ABOLFAZI
ABEDINI NASR
IRAN
ONE YEAR ON
FREE
THE PRISONERS
_____________ OF CONSCIENCE
AMNESTY
INTERNATIONAL
PLEASE HELP
ABOLFAZI ABEDINI NASR
Abolfazi Abedini Nasr, a 28-year-old freelance journalist
and human rights activist from the southern province of
Khuzestan, is a prisoner of conscience held in [ yin Prison,
Tehran. He is serving an 11-year sentence imposed for
peacefully exercising his rights to freedom of expression and
association. He is also facing further unknown charges.
Abolfaz l Abed mi Nasr is a former public relations officer of
the non-governmental organization Human Rights Activists
in Iran, which investigates and publicizes human rights
violations, and a member of the Pan-Iranist party, a banned
political opposition party. On several occasions newspapers
have fired him under pressure from the authorities. He was
first detained for five months in 2005. He spent a further four
months in detention between November 2007 and February
2008 in connection with his reporting of the labour dispute at
the state-run Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Company. He was
sentenced in December 2007 to one year's imprisonment in
relation to his reporting but this is believed to have been
overturned on appeal.
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‘What crime has he committed that he
deserves to be tortured? Is defending the
rights of Haft Tapeh factory workers,
drivers' union workers, and other
organizations a crime?'
Asareh Eyvazi, Abolfazi Abedini Nasr's mother, in a lefferto Iran's Head of fhe
Judiciary, April 2010
Eighteen days after the disputed 12 June 2009 presidential
election he was again arrested. Nearly four months later, on
26 October, he was released on bail from Sepidar Prison,
Ahvaz. He was beaten by security officials during his rearrest
at his home in Ramhormuz, Khuzestan province on 3 March
2010, during a wave of arrests of human rights activists. Four
days later he was taken to Evin Prison.
His 11-year prison sentence relates to charges brought
against him after his arrest in 2009. He was sentenced in
March 2010 to five years for Ucontacts with enemy states”,
five years for ‘membership of an illegal organization” in
relation to his involvement with the organization Human
Rights Activists in Iran and one year for “propaganda against
the system” for talking to foreign media.
Abolfaz l Abed mi Nasr has a heart defect that requires
medication and frequent check-ups.
ACT NOW
WRITE POLITELY WORDED LETTERS
TO THE HEAD OF THE JUDICIARY:
• calling for Abolfazi Abedini Nasrto be
released immediately and unconditionally as
he is a prisoner of conscience, held solely for
peacefully exercising his rights to freedom of
expression and association;
• urging the Iranian authorities to ensure
that while imprisoned, Abolfaz l Abedini Nasr
is granted access to his family, his lawyer
and to adequate medical care;
• calling for an immediate, thorough and
impartial investigation into reports that
Abolfaz l Abedini Nasr was beaten during
arrest and for anyone found responsible for
torture or other ill-treatment to be brought to
justice promptly and fairly.
Send your letters to:
Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani
Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur Street, Vali Asr Avenue, south of
Serah-e Jomhouri
Tehran, 1316814731
Islamic Republic of Iran
Salutation: Your Excellency
Email: info@dadiran.ir, bia.judi@yahoo.com
(in the subject line: FAO Ayatollah Larijani)
Amnesty International
International Secretariat
Peter Benenson House
AlViN ESTY 1 Easton Street www.amnesty.org
London WC1X ODW May 2010
INTERNATIONAL United Kingdom Index: MDE 13/039/2010
