Weekly Rights Podcast 35

In this week’s Weekly Rights Podcast: 100 political prisoners pardoned by Ayatollah Khamenei on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr; the Campaign, along with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi, speak out against the Iranian Central Bar Association for failing to come to the aid of its members; imprisoned journalist Keyvan Samimi requires immediate medical treatment; opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi’s family is deeply concerned about his physical and psychological state in isolated house arrest; popular young poet Hila Sedighi sentenced to 4 months in prison; American hikers Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal receive 8-year sentences on charges of illegal entry and espionage.

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Jailed Iranian Lawyer and Human Rights Defender: “The Justice System Is More Ruined Than Before”

Fatemeh Golzar, wife of lawyer and a founding member of the Defenders for Human Rights Center Mohammad Seifzadeh, spoke with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran about her husband’s case. “Mr. Seifzadeh believes that he has not committed any crime, but the case must be brought to court so that he can officially protest it. As far as I know, the case was sent from the Prosecutor’s Office to the court but has not yet arrived and it is not clear at which branch his case will be tried,” said Golzar.

Dozens of Post-Election Political Prisoners Released; Is there a Chance for Hundreds More?

Last Saturday, Tehran Prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi announced that on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will pardon 100 political prisoners. According to various sources, more than 30 inmates have been released over the past two days, among them a few students and political activists arrested in the aftermath of the 2009 presidential election.

Opposition Leader’s Safety in Danger as Karroubi Spends 42 Days in Complete Isolation

“Under the Manipulation of Psychiatrists to Make Televised Confession,” Source Says

(28 August 2011) Iranian Opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi is in grave danger of physical and psychological harm, as news of his complete isolation for the past 42 days emerged today, said the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. The Campaign called for his immediate release.

A credible source from inside Iran has told the Campaign that “Karroubi is surrounded by a team of psychiatrists working with his captors to force his mental state into agreeing to appear in front of cameras and make televised ‘confessions.’”

“We are extremely concerned for the health and well-being of Karroubi, who is 74 years old, and no one has heard from him for six weeks, not his wife, any family or associates,” said Hadi Ghaemi, the Campaign’s spokesperson.

Karroubi’s wife today said her husband was separated and moved to a new, tiny apartment on 1 August 2011 and that there has been no communication from him since 16 July 2011. Her interview was published on Karroubi’s official website Sahamnews.

Imprisoned Journalist in Need of Emergency Medical Treatment

A source close to the family of imprisoned journalist Keyvan Samimi, who is in his 60s, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that a tumor found in Samimi’s liver has caused grave concern to his family and he must be immediately hospitalized to prevent the tumor’s further growth. Judicial authorities continue to refuse furlough for Samimi and decline to comment on the reasons for the refusal.

Imprisoned Political Activist’s Health Deteriorates in Prison

Ali Tabarzadi, son of prisoner of conscience Heshmatollah Tabarzadi, told the International Campaign for Human Rights In Iran that his father’s health has deteriorated in prison, and that in the last few months he has experienced serious cardiac complications. Judicial authorities have refused his family’s request for his medical leave.

“I Hope They’re Freed By the End of Ramadan,” Says Americans’ Lawyer

After returning from the courtroom of Judge Salavati, Masoud Shafiee, lawyer to the three American hikers, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran on Sunday, August 21, that he had seen the ruling of the lower court for his clients and made notes of the cases, so that he can prepare for the [...]

Lacking Independence, Bar Association Remains Silent as Lawyers are Prosecuted

(24 August 2011) The Iranian Central Bar Association should come to the aid of embattled lawyers subjected to harassment, unfounded criminal charges or prison sentences for defending prisoners of conscience and advocating for human rights, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said today.

The International Bar Association and United Nations Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers should also intervene to defend Iranian lawyers facing persecution, added the Campaign.

Nasrin Sotoudeh Protests Family Abuse During Prison Visit

In an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Reza Khandan, husband of imprisoned human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, said that she refrained from attending her weekly visitation with her family for the second week. Following a five-hour detention of her family members and physical abuse of her sister by prison officers [...]

Kermanshah Cultural Figures Remain In Prison

One month after the the arrests of eight literary and cultural figures in Gilan Gharb city in Kermanshah Province, three of the detainees, Jamal Khani, Sina Bijanpour, and Maryam Amini, were transferred from the Kermanshah Intelligence Office Detention Center to the Quarantine Wards of Kermanshah’s Dizelabad and Women’s Prisons. Their charges and other legal details [...]