Hossein Rajabian

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hossein Rajabian ( Persian :حسین رجبیان, born July 5, 1984 ) is an Iranian filmmaker , writer and photographer .

Iranian filmmaker, writer and photographer
Hossein Rajabian, 2016

Artistic activities

Hossein Rajabian began his artistic career in a theater school. He made his debut with short and documentary films and produced, among other things, feature films, wrote a number of scripts for feature films, essays on cinema and plays, and led artistic photography projects and film workshops. He studied dramatic literature at the Faculty of Art and Architecture in Tehran, but could not finish his studies there. Later he was admitted to study theater and media studies at the University of Vienna . He was arrested by security forces, his passport was confiscated and he was denied study in Iran and abroad. " People from Remote Areas " is the name of a black and white photography project by Iranian photographer Hossein Rajabian.

Arrest and trial

Hossein Rajabian was arrested on October 5, 2013 in his office in Sari together with two musicians by Iranian security forces after his first film and taken to Wing 2-A of Evin Prison, where they were held in solitary confinement for more than two months . Rajabian and his colleagues were to be forced to make a confession on public television, which all three refused to do. He was released on bail of around $ 66,000 in mid-December. Two years later, in the summer of 2015, his case reached the 28th branch of the Tehran Revolutionary Court , which was headed by Judge Moghisseh. Rajabian was sentenced to six years' imprisonment and a fine for illicit art, insulting religious sanctities and advertising against the regime. The verdict was changed to three years' imprisonment and three years suspended prison sentence on appeal at the 54th Branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court.

Prison and hunger strike

Hossein Rajabian was sent to Ward 7 of Evin Prison in Tehran . After serving a third of his total prison term (i.e. 11 months), he went on hunger strike to protest the unfair trial, lack of medical facilities, and his brother's transfer to another division, i.e. Division 8 of the same prison to protest. During the first hunger strike, which lasted 14 days, he was hospitalized with a lung infection and therefore could not continue his hunger strike because of the interference of the prosecutor's representative who was sent to mediate. After a while, he sent an open letter to the judicial authorities of Iran and went on strike again, which brought him the support of international artists. After a 36-day hunger strike, he persuaded Iran's judicial authorities to review his file and give him medical leave for treatment of his left kidney, which was suffering from infection and blood from the hunger strike.

International reactions

After Hossein Rajabian was imprisoned, international politicians began to officially respond to this judgment. So was Ban Ki-moon , Secretary General of the United Nations , a special statement on the human rights in the world out. On the ninth page of the annual declaration, he refers to the conditions of Hossein Rajabian in the Iranian prisons and calls on the Iranian authorities to unconditionally release this filmmaker. Reference can also be made to the protesting speech by Wilfred Moore , the Canadian Liberal Senator, made against the Iranian authorities and in support of Hossein Rajabian. Afterward, Amnesty International director Philip Luther released an official video about Hossein Rajabian and asked all the world's artists to start a global campaign to support him.

On the other hand, a petition of more than 12,000 signatures was collected from various human rights activists and artists asking the Iranian authorities to review the court case of Hossein Rajabian and several other prisoners. In response to the collective hunger strike by Hossein Rajabian and seven other political and ideological prisoners at Evin Prison , the United Nations Human Rights Committee finally unanimously passed a resolution against the Iranian government for the blatant violation of human rights. The US Senate then extended sanctions against Iran for violating human rights by another ten years. The citizens of the European countries initiated a supportive campaign and while showing the photos of Hossein Rajabian, they had held a sit-in in front of the Iranian embassies in different countries.

Release of the film as a protest

Hossein Rajabian has published his films for free on the Internet in protest of his prison sentence and the confiscation of the materials from his first feature films ( The upside-down triangle ) , which led to the censorship and non-publication of the feature films mentioned above.

Media reaction to the court judgment

The arrest and conviction of Rajabian drew extensive media coverage in Iran and other countries. In an exclusive interview, Said Boumedouha, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, expressed his objection to Rajabian's court ruling. Amnesty International then launched a global campaign and petition calling on artists around the world to sign the petition and join the campaign.

More than 20,000 artists from around the world, including Jared Leto and Ai Weiwei , who published the news about the court ruling on their Twitter account, supported the campaign, as did institutions such as PEN International, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, the European Council for Artists (ECA), the European Composers and Songwriters Association and Freemuse . supported the release of Hossein Rajabian in a public statement.

In a further step, 165 people from film and media in Iran and abroad wrote a letter to Ali Dschannati , the minister for culture and Islamic leadership. Ahmed Shaheed, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, called in his annual report for the unconditional release of Rajabian and two other prisoners.

Photo project - "People from remote areas"

People from Remote Areas is the name of a black and white photography project by Iranian photographer Hossein Rajabian. The photos were taken for a charity auction. This project started from 2006 and lasted until the arrest of Hossein Rajabian in 2014. Analog and digital cameras were used for this project to better express the texture of the photos depending on the setting and subject.

