DOCSLIB.ORG

Solitary Confinement, Section 350, Evin Prison in Tehran

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Solitary Confinement, Section 350, Evin Prison in Tehran 96 PERSPECTIVES Solitary confinement, Section 350, Evin prison in Tehran S. M. Khodaei I was born in 1985 in Tehran, Iran. I started witness the widespread use of these methods my political and human rights activism at in Iran, particularly associated to unofficial university by founding a secular student detention centers. This also goes against association and publishing student maga- international law and the Mandela rules zines. Because of this, the university discipli- regarding minimum conditions of detention, nary committee did not allow me to study which consider that any isolation that lasts for two semesters. I was arrested by intelli- for more than 15 days can by itself be gence officials in 2008 and spent 38 days in considered torture (Mendez, 2015; Penal solitary confinement in Evin prison (Teh- Reform International, 2002). ran). That was the first time I was faced with In recent years, with an increasing psychological torture. During the repression number of political prisoners and prisoners after the presidential election in 2009, I was of conscience in Iran (in particular after the arrested for a second time. It was by the elections that took place in 2009), the discus- Revolutionary Guards (‘Sepah-e- Pasdaran’) sions about the type of treatment prisoners and this time I spent about nine months in are exposed to, including solitary confine- solitary confinement. This time marked me ment is the subject of public debate. Readers in many senses. Finally, because of those two can have access to memories of political incidents, I was convicted by the Revolution- prisoners, such as Iranian prisoners, Eza`t ary Court and sentenced to prison. After Shahi, Bozorg Alavi, Safar Ghahramanian, about six years in Section 350, Evin Prison, I Taghi Shahram, Vida Hajebi and the was freed in 2014. European writers Miguel Benasayag and Solitary confinement is in fact not Arthur Koestler. allowed under state or religious law in Iran. Many people will have in mind the Article 38 of the constitution of Iran traditional methods of torture in their minds, explicitly states that, "Any kind of torture to where physical pain and suffering is used. extort confession or acquiring information is They may find it difficult to understand forbidden. Compulsion of individuals to psychological torture in general and the testify, confess or give a forced oath are not suffering of solitary confinement, in part as allowed. Such evidence, confession or oath, they are not visible. Both types of scars, is lacking credibility." i However, we still physical and psychological, can be traced many years later. In his seminal review, Shalev i Similar statements can be found in Article 9 of the 2004 (2008) pointed out that long-term psychologi- Act for Respecting Legitimate Freedoms and Protection cal damage is mainly due to social isolation. of Civil Rights, Article 129 of the Code of Criminal Reduced environmental stimuli, and loss of Procedure Act of 1999 and 578 and 579 of the Islamic Penal Code, adopted section 1996. Additionally, the control in daily needs. The absence of external Court of Administrative Justice in judicial precedent No. stimuli leads to the brain stimulating itself, 435/2004 explicitly prohibits defendants and convicts through dreams and hallucinations (Grassian, being housed in solitary confinement. TORTURE Volume 27, Number 2, 2017 Correspondence to: [email protected] 1983). White torture can lead to permanent 97 PERSPECTIVES impairments in brain activity including solitary confinement was 7.2 months on damage to the brain tissue (O'Mara, 2009). average. They were all young men (average Human Rights Watch and others have age 38.6, maximum 54, minimum 22) reported to the US Senate Judiciary Commit- detained for political and non-political tee that a large number of people who reasons. Half of them had had a previous remained in solitary confinement are mentally experience of solitary confinement. ill, even though they did not have a history of We define solitary confinement in Iran, at mental illness, and that there are more least among the people whom I interviewed suicides in solitary confinement (Human and in my own experience, as being held in Rights Watch, 2009; United Nations Special complete isolation with only contact with Rapporteur, 2007; Grassian, 2014). guards and sometimes interrogators for long It is not the purpose of this paper to periods of time, or being permanently held in review the existing medical and psychiatric a cell with less than one hour of access to a literature on solitary confinement. It would be yard while being blindfolded. simply impossible. Big book sellers, including Amazon, do not serve Iran. We do not have Conditions of detention access to medical databases and only partial The physical space and facilities of solitary access to Internet providers. This paper wants confinement vary, but there were some key to add to the existing literature on solitary elements that configure the experience of confinement by describing the experience and detainees (in brackets is the number of the impacts in a sample of 16 Iranian survivors. interviewee): • Size of room and bathroom: "The first few Talking with others who have days, my cell was relatively large, so that in experienced solitary confinement the morning I could walk around it, in a Method corner of the cell, the bathroom was During the period 2013 and 2014, and while separated by a wall, but then I was I had been transferred from solitary confine- transferred to a tiny cell that was about 2 ment to the communal ward, I spoke