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)
