Political Prisoner Behrouz Javid Tehrani Must Be Freed!
At 10:00am in the morning of Wednesday, November 10th 2010, Behrouz Javid Tehrani, a well known political prisoner, was sentenced to 74 lashes. Accordingto recent published reports, Behrouz lashed by Hassan Akharian, an interrogator infamous for being responsible for painful torture techniques and attacks against prisoners that would often leave them in a near death state.
Behrouz Javid Tehrani, the last political prisoner of the July 10th 1999 uprising, has continued to be kept in the worst, most solitary and inhumane conditions, many months in Evin and now for more than two years under the most barbaric torture methods in another infamous prison, Gohardasht prison. Behrouz has been kept in solitary confinement in section 1 of Gohardasht prison, a section known as the “doghouse”, for months now.
Behrouz was arrested in June 2005. After a long waiting time, he was sentenced to overall 7 years of prison for completely unsubstantiated charges of engaging in propaganda against the regime, disrespecting the supreme leader, and cooperation with revolutionary groups. On March 7, 2010, Behrouz was transferred to solitary confinement in Rajaishahr prison. While in solitary, since March 26th, 2010, Behrouz has also been under intense torture.
On March 30th, 2010, prison officials told Behrouz that they would be transferring him from solitary confinement to the ward for dangerous criminals. In protest to this, Behrouz started a hunger strike. On Monday April 12th, 2010, after 13 days of being on hunger strike and one month of solitary confinement, he succeeded to compel his prison guards to submit to his requests. He was taken from solitary confinement to a ward called “the end of the road”.
After consistent confrontations and inhumane measures, Behrouz asked for medication but was met with prison officials beating him more and taking him to an unknown location. Despite the limitations of prison, Behrouz was able to write a note from his cell while he was partly unconscious that described the dire conditions he was enduring and that he was transferred to a solitary cell infamous as the Special Suite Number 1 of Rajaishahr prison.
On July 2nd, prison officials acting on the orders of the Information Ministry, were told to indeterminately extend Behruz’s solitary confinement beyond the previous decision of only holding him in solitary until the end of the July 10 uprising anniversary. In the last note that Behrouz was able to get out of prison, Behrouz stated that he has been threatened to death and that his life is in grave danger.
Despite suffering a number of illnesses that he has acquired since being in prison, particularly hits to the skull in 2005 in section 209 of Evin prison, Behrouz has not been allowed any medication. Furthermore, he is not allowed to see or talk with his family over the phone or see his lawyer. During beatings, he has cracked his skull and is only allowed to use the washroom 2 times every 24 hours.
The Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran requests all human rights organizations to put pressure on the Islamic regime of Iran and prevent them from conducting any further crimes against humanity.
Behrouz Javid Tehrani and all political prisoners must be unconditionally freed and prison guards must be publicly prosecuted for crimes against humanity.
Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran (CFPPI)
November 12th, 2010
Take an action by sending a protest letter to the addresses below:
I/we express concern for the situation of Behrouz Javid Tehrani. I/we demand his immediate and unconditional release.
Name/ organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
City/country . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Leader of the Islamic Republic:
Ali Khamenei, The Office of the Supreme Leader
Shoahada Street,Qom, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: + 98 25 7774 2228
E-mail: info@leader.ir
Copy to: urgent-action@ohchr.org
catherine.ashton@ec.europa.eu
You can also send your protest letters to the
Iranian Embassy in your country.
Please send a copy for our record to: