August 13th, 2011 – [Kalame: Sara Pardis] – Contrary to the repeated claims by Tehran’s Prosecutor and  judicial authorities in Iran that all political prisoners have access to furlough [temporary leave from prison], many of these prisoners, particularly those who are supporters of the Green movement and were arrested following the post election turmoil, have either been denied of this right all together, or in many cases have not been granted furlough for at least a year.

According to reports received by Kaleme, some of these prisoners have been behind bars at Evin prison for more than 24 months without even one day of furlough.  Abdollah Momeni, Saeed Matinpour, Mohammad Davari, Abbas Nami, Bahman Ahmadi Amoui, Nezam Hasanpour, Emad Bahavar, Navid Kamran, Amir Khosro Dalirsani, Amir Bahmani, Majid Tamjidi, Hossein Ronaghi Maleki, are only some of the tens of political prisoners denied the right to furlough from prison.  It is worth mentioning that temporary leave from prison is amongst the fundamental rights of all prisoners under Iranian law and political prisoners are not excluded under this law.
In interviews Iran’s judicial authorities have repeatedly claimed that reports that political prisoners are denied furlough are nothing but rumors spread by anti revolutionary media outlets.
Though many political prisoners have been denied furlough at Evin prison, Rajai Shahr prison and other prisons across Iran, this report will focus on providing details on 22 political prisoners, denied furlough and behind bars at Evin’s Ward 350.  Kalame’s goal is to publish additional reports in the near future covering other political prisoners denied furlough.  As such, the content of this report pertains to only a group of political prisoners incarcerated at Evin’s Ward 350 and not all political prisoners behind bars in Iran.
1. Mohammad Davari is a journalist and editor of Saham News.  He was arrested and pressured into testifying against Mehdi Karroubi after Karroubi published a letter  addressed to the Assembly of Experts revealing the torture and atrocities that had occurred at Kahrizak prison.
Davari launched several hunger strikes during the more than seven months he was held in Evin’s Ward 209.  In a letter addressed to Tehran’s Prosecutor, Mehdi Karroubi took full responsibility for the documents and videos related to the torture that took place at Kahrizak prison, reiterating that Davari’s only role was filming the various interviews.
Davari has not only been denied furlough during the 2 years he has been behind bars at Evin, but he has also often been deprived of face to face visitations with his family.  Davari was also recently informed by prison authorities that his 5 year prison sentence had been increased to 6 years.
2. Navid Kamran is an ordinary citizen who protested against the presidential election results and was arrested during the demonstrations on Ashura in 2009.  Kamran was sentenced to 33 months in prison and 75 lashings  by the 26th branch of the Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Pir Abbasi. His sentence was later upheld by the 36th Appeal Court in Tehran.
To date, Tehran’s Prosecutor has continued to reject Kamran’s request for furlough and as a result Kamran has spent more than one year behind bars without even one day of leave from prison.   Kamran was one of the 64 prisoners who signed a letter bearing witness to the manner in which Hoda Saber had died while in prison.
3. Amir Bahmani is an ordinary citizen arrested as a result of participating in the peaceful demonstrations that followed the 2009 presidential elections.  Bahmani was sentenced to 3 years prison by the Revolutionary Court.  Despite numerous requests by Bahmani’s family, Tehran’s prosecutor has to date denied him furlough from prison.
4. Hossein Amini is an ordinary citizen arrested as a result of protesting the presidential election results in 2010. Amini has been behind bars since February 2009.  He was arrested while participating in demonstrations and sentenced to one year behind bars.  He has been denied furlough since his arrest and incarceration.
5. Ahmad Shahrezai was arrested on June 12th, 2010 and Tehran’s Prosecutor continues to deny him medical furlough from prison despite his need for medical treatment.   29 year old Shahrezai was arrested on Enghelab Street while participating in the demonstrations that took place on June 12th, 2009.  He is a supporter of the Green Movement and has endured 74 days in solitary confinement at Evin’s Ward 240.
6. Majid Tamjidi is a 37 year old labor activist sentenced to 18 months prison,  currently behind bars with 170 other political prisoners at Evin’s Ward 350.  Tamjidi was charged with colluding against the national security of the country, a charge that he has vehemently denied, for his activism is only on behalf of the labor rights and the demands of laborers.  Tamjidi is deprived of many of the rights such as furlough, afforded normal prisoners. His families requests to obtain him furlough have not led to any results to date.