The point of view of the photo collection

"People from Remote Areas" are the portraits of people living in the most remote areas of Iran that cannot be seen in big cities. It was agreed that this photo project would cover the portraits of children of Iran and that it would be made available to UNICEF to support Iranian children. However, it was never carried out because of the arrest of the photographer and the confiscation of photos by the Iranian secret services.

Seizure of photos

A large number of photographic negatives and digital recordings of these photos were confiscated by the intelligence forces of Iran, and few photos remained of poor quality. The high quality versions of these photos were never returned to their owner and photographer after they were confiscated by the Iranian intelligence agency.

Recovered versions of some photos

Prizes and awards

Voted Award as Rebellion Artist in the World 2017 ( Global Investigative Journalism Network )

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ International Short Film Festival - Clermont-Ferrand . Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  2. ↑ hossein rajabian instagram . Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  3. ↑ + Co.Gallery. Retrieved October 19, 2017 .
  4. ^ Saeed Kamali Dehghan: Film-maker and two musicians face three years prison in Iran (en-GB) . In: The Guardian , March 24, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2016. 
  5. ↑ Global Pop News 03.03.2016 - Global Pop News - Music - Funkhaus Europa - Radio - WDR . Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  6. ↑ admin: Filmmaker and two musicians three years in prison in Iran | HotNews. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 26, 2016 ; Retrieved April 26, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / hotnews.site
  7. ^ Artists Sentenced to Prison . Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  8. ↑ Iran's Spring - Iran: Call for Rescue of Political Prisoners on Hunger Strike. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on September 6, 2017 ; accessed on September 6, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / iran-spring.com
  9. ↑ Brothers on hunger strike | Amnesty International. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; accessed on September 6, 2017 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / ai-drupal.dotplexserver.de  
  10. ↑ Bad health | Amnesty International. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; accessed on September 6, 2017 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / ai-drupal.dotplexserver.de  
  11. ↑ Search | Amnesty International. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; accessed on September 6, 2017 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / ai-drupal.dotplexserver.de  
  12. ^ Amnesty International Austria: Urgent Action Iran. Retrieved September 6, 2017 .
  13. ↑ Filmmakers and musicians convicted | Amnesty International. Retrieved September 6, 2017 .
  14. ↑ Brothers on hunger strike | Amnesty International. Retrieved September 6, 2017 .
  15. ↑ sentences confirmed | Amnesty International. Retrieved September 6, 2017 .
  16. ^ Artists on hunger strike | Amnesty International. Retrieved September 6, 2017 .
  17. ↑ Bad health | Amnesty International. Retrieved September 6, 2017 .
  18. ↑ Iran: musician and cameraman in Evin prison in critical condition! | people-freedom.org. Retrieved September 6, 2017 (UK English).
  19. ↑ urgent actions 2016 | Amnesty International - Iran Coordination Group. Retrieved September 6, 2017 .
  20. ↑ Bad health | Amnesty International. Retrieved September 6, 2017 .
  21. ↑ Brothers on hunger strike | Amnesty International. Retrieved September 6, 2017 .
  22. ^ Artists on hunger strike | Amnesty International. Retrieved September 6, 2017 .
  23. ^ Artists in custody | Amnesty International. Retrieved September 6, 2017 .
  24. ↑ Imminent imprisonment | Amnesty International. Retrieved September 6, 2017 .
  25. ↑ Ban Declaration: Ban ki moon declaration. In: Ban ki moon declaration. Ban ki moon statement, May 20, 2016, accessed 2016 .
  26. ^ UN Response: UN Response to Hossein Rajabian Prison. In: UN Response to Hossein Rajabian Prison. UN Response to Hossein Rajabian Prison, June 24, 2016, accessed 2016 (UN).
  27. ↑ Wilfred Moore Senator of Canada: Wilfred Moore Senator of Canada. In: Wilfred Moore Senator of Canada. Wilfred Moore Senator of Canada, May 16, 2016, accessed May 20, 2016 .
  28. ^ Declaration Moore Senator of Canada: 29/5000 Declaration Moore Senator of Canada. In: 29/5000 Declaration Moore Senator of Canada. 29/5000 Declaration Moore Senator of Canada, May 16, 2016, accessed 2016 .
  29. ^ Amnesty Director: Amnesty Director. In: Amnesty Director. Amnesty Director, May 12, 2016, accessed 2016 .
  30. ↑ 12,000 signatures: On the other hand there was a petition of more than 12,000. (PDF) In: 12,000 signatures. On the other hand, a petition of more than 12,000 signatures was collected from various human rights activists and artists, 2016, accessed on August 12, 2016 .
