
Sameh Khorshad
- Head of the FATA Cyber Police, Mazandaran Province (2019 - present)
- Human Rights Violation: Surveillance and false incrimination of cyberspace users (28 December 2020) read more
- Institution
- Cyber Police (FATA)
- Location
- (Mazandaran Province)
- Rights Violated
- Right to freedom of expression
- Description
-
Lieutenant colonel Sameh Khorshad, as the head of the FATA cyber police, has been directly involved in falsely incriminating the owners of 209 social media accounts, and referring them to the Mazandaran security police on charges of "promoting vice". In an interview with reporters on 28 December, 2020, Khorshad announced that FATA police officers had identified the 209 page admins who were "promoting vice" by publishing "clothing advertising and modelling images", and referred them to the Mazandaran Intelligence and Security Police.
- Sources
FATA Police announced: Identification of 209 pages of promoters of corruption in Mazandaran, Mazani Khabar, 29 December, 2020
Identifying the perpetrators and promoters of vice in cyberspace in Mazandaran, Kayhan, 3 January, 2021
- Human Rights Violation: Arresting and falsely incriminating cyberspace users (9 November 2020) read more
- Institution
- Cyber Police (FATA)
- Location
- (Mazandaran Province)
- Rights Violated
- Right to freedom of expression
- Description
-
Sameh Khorshad, as the head of the FATAcyber police in the Mazandaran province, has played a direct role in arresting and falsely incriminating a cyberspace user on charges of “promoting vice”, and for managing a page on Instagram and publishing images of clothing advertisements with female models. On 9 November, 2020, Khorshad announced that "the officers of the FATA police have recently arrested the admin of an Instagram page that has been active in the province with 85,000 followers and has published vulgar images and modelling advertisements."
- Sources
85,000 Iranian Followers Trapped by this Instagram Admin, Rokna News Agency, 9 November, 2020
Blocking an immoral page with more than 85,000 followers in Mazandaran, FATA Police Official Website, 9 November, 2020
- Human Rights Violation: Arresting and extracting forced confessions from cyberspace users (3 October 2020) read more
- Institution
- Cyber Police (FATA)
- Location
- (Mazandaran Province)
- Rights Violated
- Right to freedom from torture, Right to freedom of expression
- Description
-
As head of the FATA cyber police, Sameh Khorshad was directly involved in arresting, falsely incriminating and obtaining forced confessions from the admins of an Instagram page about tattoos and body arts, on charges of "promoting vice and satanism". On 3 October, 2020, Khorshad told the media that Mazandaran FATA cyber police officers had identified and arrested admins of an "Instagram page with 25,000 followers" for "publishing obscene images of tattoos and satanic propaganda". He added: "The main defendant confessed and pleaded guilty to the alleged crime and the reason for the release of these films was to attract the audience and increase the number of followers and deceive the youth with the intention of extortion." The torturing and severe beating of detainees are known as common practice by the FATA cyber police especially after the murder of blogger Sattar Beheshti under torture by FATA officers.
- Sources
Detention of Satanists in Amol + Details, Rokna News Agency, October 3, 2020
Arrest of a gang of tattooists and demon worshipers in Mazandaran, Journalists Club, October 3, 2016
- Human Rights Violation: Arresting journalists and admins of Telegram news channels (3 February 2021) read more
- Institution
- Cyber Police (FATA)
- Location
- (Mazandaran Province)
- Rights Violated
- Right to freedom of expression
- Description
-
Lieutenant colonel Sameh Khorshad, as the head of the FATA cyber police in Mazandaran province, was involved in the arrest of 6 admins of Telegram news channels, including a member of the Mazandaran Press House. In an interview with Fars News Agency on 3 February, 2021, Khorshad announced the arrest of 6 media activists in the west of Mazandaran province on charges of "collaborating with the opposition news channel" and asserted the possibility of further arrests.
- Sources
Khorshad: Arrest of 6 admins of opposition news channel in Mazandaran / Possibility of increasing arrest of collaborators with the opposition news channel, Fars News, 3 February, 2021
Six people arrested in Mazandaran for "collaborating with opposition channel", Radio Farda, 3 February, 2021
https://www.radiofarda.com/a/six-journalists-arrested-in-mazandaran/31085776.html
A member of the board of the Mazandaran Press House was arrested, Mehr News Agency, 2 February, 2021
- Human Rights Violation: Surveillance and false incrimination of cyberspace users (28 December 2020) read more