7. Omid Sharifnia is an ordinary citizen who protested the presidential election results and was arrested during the Ashura demonstrations in Tehran in 2009.  Sharifnia was first sentenced to death based on confessions that were coerced under extreme pressure. His death sentence was later changed to 3 years in prison by the Appeals Court. Sharifnia was charged with “gathering and colluding against the national security of the country” and “propaganda against the Islamic Republic” through participation in most illegal demonstrations and “using a satellite”.  Despite numerous requests by his family, Tehran’s prosecutor has denied Sharifnia furlough to date. He is also often deprived of visitation with his family members.
8. Emad Bahavar is a head of the youth branch of the reformist group Nehzat-e-Azadi and a core member of the group “Supporters of Khatami and Mousavi” (3rd wave).  He was arrested on the May 28th, 2010 on charges of propaganda against the regime.
After several months behind bars at Evin prison, Bahavar a political activist was sentenced to 10 years prison. Farideh Gheyrat Bahavar’s lawyer stated at the time: “The sentence rendered by the 15th branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court against Mr. Bavar was upheld by the 54th Appeals Court of Tehran on January 8th, 2010.”  Bahavar’s lawyer criticized the precipitated sentence and lack of attention to the defense presented, adding: “My client was charged with gathering and colluding against the national security of the country, propaganda against the regime and membership in Nehzat-e-Azadi.  He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.”  Bahavar’s family have repeatedly requested furlough for their son, but the prosecutor’s office has denied him this right without presenting any reasons.
9. Abdollah Momeni a political and civil activist and spokes person for the student organization Advar Tahkim Vahdat, was arrested on the night of June 20th 2009 after the 10th presidential elections in the building of Mehdi Karroubi’s electoral headquarters on Vanak square.  Momeni was granted furlough in March 2010. He was transferred back to prison after refusing to cooperate with his interrogators and Intelligence Ministry agents and refusing to testify against the leaders of the Green Movement.  Since then, he has been deprived of furlough. In the past year and a half, Momeni has only been allowed to meet with his family three times and each visit has been from behind a cabin window.
Momeni, the spokesperson for the student group Advar Tahkim Vahdat was summoned to the 4th branch of the Evin’s security court one year after publishing a letter addressed to the Supreme Leader.  In his letter, Momeni complained about the torture he had endured during his arrest.  The last time he was summoned, Momeni was presented with new charges, namely “publishing lies and negatively influencing public opinion” . He  awaits sentencing on these new charges.
10.  Bahman Ahmadi Amoui It has been more than 2 years since journalist Bahman Ahmadi Amoui was incarcerated.  Ahmadi Amoui was arrested on June 20th, 2009 at his house and has been behind bars at Evin since his arrest.  Though he has been granted furlough once since his arrest, Ahmadi Amoui  has not left prison for the past 16 months. Additionally he has only been allowed face to face visitation with is family three times in the past year and a half.  Like many other families of political prisoners, Ahamadi Amoui’s family have repeatedly requested that the prosecutor’s office grant him furlough. Jowever, to date their requests have been denied, despite the $500,000 USD bail posted on his behalf.
Bahman Ahmadi Amoui was arrested and transferred to prison along with his wife journalist Jila Baniyaghoub on the night of June 20th, 2009 exactly one week after the controversial presidential elections.  He was transferred to the general Ward at Evin after being sentenced to 8 years and 4  months in prison and 34 lashings by the 28th branch of the Revolutionary Court presided over by Judge Pir Abbasi.  His sentence was later increased to 5 years by the Appeals Court. Ahmadi Amoui was charged with being editor of the website Khordad Nou and writing letters criticizing the economic policies of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s government in his personal website and for Sarmayeh newspaper.
11. Amir Khosro Dalirsani was arrested during the post election events in 20009 and transferred to Evin’s ward 350 after enduring two months in solitary confinement.  His trial was held at the 28th branch of the Revolutionary Court presided over by Judge Moghiseh on May 1st, 2010. He was charged with “gathering and colluding against the national security of the country” and sentenced to 4 years prison.  His sentenced was later upheld by the appeals court and announced to his lawyer on July 25th, 2010.
Dalirsani was granted a 6 day furlough from Evin in March of 2009, but since then all requests for furlough by his family have been denied.  In February 2011 he was transferred for a short while to the Intelligence Ministry’s Security Ward 209 at Evin prison as a result of his refusal to cooperate with Intelligence Ministry agents.
