monitored telephone conversations and Internet
communications, and opened mail without court authorization. There were
widespread reports that government agents entered, searched, and/or ransacked the
homes and offices of reformist activists and journalists in an attempt to intimidate
them.
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