with 16 feet by 4 feet without a wash basin and male prisoners who had also been in Ward toilet. Each time I wanted to go to the 350 of Evin Prison and had also experienced toilet, I should drop out paper for this solitary confinement during the preceding purpose from under the door until the five years. I talked to them following a brief guards realized..." semi-structured interview and tried to • No human interaction: "Loneliness too systematize information in as far as my own bothered me, I wanted to talk to someone. I TORTURE Volume 27, Number 2, 2017 conditions of access to pen and paper and talked to the officer who was in charge of security concerns with the materials obtained food distribution, about receiving more or allowed. These conditions were not optimal less food until eventually he was forced to but the information during these talks was speak. Sometimes I would tell a lie that I straight and honest among co-detainees. needed the toilet which would force a prison Thus, the data lacks the accuracy of an officer to talk to me, at least, one sentence, academic study, but gives unique insights as but talking was very hard and sometimes it has been done and written, in many senses, they did not answer my questions”. by prisoners within the prison. • Social isolation: "I was 42 days in solitary The period of time that they had been in confinement. During this period, only two 98 PERSPECTIVES or three times for less than five minutes was piece of fabric that was used as a blindfold. I able to talk with my family. After I was I felt very bad, could not see anything. transferred to the general ward, I realized Everywhere I went, someone took my arm that I was lucky that I had that possibility firmly, dragging and leading me. Later, I because others - even over a period of learned I could do up my blindfold enough months had no contact with their family." to see the front of my foot. After many • Cultural isolation:“The first two-three times of nearly falling over and hitting the months, not even religious books were in ground, the guard allowed me to use the my cell. It was very bad. In the yard or in blindfold only in the yard and, when I went the trash outside the cell, I looked for a into the bathroom, I did not have to be piece of paper so I could sneak away with blindfolded inside the cell." myself. It was the fourth month after • Natural light: “During the nearly three repeatedly insisting, I got once a newspa- years that I was in solitary confinement I per and in the last month I was allowed to was moved to a different cell several times. go to the cell where there was a television." The worst was that the cells had no • Lack of intimacy: “Once in a cell, behind the windows facing out and there was no sink, I found a pack of matches and turned natural light into the cell.” This was not a one of them to for entertainment (sic). After general experience and it was used as a a few minutes the guards rushed into my special way of punishment. "There was a cells and asked how did I get matches?...then fairly large window near the ceiling of my I realized that in the cells, there must be a cell covered with lattice steel. Sunlight camera … and, after searching, I found a came into my cell. Sometimes I heard the small camera somewhere near the ceiling." sound of doves and threw grains of rice • Sensory overload - Troubling sounds: The through the window. Trying to give them detainees reported highly disturbing food, was a kind of entertainment for me." sounds: voices and screaming in the • System of rewards: Food quality and buying hallway, the sound of the religious Ashura things were conditioned and only possible mourning ceremonies, and the sound of with the authorization of the interrogation the air conditioner. “We had to hear the team. “I was detained in several detention religious ceremonies that were broadcasted centers.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Freedom of Assembly and Association
    JANUARY 2012 COUNTRY SUMMARY Iran In 2011 Iranian authorities refused to allow government critics to engage in peaceful demonstrations. In February, March, April, and September security forces broke up large- scale protests in several major cities. In mid-April security forces reportedly shot and killed dozens of protesters in Iran’s Arab-majority Khuzestan province. There was a sharp increase in the use of the death penalty. The government continued targeting civil society activists, especially lawyers, rights activists, students, and journalists. In July 2011 the government announced it would not cooperate with, or allow access to, the United Nations special rapporteur on Iran, appointed in March 2011 in response to the worsening rights situation. Freedom of Assembly and Association In February and March thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Tehran, the capital, and several other major cities to support pro-democracy protests in neighboring Arab countries and protest the detention of Iranian opposition leaders. The authorities’ violent response led to at least three deaths and hundreds of arrests. In response to calls by former presidential candidates and opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi for mass protests in February, security forces arbitrarily arrested dozens of political opposition members in Tehran and several other cities beginning on February 8. Several days later they placed both Mousavi and Karroubi under house arrest, where they remained at this writing. In April Iran’s parliament passed several articles of a draft bill which severely limits the independence of civil society organizations, and creates a Supreme Committee Supervising NGO Activities chaired by ministry officials and members of the security forces.
