Severe Beating and Transfer of Kurdish Prisoner Mostafa Salimi to Solitary Cell

(8 March 2012) — The Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (IHRDC) has received reports that on Monday, March 5, Mostafa Salimi—a Kurdish political prisoner sentenced to execution and currently held at Saqqez prison—got into a scuffle with prison authorities. The cause of the disturbance related to Salimi’s request for prison authorities to purchase certain items from the “Prison Café”—a store selling basic goods and provisions to prisoners that operates on credit (see prison regulations regarding operation of the store below)—and which Salimi helped manage. Although Salimi reportedly credited the authorities for the items, they did not procure the items requested, which prompted the scuffle. As a result, prison guards severely beat Salimi, bound his hands and feet, and threw him inside a solitary cell. In the days since the transfer Salimi has not been permitted any phone calls or visitation with his family.

Mostafa Salimi was arrested on April 6, 2003 in Nahavand for moharebeh (or “waging war against God”) and cooperation with the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), a Kurdish political party. According to sources close to Salimi, he has been physically and mentally tortured during his detention and incarceration and his court hearing only lasted 15 minutes.

The charges against Salimi include two separate incidents of armed combat during which two police officers were killed. He has also been charged with 18 years of unarmed activity for PDKI in Iran and five years of armed activity for the group in Iraqi Kurdistan and its border areas.    

He currently suffers from a serious infection of the kidneys, back and knee pains, and problems with his vision. Sources close to Salimi have told IHRDC that the prison authorities have not permitted Mr. Salimi to visit a doctor and instead he is merely provided painkillers for his ailments.

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Executive regulation of state prisons and security and corrective measures organization passed on Dec 11 2005

• Article 87: Convicts and suspects are not allowed to keep cash inside the prison. Authorities must take measures so that they can provide their necessities from stores by their credit. Regulations about this article will be notified to general offices of prisons by the organization.
  • Note: If cash or check are found, if the convict has used them for religiously banned uses like gambling or bribery, the money will be confiscated and it will be reported to the supervising judge of the prison and if it has not been used for religiously banned purposes, the issue will be noted in the ethics council and the money will be deposited to his account and about checks, necessary decision will be made according to the case.
• Article 98: In the organization or prison, necessary stores will be made funded by the board of cooperation, industry and professional training of prisoners of the country or the prison and the head of the prison or organization will supervise them as he is responsible for security.
  • Note 1: Determination of the authorized goods for sale in the stores of the prisons will be done by the head of the prison by necessity of maintaining hygiene and security of the prison and the prices will be fair daily prices.
  • Note 2: The goods of the stores in the prisons must not be more expensive than the fair daily price of goods and if necessary, the goods of the cooperation office will be sold on the price of the cooperation office.
  • Note 3: The form of goods with fair prices will be made on a board and will be put at the entrance of the store, visible to everybody, with signature of the manager of the stores of the prison.
  • Note 4: The heads of prisons are required to have complete observation on the prices of goods and introduce violators in cases of violation to the related authorities.
• Article 99: Convicts and visitors can buy their necessities from the stores inside the prison unless the prisoner is banned from this action for ethics or doctor orders.
  • Note: Sale of luxurious goods, drugs and electronic appliances in the stores of prisons and organizations is prohibited.