15 Oct 2009

Brutal and Organized Attack on Political Prisoners

On October 14, 2009, according to news from ward 350 of Evin Prison, last night some non-violent and violent prisoners were lectured in Hosseinie ward 350. They were provoked to attack the political prisoners.
Wednesday night, 150 prisoners were gathered in ward 350 of Evin Prison, and a religious ceremony was performed.

Mullah Roghani, previously arrested for fraud, performed the ceremony. He began by preaching to the prisoners. He called political prisoners cowards and said that taking their lives is Mobah (not forbidden and well-received by God). He added that anyone who kills the political prisoners would be guaranteed entrance to heaven, and also deserves a reward in his life, just like the Vali Faghih has said.

The preaching started at 8:10 pm and went on until 9:00 pm. Using statements from the Quran and quotes from Imams, mullah Roghani motivated and provoked the prisoners to attack the political prisoners.

After the speech, Mullah Roghani and a man named Moslem NajafAbadi, an agent of the government who was also arrested for fraud, marched alongside the 150 prisoners toward the cells of the political prisoners. As they marched, they shouted slogans such as “Death to cowards” and “Death to anti-Vali Faghih.”

The attackers attempted to get into the cells of the political prisoners and fight them. This violent acts continued until 9:30 p.m.

Two days before the attack on the political prisoners, Mullah Roghani and Moslem Najafabadi, along with a few of the dangerous prisoners, were taken to the security and information office of the prison. They were talked to for two hours. The authorities present at the security and information office of the prison were Mr. Sedaghat, the investigator of the ministry of information; and Mr. Bozorgnia, the head of ward 350. They were the ones who planned how the attack would go down. The regular prisoners had been told that they would get a free vote if they go along with the attack (with a free vote, the prisoner can spend the weekends and some other days outside the prison). They were also told that their punishments would decrease.

One of the regular prisoners tipped off the political prisoners about this vicious and inhumane attack. The political prisoners warned Sedaghat and Bozorgnia, holding them responsible for all consequences of such actions, but the reaction of Bozorgnia and Sedaghat to this confrontation was violent. The dense atmosphere, full of fright and insecurity, in ward 350, was created under the supervision of Bozorgnia.

Moslem Najafabadi tells the political prisoners, that from now on, he is going to be their supervisor. He added that they are obligated to do as he says, otherwise horrible consequences await them.

The investigators of the ministry of information, Mr. Sedaghat and Mr. Bozorgnia, are the main agents behind all the pressures and limitations of the political prisoners. It seems like all the pressures and limitations such as no health care, minimum contact with the families, doubling the number of the prisoners in the cells, horrible nutrition and hygiene, and creating an atmosphere full of fright and terror is not enough for them; now they have started provoking regular prisoners to attack the political prisoners.

Mullah Roghani, who is in prison for ethical issues and fraud, has been given the free vote for his anti-humanitarian acts, and he only returns to the prison on Tuesdays and Fridays at night to preach in ward 350. On all other nights he is free and out of prison. In ward 350, they have evacuated some of the cells, and they have put all the prisoners together.

At the moment, there are three political prisoners in ward 350 at Evin Prison. Mr. Ali Sameri, a 62 year old man arrested during the memorial for mass execution of political prisoners in 1988. He has been arrested four times and it has been 20 years that he is stuck in the prisons of this regime. Seyed Zohur Nabavi Chameshi is the second political prisoner. He is over 50 years old and a writer. He has been sentenced to four years in prison. The third political prisoner is Meiasgh Yazdan Nejad, a 22 years old university student.
The human rights activists and democratic activists of Iran, stand against the organization, provocation, and motivation of regular prisoners to attack the defenseless political prisoners. We warn those who are responsible for producing such an atmosphere for the political prisoners. We ask the heads human rights organizations to take immediate actions to save the lives of those political prisoners.

The human rights activists and democratic activists in Iran.
October 15, 2009
Please contact the following organizations to report the condition of the political prisoners:
The Great commission of Human Rights
Amnesty International
Human rights Scouting organization