Dalirsani has continued his activism even while behind bars and has always been one of the signatories of the various statements that have been published from inside Evin’s Ward 350. The most famous of these statements was written by 14 political prisoners on the occasion of Mahmoud Ahamadinejad’s visit to the UN, demanding that a independent entity be established to look into the rigged presidential elections.  Dalirsani also participated in the hunger strike launched in protest of Hoda Saber’s death.
12. Abbas Nami  is an ordinary citizen who protested the results of the presidential elections and was arrested in the post election turmoil.  Nami was sentenced to 2 years prison by the Revolutionary Court and Tehran’s Prosecutor has refused to grant him furlough for quite some time.
Nami was one of the 64 signatories of the letter bearing witness to Hoda Saber losing his life as a result of being beaten on the 8th day of his hunger strike after having been transferred to the infirmary at Evin prison.
13. Kourosh Ghasemi  is a social activist who protested the presidential election results in 2009. Ghasemi was charged with participating in demonstrations by the supporters of the Green Movement and sentenced to 3 years prison. He has been denied furlough since his arrest and incarceration.
14- Amir Hossein Ghanbari Barzi  is a political prisoner arrested in Tehran on Ashura 2009 and transferred to Evin’s ward 350.  In a letter he recently wrote from Evin to his father, Ghanbari Barzi stated: “Be happy father for all those fathers who have taught their children to be free. Be happy for the boys and girls who have understood freedom and the meaning of liberty from their fathers. Be joyful for a generation that has chosen enlightenment.”
27 year old Ghanbari Barzi,  with a graduate degree in Civil Engineering was sentenced to 3 years prison and 70 lashings. He is also one of the 64 signatories of the letter testifying to the manner in which Hoda Saber died at Evin prison.
15. Hassan Asadi Zeidabadi*, a political activist and member of Advar Tahkim Vahdat student group, is one of the 12 political prisoners who launched a hunger strike protesting the martyrdom of Hoda saber. Asadi Zeiabadi is also one of the many political prisoners who has long been deprived of furlough from prison.  In a letter describing his reasons for this hunger strike Asadi Zeidabadi wrote: “We 12 political prisoners have decided to launch a hunger strike partially because of our protest against deceitfulness and lies. The truth is that we cannot deny what we saw with our own eyes. We cannot stand by idly knowing that our  honorable cellmate Hoda Saber was martyred as a result of negligence while they insist that he was not on a hunger strike. We cannot stand by idly and watch the martyrdom of Haleh Sahabi at her father Ezatollah Sahabi’s funeral ceremony.  We cannot stand by idly and watch them continue to publish lies in the national press in an effort to shirk off their responsibilities.”
Assadi Zeidababi was sentenced to 5 years prison by the 28th branch of the Revolutionary Court presided by Judge Moghiseh.
16- Saeed Matinpour is a journalist and social activist from Azarbayjan. Matinpour was sentenced to 8 years prison as a result of defending his right to study in his mother tongue (Azari). His trial like so many of the other 108 journalists and media specialists arrested and incarcerated  after the 2009 presidential elections was also presided over by Judge Salavati. Matinpour was charged with “connection with foreigners” and “propaganda against the regime”. Matinpour is currently in his second year behind bars at Evin. Much of his prison sentence to date has been spent in solitary confinement where the extreme pressure and torture he endured led to the development of a heart condition. Despite his ailment, Matinpour has spent more than 24 months behind bars without one day of furlough.
His wife Atiyeh Taheri has announced repeatedly that her husband has been denied access to  medical treatment and in particular denied access to heart specialists. According to Taheri, Matinpour has only been seen by the general physician at Evin prison and even that has happened sporadically.   Taheri has approached the judicial authorities on numerous occasions requesting medical furlough for her husband, but to date has not been able to obtain even a single day of temporary leave from prison for him.
17. Mohammad Sedigh Kaboudvand  was arrested and incarcerated on July 1st, 2007.  Sedigh Kaboudvand was charged with colluding against the national security of the country and the establishment of the Office of Human Rights Organization in Kurdistan and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was also charged with propaganda against the regime and sentenced to another year in prison, making his full prison sentence 11 years. His sentence was later reduced to 10 years by the 56th branch of the Appeals Court, when the charge of establishing the aforementioned organization was dropped.
According to Sedigh Kaboudvand’s family, despite the fact that he did not suffer from any ailments prior to his arrest and incarceration, during the 7 difficult and arduous months he spent in solitary confinement, Sedigh Kaboudvand developed pulmonary disease, kidney disease, a skin disorder and even suffered a mild  brain aneurysm. Despite his ailments, he has been deprived of furlough for a number of years and his family’s efforts to obtain him furlough have been fruitless.
