Sayed Ziaoddin Nabavi: Free the Prisoner of Conscience

          
          SAYED
          ZIAODDIN (ZIA)
          NABAVI
          IRAN
          ONE YEAR ON
          FREE
          THE PRISONERS
          _____________ OF CONSCIENCE
          AMNESTY
          INTERNATIONAL
        

          
          PLEASE HELP
          SAYED ZIAODDIN (ZIA) NABAVI
          Zia Nabavi, aged about 27, is a member of the Council to
          Defend the Right to Education, a body set up in 2009 by
          students barred from further study because of their political
          activities. He was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment and
          74 lashes in January 2010. He is a prisoner of conscience,
          held solely for the peaceful exercise of his rights to freedom
          of expression and association and because he is a relative of
          members of the banned People's Mojahedin Organization of
          Iran (PMOI), currently based in Iraq.
          Zia Nabavi was arrested on the night of 14 June 2009,
          shortly after attending a mass protest against the previous
          day's announcement that incumbent President Mahmoud
          Ahmadinejad had won the presidential election. Among
          others arrested at the same time was his cousin Atefeh
          Nabavi, herself now sentenced to four years in prison for
          attending a demonstration. He says that he was beaten,
          kicked, insulted and humiliated during his interrogation.
          Held since then in Evin Prison, Tehran, Zia Nabavi was
          sentenced in January 2010 to three years for agathering
        

          
          ‘Every person is, without a doubt, responsible for
          their own actions. Therefore, condemning someone
          for the actions and records of his relatives is illegal
          and unjust If such a condemnation was justified,
          there would be no innocent person on earth...'
          Sayed Liaoddin Nabavi in a letter to Iran's Head of the Judiciary, February 2010
          and colluding against national security”; one year for
          “propaganda against the system”; one year for “disturbing
          public order”; as well as 10 years for “links to and co-
          operation with the PMOI” to be served in internal exile in
          lzeh, Khuzestan province. He was also sentenced to 74
          lashes for “creating unease in the public mind”.
          The Iranian authorities have claimed that the PMOI and other
          groups were responsible for organizing the post-election
          demonstrations. Zia Nabavi denies all the charges, stressing
          that he has never had contact with the PMOI and has been
          extremely careful never to give the impression of doing so,
          since he has relatives living in PMOI-run camps in Iraq. His
          family cannot afford the extremely high bail set for his release
          pending appeal.
          Zia Nabavi was previously arrested while studying at
          Mazandaran University, and was later barred from resuming
          his studies.
        

          
          ACT NOW
          WRITE POLITELY WORDED LETTERS
          TO THE HEAD OF THE JUDICIARY:
          • calling for Sayed Ziaoddin Nabavi to be
          released immediately and unconditionally as
          he is a prisoner of conscience, held solely for
          peacefully exercising his rights to freedom of
          expression, association and assembly;
          • urging that Sayed Ziaoddin Nabavi is not
          subjected to the cruel punishment of
          flogging;
          • urging that while imprisoned, he is
          granted access to his family, his lawyer and
          to adequate medical care;
          • calling for an immediate, thorough and
          impartial investigation into reports that
          Sayed Ziaoddin Nabavi was beaten, kicked
          and insulted during his interrogation 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)