Prosecutor Lied; Marashi Arrested

While journalists, civil society and political activists in Iran continue to face arrest and harsh convictions, former presidential candidate and vocal regime critic who heads the National Trust party (Etemad Melli) Mehdi Karoubi warned, “Continuing to arrest and imprison political and civil society activists deepens the crisis in the Islamic Republic.”  Meanwhile, despite a declaration from Tehran’s prosecutor, former MP and a vice-president Hossein Marashi who is currently the spokesperson for the Kargozaran Sazandegi (Servants of Construction) party was arrested.

According to the website Saham News, the official website of the National Trust party, Karoubi, who was meeting with the family of Emadeddin Baghi - the prominent investigative journalist and human rights activist - demanded the release of all post-election political prisoners, declaring, “The regime must resolve the issue of political prisoners.”

Baghi was scheduled to be released on the eve of the Iranian new year - March 21, 2010 - after posting bail, but the prosecutor halted his release.  

Marashi’s Arrest and Prosecutor’s U-Turn

Hossein Marashi was arrested yesterday even thought his request for a 24-hour extension of temporary release had been granted.  

According to a Rooz reporter, Hossein Marashi was arrested on March 19, 2010 to serve a one-year prison sentence but was released two days later for the new year’s holidays.  Mr. Marashi’s family told Rooz that Marashi had requested and was granted a one-day extension of his temporary release in order to see his newly-born grandchild.  

According to this report, Mr. Marashi received a call from the prosecutor’s office two days ago asking him to visit the office for a meeting with the prosecutor.  He was arrested at that meeting, even though his extension request had been previously granted.  

It is not yet clear where Marashi is being held.  He was held in Ward 240 of Evin Prison after his arrest on March 19.  Meanwhile, it was announced that the case of Hassan Lahouti Ashkevari (Faezeh Hashemi’s son) has been sent to Tehran’s revolutionary court for further investigation involving national security charges.  

Lawyer Released

Lawyer and Kurdish civil activist Mokhtar Zareie was released yesterday after spending 80 days behind bars.  According to Zareie’s lawyer, he has been charged with disseminating propaganda against the regime.  

Mohammad Nourizad on Trial Today

Writer and filmmaker Mohammad Nourizad, who has been behind bars since December 20, 2009, will face trial today.  Nourizad’s family members hope to see him after 107 days of incarceration.  

Eleven Years for Abolfazl Abedini

Human rights activist Abolfazl Abedini-nasr was sentenced by the Ahwaz revolutionary court to 11 years imprisonment.  One piece of evidence included in Abolfazl Abedini’s court record is his business card for his position as the “public relations director for the Committee of Human Rights Lawyers in Iran.”  

Babak Khorramdin Under Pressure

Student and blogger seyyed Hassan Ronaghi has been held in inhumane conditions at the Alef Ward of the Revolutionary’s Guards detention center since December 13, 2009.  He has been allowed to visit his family once since his arrest and he is under heavy physical and psychological pressure to confess on television.  The family of this blogger, who blogs under the pen name Babak Khorramdin, is under heavy pressure not to disseminate any information about their son’s critical condition.