  31. ↑ 85 UN Member States Say Iran Must Improve Its Human Rights - Center for Human Rights in Iran. Retrieved September 6, 2017 .
  32. ↑ Craig Davison: The UN adopted a resolution that condemns human rights violations in Iran. In: The Media Express. November 16, 2016, accessed September 6, 2017 .
  33. ^ Third Committee Takes Up 7 Draft Resolutions on Situations in Syria, Iran, Crimea as It Concludes Discussion of Human Rights Council's Report | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases. Retrieved September 6, 2017 .
  34. ↑ Iran's Spring - Iran: Call for Rescue of Political Prisoners on Hunger Strike. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on September 6, 2017 ; accessed on September 6, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / iran-spring.com
  35. ↑ Human Rights Violations - Human Rights Association for Migrants. Accessed on September 6, 2017 .
  36. ^ Prisons and human rights in Iran. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on August 28, 2017 ; accessed on September 6, 2017 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.cafebabel.co.uk
  37. ^ Two Imprisoned Iranian Artists Pen Letter of Protest . In: Hyperallergic . November 2, 2016 ( hyperallergic.com [accessed September 6, 2017]).
  38. ↑ «Raving Iran» impressively shows the illegal techno scene in Iran . In: TagesWoche . October 18, 2016 ( tageswoche.ch [accessed on September 6, 2017]).
  39. ↑ Iran: Tortured filmmaker and musicians face imminent arrest amid crackdown on artists . Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  40. ↑ Confirmed sentences. In: www.amnesty.de. Retrieved April 26, 2016 .
  41. ↑ JARED LETO (@JaredLeto) | Twitter .
  42. ↑ 艾 未 未 Ai Weiwei (@aiww) | Twitter .
  43. ↑ ARJ carries an International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran | Culture Action Europe .
  44. ↑ Iran: Drop Charges Against Filmmaker and Musicians PEN International . Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 24, 2016. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.pen-international.org
  45. ↑ Call on Iranian authorities to drop charges on two musicians and a filmmaker ( en-US ) Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  46. ↑ Iran: Two musicians and a filmmaker sentenced ( en-GB ) Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 24, 2016. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / freemuse.org
  47. ↑ Iran: 165 Iranian artists and activists protest charges against two musicians and a filmmaker ( en-GB ) Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 24, 2016. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / freemuse.org
  48. ↑ Imprisonment for musicians - Iran's regime strikes with full force . Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  49. ^ Filmmaker and Musicians Sentenced to Prison in Iran . Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  50. ^ International Short Film Festival - Clermont-Ferrand. Retrieved October 19, 2017 .
  51. ↑ hossein rajabian. Retrieved October 19, 2017 .
  52. ^ Saeed Kamali Dehghan: Film-maker and two musicians face three years prison in Iran . In: The Guardian . March 24, 2016, ISSN  0261-3077 ( theguardian.com [accessed October 19, 2017]).
  53. ^ WDR: Captivity of Hossein Rajabian. In: Captivity of Hossein Rajabian. Captivity of Hossein Rajabian, November 7, 2016, accessed in 2016 (German).
  54. ↑ Bad health | Amnesty International. Retrieved October 19, 2017 .
  55. ↑ Brothers on hunger strike | Amnesty International. Retrieved October 19, 2017 .
  56. ↑ Filmmakers and musicians convicted | Amnesty International. Retrieved October 19, 2017 .
  57. ↑ sentences confirmed | Amnesty International. Retrieved October 19, 2017 .
  58. ↑ Iran's Spring - Iran: Call for Rescue of Political Prisoners on Hunger Strike. Retrieved October 19, 2017 (German).
  59. ↑ Brothers on hunger strike | Amnesty International. Retrieved October 19, 2017 .
  60. ↑ Bad health | Amnesty International. Retrieved October 19, 2017 .
  61. ↑ Filmmakers and musicians convicted | Amnesty International. Retrieved October 19, 2017 .
  62. ↑ sentences confirmed | Amnesty International. Retrieved October 19, 2017 .
  63. ↑ Iran's Spring - Iran: Call for Rescue of Political Prisoners on Hunger Strike. Retrieved October 19, 2017 (German).
  64. ↑ sentences confirmed | Amnesty International. Retrieved October 19, 2017 .
  65. ↑ sentences confirmed | Amnesty International. Retrieved October 19, 2017 .
  66. ↑ Bad health | Amnesty International. Retrieved October 19, 2017 .
  67. ↑ Brothers on hunger strike | Amnesty International. Retrieved October 19, 2017 .
  68. ↑ Filmmakers and musicians convicted | Amnesty International. Retrieved October 19, 2017 .
  69. ↑ 10 Acts of Artistic Rebellion - Global Investigative Journalism NetworkGlobal Investigative Journalism Network. Retrieved March 6, 2018 (American English).
  70. ↑ 10 acts of artistic rebellion - IFEX . In: IFEX . ( ifex.org [accessed March 6, 2018]).
personal data
SURNAME Rajabian, Hossein
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Iranian filmmaker, writer and photographer
DATE OF BIRTH 5th July 1984