    [Show full text]
  • IRAN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY the Islamic Republic of Iran
    IRAN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Islamic Republic of Iran is a constitutional, theocratic republic in which Shia Muslim clergy and political leaders vetted by the clergy dominate the key power structures. Government legitimacy is based on the twin pillars of popular sovereignty--albeit restricted--and the rule of the supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution. The current supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was chosen by a directly elected body of religious leaders, the Assembly of Experts, in 1989. Khamenei’s writ dominates the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. He directly controls the armed forces and indirectly controls internal security forces, the judiciary, and other key institutions. The legislative branch is the popularly elected 290-seat Islamic Consultative Assembly, or Majlis. The unelected 12-member Guardian Council reviews all legislation the Majlis passes to ensure adherence to Islamic and constitutional principles; it also screens presidential and Majlis candidates for eligibility. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was reelected president in June 2009 in a multiparty election that was generally considered neither free nor fair. There were numerous instances in which elements of the security forces acted independently of civilian control. Demonstrations by opposition groups, university students, and others increased during the first few months of the year, inspired in part by events of the Arab Spring. In February hundreds of protesters throughout the country staged rallies to show solidarity with protesters in Tunisia and Egypt. The government responded harshly to protesters and critics, arresting, torturing, and prosecuting them for their dissent. As part of its crackdown, the government increased its oppression of media and the arts, arresting and imprisoning dozens of journalists, bloggers, poets, actors, filmmakers, and artists throughout the year.
    [Show full text]
  • Iran 2019 International Religious Freedom Report
    IRAN 2019 INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT Executive Summary The constitution defines the country as an Islamic republic and specifies Twelver Ja’afari Shia Islam as the official state religion. It states all laws and regulations must be based on “Islamic criteria” and an official interpretation of sharia. The constitution states citizens shall enjoy human, political, economic, and other rights, “in conformity with Islamic criteria.” The penal code specifies the death sentence for proselytizing and attempts by non-Muslims to convert Muslims, as well as for moharebeh (“enmity against God”) and sabb al-nabi (“insulting the Prophet”). According to the penal code, the application of the death penalty varies depending on the religion of both the perpetrator and the victim. The law prohibits Muslim citizens from changing or renouncing their religious beliefs. The constitution also stipulates five non-Ja’afari Islamic schools shall be “accorded full respect” and official status in matters of religious education and certain personal affairs. The constitution states Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians, excluding converts from Islam, are the only recognized religious minorities permitted to worship and form religious societies “within the limits of the law.” The government continued to execute individuals on charges of “enmity against God,” including two Sunni Ahwazi Arab minority prisoners at Fajr Prison on August 4. Human rights nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) continued to report the disproportionately large number of executions of Sunni prisoners, particularly Kurds, Baluchis, and Arabs. Human rights groups raised concerns regarding the use of torture, beatings in custody, forced confessions, poor prison conditions, and denials of access to legal counsel.
