March 4, 2011

The Committee for the Defense of Political Prisoners – 59 political prisoners in Rajai Shahr ‘Gohardasht’ prison released a statement announcing that they have launched an indefinite hunger strike since Tuesday morning. The hunger strike is in protest to the suppression of the Iranian people’s righteous resistance and against the limitations imposed inside the prison.

According to The Student Committee in Defense of Political Prisoners (SCDPP), the message of the political prisoners was delivered to the organization with great difficulty. In the message, the prisoners cited the following reasons for launching the indefinite hunger strike: the widespread crackdowns on political prisoners; the great limitations inside the prison; the severance of all contacts between prisoners and their families; the mistreatment, insults and disrespectful behaviour toward the prisoners; the brutal repression of the Iranian people’s resistance; and the arrest of the [opposition] political leaders.

Based on the received information, the political prisoners in ward 4, the newly established special security hall of Rajai Shahr prison, are under strict control of the security organizations. All contacts between prisoners are severely repressed.

The recent limitations imposed in this ward are intended to put additional pressure on the exiled prisoners of conscience. Some of these restrictions include, beatings and physical assault, limitations on in-person visits, complete severance of phone contacts, threats of secret executions, threats of transfer to solitary confinement, refusal to provide adequate and proper medical attention, and threats of rape. It appears that prison officials, particularly Nabiollah Farajinejad, the deputy security head of the prison, are applying these restrictions in complete coordination with judicial and security officials.

Nabiollah Faraji is a former interrogator and torturer at Evin prison. He is supported by Ali Haj-Kazem, the director of Rajai Shahr prison, as well as judicial and security authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He is assigned the responsibility of putting pressure on political prisoners held in the special security section. Additionally, he has several unresolved case files in connection to the torture of prisoners.

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March 4, 2011

Tehran-March 2, 2011
The family of death row political prisoner Hamid Qasemi Shal has announced that this Iranian-Canadian man is in danger of execution. They have asked international institutions and all those who can help not to let the ‘blood of an innocent person be spilled’.
Qasemi Shal has been in prison since June 13, 2008 and has been sentenced to death by the 29th branch of the Revolutionary Court on charges of espionage and having links to the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran. His sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court and he is on the verge of execution because his request for amnesty was rejected.
His sister says that her brother was not involved in any political activities and that there is no evidence that proves the charges brought against him which has led to the death sentence.

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