Thirteen political prisoners held at Qezel Hesar Prison in Karaj were relocated to an undisclosed facility yesterday, September 20.
According to a source with ties to one of the prisoners’ families, relatives are in the dark about their current whereabouts.
On September 3, these prisoners were transferred from Evin Prison to Qezel Hesar. The next day, they embarked on a hunger strike to protest their move to this prison and heavily fortified and ill-equipped Unit 3.
During the transfer, some of these detainees were compelled to leave behind essential items, including medications. Their families and advocates express growing concerns about their welfare.
The prisoners include:
Saeed Masouri: Arrested on January 8, 2001, on charges related to alleged membership in The People’s Mujahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) in Dezful County. Initially sentenced to death, his punishment was later commuted to life imprisonment in 2002.
Afshin Baymani: Arrested on September 5, 2000. He was sentenced to death by the Tehran Revolutionary Court for “enmity against God through collaboration with the MEK.” Later, his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.
Hamza Savari Laftah: Arrested on September 2, 2005, at the age of 16. The Revolutionary Court in Ahvaz sentenced him to death on charges of “spreading corruption on Earth, enmity against God, and acting against national security.” Ultimately, his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.
Motaleb Ahmadian: Arrested on October 5, 2010, and subsequently sentenced to 30 years in prison by the Tehran Revolutionary Court for “enmity against God through membership in a political opposition party.”
Saman Seydi (Yasin): Arrested on October 2, 2022, during nationwide protests in Tehran. Initially sentenced to death for “enmity against God, and assembly and collusion against national security” by the Public and Revolutionary Court in Tehran. However, his sentence was later overturned by the Supreme Court, and his case was referred back to the lower court for further review.
Zartosht Ahmadi Ragheb: Arrested in March 2023 and incarcerated in Evin Prison. The Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced him to five years and eight months in prison, with five years enforceable, along with additional penalties.
Ahmadreza Haeri: Arrested by security forces on June 27, 2022, and subsequently released. He was later sentenced to three years and eight months in prison by the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. Recently, due to a new case filed against him during his imprisonment, he received an additional three months and one day in prison by the Criminal Court in Tehran.
Kamyar Fakour: Arrested on November 6, 2022, during nationwide protests. Subsequently, the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced him to eight months in prison, in addition to reactivating his prior eight-month suspended jail term.
Reza Salmanzadeh: Arrested by security forces at his residence on May 12, 2022. He was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison by the Tehran Revolutionary Court.
Jafar Ebrahimi: A dedicated teacher union activist, arrested on April 30, 2022, and incarcerated in Ward 209 of Evin Prison. In late October 2022, the Tehran Revolutionary Court issued a four-year sentence on charges of “assembly and collusion against national security” and an additional one-year term for “propaganda against the regime.” Moreover, Ebrahimi received a two-year ban on leaving the country and from participating in political and civil organizations. His sentence, which included four years of enforceable imprisonment, was upheld upon appeal.
Lughman Aminpour, Sepehr Imam Jomeh, and Masoud-Reza Ebrahimi Nejad were previously sentenced to imprisonment for political charges.