    [Show full text]
  • En En Motion for a Resolution
    European Parliament 2019-2024 Plenary sitting B9-0439/2020 15.12.2020 MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION with request for inclusion in the agenda for a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law pursuant to Rule 144 of the Rules of Procedure on Iran, in particular the case of 2012 Sakharov Prize laureate Nasrin Sotoudeh (2020/2914(RSP)) Cornelia Ernst, Malin Björk, Nikolaj Villumsen on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group RE\P9_B(2020)0439_EN.docx PE661.573v01-00 EN United in diversityEN B9-0439/2020 European Parliament resolution on Iran, in particular the case of 2012 Sakharov Prize laureate Nasrin Sotoudeh (2020/2914(RSP)) The European Parliament, - having regard to its previous resolutions on Iran, in particular European Parliament resolution of 25 October 2016 on the EU strategy towards Iran after the nuclear agreement (2015/2274(INI)); – having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948, - having regard to the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), to which Iran is a party, - having regard to the UN’s Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment of 1988, - having regard to the UN’s Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the ‘Nelson Mandela Rules’) of 2015, - having regard to the Iranian President’s Charter on Citizens’ Rights - having regard UN Security Council Resolution 2231 - having regard to Rule 135 of its Rules of Procedure,
    [Show full text]
  • Council Decision (Cfsp) 2015
    8.4.2015 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 92/91 DECISIONS COUNCIL DECISION (CFSP) 2015/555 of 7 April 2015 amending Decision 2011/235/CFSP concerning restrictive measures directed against certain persons and entities in view of the situation in Iran THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Article 29 thereof, Whereas: (1) On 12 April 2011, the Council adopted Decision 2011/235/CFSP (1). (2) On the basis of a review of Decision 2011/235/CFSP, the restrictive measures therein should be renewed until 13 April 2016. (3) The Council has also concluded that the entries concerning certain persons and one entity included in the Annex to Decision 2011/235/CFSP should be updated. (4) Furthermore, there are no longer grounds for keeping two persons on the list of persons and entities subject to restrictive measures set out in the Annex to Decision 2011/235/CFSP. (5) In addition, one entry concerning a person already included in the Annex to Decision 2011/235/CFSP should be deleted. (6) Decision 2011/235/CFSP should be amended accordingly, HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: Article 1 Article 6(2) of Decision 2011/235/CFSP is replaced by the following: ‘2. This Decision shall apply until 13 April 2016. It shall be kept under constant review. It shall be renewed, or amended as appropriate, if the Council deems that its objectives have not been met.’. Article 2 The Annex to Decision 2011/235/CFSP is amended as set out in the Annex to this Decision.
    [Show full text]
  • The Good Ayatollah: the Legacy of Hossein Ali Montazeri - by Abbas Milani | Foreign
    The Good Ayatollah: The Legacy of Hossein Ali Montazeri - By Abbas Milani | Foreign ... Page 1 of 7 The Good Ayatollah Why my former cellmate's legacy will live on. BY ABBAS MILANI | MARCH/APRIL 2010 If 2010 turns out to be the beginning of the end of the Islamic Republic of Iran, it http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/02/22/the_good_ayatollah?print=yes&hideco... 3/31/2010 The Good Ayatollah: The Legacy of Hossein Ali Montazeri - By Abbas Milani | Foreign ... Page 2 of 7 may well be because of the death of one of the regime's founders, a man I met three decades ago in Tehran's infamous Evin prison. In 1977, I was a 27-year-old rebel arrested for being "detrimental to the security of the nation." In those days nearly all critics of the shah's regime were incarcerated under this category. Evin's L-shaped brick prison blocks were packed with regime opponents, mostly Marxists, leftists, and university students. The facility was also home to a handful of the most famous future leaders of the Islamic Revolution, including future president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and future grand ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri. It was a relatively good time to be in Evin, as the shah nervously attempted to placate his most fervent enemies by following Jimmy Carter's human rights policies. Instead of being allowed only an hour of fresh air per day in a small outdoor area, we had free access to the grounds. We could play volleyball around the shaky poles and raggedy string that we had woven into a net.
