Stop Exiling Prisoners

Persons close to Zia Nabavi tell Rooz that following the publication of his shocking report from conditions at the Karoon prison in Ahwaz, Nabavi has been transferred to a prison facility that is maintained better, according to a telephone conversation with family and friends. Meanwhile, persons close to another jailed student, Majid Dori, report that he is held under harsh conditions at a prison in the city of Behbahan and need immediate access to medical care.

From Eleven-Year Prison Sentence to Exile

Majid Dori is a student activist and member of the Council for Defense of Right to Education. He was arrested last summer in Qazvin and sentenced to eleven years imprisonment on false charges of moharebeh [armed struggle against state], acting against national security, and disrupting public order. An appellate court reduced the prison sentence to six years, but upheld the portion of the sentence requiring Dori’s exile to a prison away from home. He is currently serving his term at the Izeh prison in Behbahan.

A person close to the jailed students tells Rooz, “Being far away from home and family is the biggest problem for Majid and his family. Majid’s conditions aren’t very good. Nothing has changed, things are as they were before. He is suffering from severe anemia and chronic headache, and the sanitary conditions at the prison as extremely horrific. Despite his need for immediate medical care, he hasn’t been transferred to a facility outside prison.”

According to this person, Majid’s family members “have been barred from speaking to the press about his condition.”

Letter Was Effective, Zia Was Transferred

Majid Dori, Zia Nabavi, and Mahdieh Golroo, along with several other members of the Council for Defense of Right to Education, were arrested during the 2009 presidential election season, and after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed in a live televised debate that no Iranian students were barred from continuing their education.

Reports indicate that Zia Nabavi, who wrote an open letter to judiciary officials last  week about the shocking conditions of the Karoon prison in Ahwaz, has been transferred to another prison in Ahwaz.

Zia Nabavi was sentenced by the revolutionary court 15 years imprisonment in exile and 74 lashes. An appellate court reduced the sentence to 11 years imprionmnet in exile.

Relatives of this exiled prisoner tell Rooz, “Zia’s letter grabbed the attention of judiciary’s officials, and prompted them to transfer him to a better facility. He contacted us from prison some time ago and said that he is happy with the new facility. He said that prison officials at the new facility are treating him with respect and have even given him visitation rights.”