18. Hossein Ronaghi Maleki  is a 25 year old student, web blogger and activist involved in fighting against online censorship. Rongaghi Maleki was arrested a few days after the controversial presidential elections in 2009 at his father’s residence and transferred to Evin prison.  He was sentenced to 15 years prison by the Revolutionary Court in Tehran and charged with “membership in the group Iran Proxy” and “insulting the supreme leader and the president” in his blog. His sentence was later upheld by the Appeals Court.
In recent months Ronaghi Maleki’s physical condition has been reported as dire and he is suffering from partial kidney failure as a result of the neglect by prison authorities. After repeated requests by his family and human rights activists and organizations such as The Islamic Human Rights Commission, Ronaghi Maleki was transferred in shackles to Hashemi Nejad hospital in Tehran where surgeons performed an operation on his kidneys in the late April this year. During his time in the hospital, Ronaghi Maleki, his family and his doctors were threatened by security agents leading  Ronaghi Maleki to launch a hunger strike after his surgery, despite his dire physical condition.  Ronaghi Maleki’s doctor has strongly recommended that he be temporarily released from prison in order to rest and recuperate. Security agents, however transferred Ronaghi Maleki back to Evin’s Ward 350 after his surgery. Despite posting a $280,000 USD bail in August last year, he has yet to be granted furlough from prison for even one hour.
19. Nezam Hassanpour This political prisoner has also been deprived from furlough despite the fact that his mother is ill.  Hassanpour was one of many Iranians arrested on Ashura in 2009. Though his  mother has cancer and has been hospitalized, judicial authorities continue to deny him furlough from prison.
Nezam Hassanpour is a 25 year old who like many others protested the election results in 2009.  According to the Islamic Republic’s penal code, prisoners with no prior record, are eligible for parole after serving half of their prison sentence. Given that Hassanpour does not have a prior record, he is eligible to take advantage of this law.  Hassanpour’s family live in a village in Kouhdasht and as a result of the long distance to Tehran and the lack of financial means are unable to regularly visit with their son. As a result Hassanpour is often alone in prison and given that all telephone contact has also been banned at this Ward, he is unable to even speak with this family.
20. Abolfazl Abedini Nasr  is a journalist and human rights activist, beaten and arrested in the city of Ahvaz in March 3rd, 2010. The Revolutionary Court in Ahvaz sentenced Abedini Nasr to 11 years prison. Later, Judge Moghiseh the head of the 26th branch of the Revolutionary Court  sentenced Abedini Nasr to an additional year. He is currently in Ward 350 at Evin and his family’s efforts to obtain furlough on his behalf has been fruitless.
21. Ramin Parchami  is an actor arrested in the peaceful demonstrations of the supporters of the Green Movement on the 14th of February. In addition to being an actor, Parchami directed a short movie by the name of “Solutions”. Parchami began his career by playing in a movie called “In Your Refuge” and a television series by the name of “Banquet”.  For a short period of time, he was also editor of the weekly newsletter “Naghsh Afarinan”.  Parchami is famous for his roles in television series such as In Your Refuge, Neighbors, Under the Skies of City 3 and movies such as Banquet, Protest, Telephone, Grey and Mother’s Guest. Parchami has also been deprived of furlough from prison.
22. Abolfazl Ghadyani  is a senior member of the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization (reformist organization not to be confused with the MKO). Ghadyani was arrested in January 2010, after the turmoil during Ashura and released after two months behind bars.  Ghadyani a reformist was charged with “propaganda against the regime” in a closed door trial presided by Judge Moghiseh and sentenced to 1 year in prison.  He was also fined $10,000-USD for insulting Ahmadinejad.  Ghadyani was one of the 12 political prisoners who launched a hunger strike protesting Hoda Saber’s death. He was transferred to the infirmary at Evin on numerous occasions as a result of this hunger strike. According to his wife, Ghadyani suffers from heart disease. Ghadyani was also arrested and incarcerated in the Savak prisons (Shah’s secret police).  Tehran’s Prosecutor has refused to grant Ghadyani medical furlough from prison. He is reported as being in dire physical condition.
His wife Zahra Rahimi has stated: “They themselves [the government officials] said that he must be transferred to the ICU, so I don’t understand why they won’t take any actions.  It’s as though they want him to suffer the same fate as Hoda Saber. Four days have passed. I am very concerned and desperate. I have no place and no one to turn to.”
Souce: Kaleme: http://www.kaleme.com