    [Show full text]
  • Iranian Espionage in the United States and the Anti-SAVAK Campaign (1970-1979)
    The Shah’s “Fatherly Eye” Iranian Espionage in the United States and the Anti-SAVAK Campaign (1970-1979) Eitan Meisels Undergraduate Senior Thesis Department of History Columbia University 13 April 2020 Thesis Instructor: Elisheva Carlebach Second Reader: Paul Chamberlin Meisels 2 Table of Contents Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 5 Historiography, Sources, and Methods ......................................................................................... 12 Chapter 1: Roots of the Anti-SAVAK Campaign ......................................................................... 14 Domestic Unrest in Iran ............................................................................................................ 14 What Did SAVAK Aim to Accomplish? .................................................................................. 19 Chapter 2: The First Phase of the Anti-SAVAK Campaign (1970-1974) .................................... 21 Federal Suspicions Stir ............................................................................................................. 21 Counterintelligence to Campaign ............................................................................................. 24 Chapter 3: The Anti-SAVAK Campaign Expands (1975-1976) .................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Urgent Appeal
    URGENT APPEAL URGENT APPEAL TO THE AUTHORITIES OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN August 2007 We, human rights non-governmental organisations from all over the world and members of the International Federation for Human Rights, hereby express our support for our colleagues in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and join their call to the Iranian authorities to put an end to harsh repression against women’s rights defenders, student movements, journalists and trade unionists. We also call upon the Iranian authorities to stop politically motivated executions and the application of the death penalty for sexual offences, including death by stoning. I. Repression of civil society FIDH has witnessed with deep concern the dramatic increase of the repression of civil society movements in Iran over the past year. The women’s rights movement has borne the brunt of this repression, in particular since the launch of the “One Million Signatures” Campaign, in August 2006.1 This Campaign seeks to provide education on women’s rights at the grassroots level and to obtain the repeal of discriminatory laws against women. To this end, the Campaign collects signatures that it plans to submit to the national Parliament. Currently, 40 activists are being or have been prosecuted for their involvement in the defence of women's rights; nine have received prison sentences, some with lashes. Their appeals are still pending. In addition, two activists were detained in Evin prison for their involvement in the campaign: 1. Mr. Amir Yaghoub-Ali was arrested on July 11, 2007 while collecting signatures. Our organisations expressed their fear for his physical and psychological safety.
    [Show full text]
  • Iran: the Case of Roxana Saberi
    5.8.2010 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 212 E/109 Thursday 7 May 2009 Iran: the case of Roxana Saberi P6_TA(2009)0391 European Parliament resolution of 7 May 2009 on Iran: the case of Roxana Saberi (2010/C 212 E/16) The European Parliament, — having regard to its previous resolutions on Iran, in particular those concerning human rights, — having regard to UN General Assembly Resolution 63/191 of 18 December 2008 on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, — having regard to the Report of the UN Secretary-General of 1 October 2008 on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, — having regard to the EU Presidency Statement of 10 April 2009 on developments in the case of Roxana Saberi and the Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the EU of 20 April 2009 concerning the sentence of Miss Roxana Saberi, — having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, to all of which Iran is a party, — having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure, A. whereas on 18 April 2009 the Iranian Revolutionary Court pronounced an eight-year prison sentence against Roxana Saberi, an American-Iranian journalist, who worked for a number of organisations, including ABC radio, the BBC, the South African Broadcasting Corporation and NPR, for espionage, B. whereas Roxana Saberi had no access to a lawyer for five weeks and has not been given a fair and transparent trial, C.
    [Show full text]
  • The Islamic Republic at 31
    The Islamic Republic at 31 Post-election Abuses Show Serious Human Rights Crisis Copyright © 2010 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 1-56432-601-2 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA Tel: +1 212 290 4700, Fax: +1 212 736 1300 [email protected] Poststraße 4-5 10178 Berlin, Germany Tel: +49 30 2593 06-10, Fax: +49 30 2593 0629 [email protected] Avenue des Gaulois, 7 1040 Brussels, Belgium Tel: + 32 (2) 732 2009, Fax: + 32 (2) 732 0471 [email protected] 64-66 Rue de Lausanne 1202 Geneva, Switzerland Tel: +41 22 738 0481, Fax: +41 22 738 1791 [email protected] 2-12 Pentonville Road, 2nd Floor London N1 9HF, UK Tel: +44 20 7713 1995, Fax: +44 20 7713 1800 [email protected] 27 Rue de Lisbonne 75008 Paris, France Tel: +33 (1)43 59 55 35, Fax: +33 (1) 43 59 55 22 [email protected] 1630 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 500 Washington, DC 20009 USA Tel: +1 202 612 4321, Fax: +1 202 612 4333 [email protected] Web Site Address: http://www.hrw.org February 2010 1-56432-601-2 The Islamic Republic at 31 Post-election Abuses Show Serious Human Rights Crisis Executive Summary ............................................................................................................ 1 Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 4 Violence against Peaceful Protestors Following the Election ........................................... 4 Raids in Residential Areas ..............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Medical Concern
    EXTERNAL AI Index: MDE 13/28/90 Distrib : PG/SC Date: 4 December 1990 MEDICAL CONCERN Dr Fatemeh Izadi IRAN Amnesty International is calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Dr Fatemeh Izadi, a female doctor arrested in 1983 and sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment following a summary trial. In August 1990 she was among some 50 women prisoners who accepted offers of unconditional temporary release from the authorities at Evin Prison, Tehran, where they are held. However, most of the women temporarily released, including Dr Izadi, were returned to Evin Prison by October 1990. Dr Izadi was a supporter of the Organization of Iranian People's Fedayan (Majority) [OIPF], a left-wing political party which was legal at the time of her arrest. She was arrested in February 1983, at the same time as her husband, Fariborz Salehi, for activities in support of the OIPF. Her husband was one of thousands of political prisoners who were executed in Iran in late 1988. Dr Izadi had previously been a political prisoner under the Shah. She is now aged approximately 40 and is reported to have developed tuberculosis while in prison. During her brief temporary release earlier this year she was required to report periodically to the authorities at Evin prison and was returned to the prison on 20 October 1990. Background Following the 1979 revolution in Iran the religious leadership, made up primarily of mullahs (Islamic clergymen), assumed the dominant position in Iranian politics. In 1981 the People's Mojahedine Organization of Iran took up arms against the government and thousands of its supporters were imprisoned, tortured and executed in 1981 and 1982, together with supporters of many other opposition groups.
    [Show full text]
  • APPENDIX: Cases of Prisoners of Conscience a Prisoner Of
    Udenrigsudvalget, Det Udenrigspolitiske Nævn 2009-10 URU alm. del Bilag 223, UPN alm. del Bilag 118 Offentligt APPENDIX: Cases of Prisoners of Conscience A prisoner of conscience is a person who has not used violence or advocated violence or hatred and is imprisoned or placed under other physical restriction (for example, house arrest) because of their political, religious or other conscientiously held beliefs, ethnic origin, sex, colour, language, national or social origin, economic status, birth, sexual orientation or other status. Hengameh Shahidi, a female journalist, began serving her six-year prison sentence on 25 February 2010 after an appeal court upheld her conviction for charges related to her political and journalistic activities. She is held in Evin Prison, Tehran. Hengameh Shahidi who was an advisor on women’s issues to defeated presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi during his election campaign and is a member of his National Trust party, was arrested on 30 June 2009 and released on bail in November. Ahmad Zeidabadi, a journalist and spokesperson for the Graduates’ Association which has promoted reform and greater respect for human rights, was arrested on 21 June 2009 and held incommunicado in Evin Prison until his appearance on 8 August 2009 at the second session of a mass “show trial”. He was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment in December 2009, five years of which are to be spent in internal exile in the city of Gonabad, and a lifetime ban on all social and political activities. At the end of January 2010, he was transferred to Reja’i Shahr Prison, where most non- political prisoners are housed.
    [Show full text]