Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro
de la Prensa-Basm Ozeti
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IRAN
Main Cases
Emecleddln BAQI
Profession: Journalist with the now suspended daily Fath. Date of
arrest: 29 May 2000 Sentence: Five-and-a-half years in prison,
commuted to three years on appeal. Expires: 28 May 2003 Details of
arrest: Emadeddin Baqi was imprisoned on 29 May 2000 after a hearing
before the press court. The Ministry of Information is believed to have
begun legal proceedings against Baqi on 19 March 2000 for publishing
information about the 12 March 2000 assassination attempt on Said
Ha.liarian, editor of the reformist daily Sohb-e Emrouz. Baqi is said to
have appeared before the Revolutionary Press Court on 2 April 2000 and
charged for acting against an order issued by the Ministry of Information
forbidding the press from publishing "any unofficial information,
rumours, as well as the foreign press' tendatious analyses of Ha.liarian's
attackers". Baqi had been out on bail since the trial began in a closed
court on I May 2000. Details of trial: He was reportedly convicted on 17
July 2000 on a number of charges stemming from his critical writings,
including articles that "questioned the validity of ...Islamic law". "threatening
national security", and "spreading unsubstantiated news stories".
The charges are believed to be based on complaints lodged by a number
of government agencies, including the Intelligence Ministry, the Islamic
Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), and former security officials,
concerning a series of articles published by Baqi in Neshat implicating
Iranian officials in the murders in recent years of a number of intellectuals
and dissidents. The daily Neshat was replaced by Fath when the
former was closed down in September 1999.His sentence was commuted
to three years on appeal on 22 October 2000. Place of detention: Evin
Prison, Tehran. Reported to have been granted five days home leave from
jail on 5 December 200 1.
Hoßatol •• lam Haaan Youaetl ESHKEVARI
D.o.b.: 1950 Profession: Researcher and journalist. Director of the Ali
Shariati Research Centre and contributing editor of the newspaper lran-e
Farda. which was banned in April 2000. Date of arrest: 5 August 2000
Detalls of arrest: Eshkevari was arrested at his home, a few hours after
he flew into Tehran from a trip to Europe. He was one of a number of
Iranian writers, journalists and acadeDÙcs who attended a conference at
the Heinrich Boil Institute in Berlin on 7-9 Apri12000 entitled "Iran after
the elections", at which political and social reform in Iran were publicly
~bated. Th~ c0nt:erence was marked by strong protests by Iranian polit-
Ical ~roups ID exIle, and members of the Iranian judiciary apparently
consider attendance at the conference to be "harmful to national security".
Esbkevari reportedly learned that a warrant had been issued for his
arrest shortly after the conference, and had since been staying in
Germany and France. Many other proDÙnent Iranian intellectuals who
~ttend~ the Berlin co~eren.ce were arrested and charged, including
journalist Akbar Ganjl, wnter, lawyer and human rights activist
Mehrangiz Kar, publisher Shahla Lahiji, translator and journalist Khalil
Rostamkhani, editor Ezatollab Sababi, and publisher Shahla Sherkat,
who have all been sentenced and are main cases of International PEN
(see below). Details of trial: Esbkevari's trial began behind closed doors
on 7 October 2000 in the Special Court for the Clergy. He is believed to
h~ve been charged with "acting against national security" in connection
WItha speech he gave at the conference, "defaming government officials
!n arti.cles", "starting ~ ~paign against the system", and "denying and
IDsulung the holy religIon of Islam". He was also additionally charged
with "declaring war on God", "being corrupt on earth", and apostasy, and
these latter three charges carry the death penalty. His trial ended on 17
October 2000 and he was reportedly convicted but to date no information
has been made public about what sentence was passed on him. The
outcome of an appeal scheduled for 26 November 2000 has also not been
disclosed, although his death sentence is believed to haye been
commuted. On 10 !uly 200 I, after eighty days of being held incommunicado,
he was permitted a meeting with his fanùly, who reported that new
charges appear to have been filed against him at the Special Court for the
Clergy, although no further details are known at this stage. Health
concerns: Esbkevari is an insulin-dependent diabetic, and there are
unconfirmed reports that he has been unable to obtain insulin in custody.
Place of detention: Transferred from Evin Prison to another detention
centre on or around 12 April 2001. The court said he would be moved
back to Evin Prison in DÙd-July2001. Said to have been allowed to spend
two days with his fanùly in early December 2001. Honorary member
of: Canadian, Danish, Ghanaian, American and English PEN Centres.
AkbarGANJI
Profession: Journalist. Date of arrest: 22 April 2000 Sentence: 6 years'
imprisonment. Expires: 21 April 2006 Details of arrest: Arrested
following his participation in an acadeDÙc and cultural conference held
in Berlin on 7-9 April 2000 entitled "Iran after the elections", at which
political and social reform in Iran were publicly debated. Place of detention:
Evin Prison. Treatment in prison: Detained incommunicado for
80 days, and allegedly tortured in detention. Reportedly staged a hunger
strike in protest at his treatment in prison. Reported to have been allowed
horne on parole for five days on 5 December 2001. Details oUrial: Trial
started on 9 November 2000 at the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. On 13
January 2001 he was sentenced by Bench 3 of Tehran 's Revolutionary
Court to ten years' imprisonment plus five years' internal exile, four
yèars for his attendance at the conference and six years for other charges,
including "spreading propaganda against the Islamic regime", for a series
of articles he had written implicating leading figures in the murders of
several dissidents and intellectuals in the DÙd-late90's. On 15 May 2001
an appeal court reduced his 10-year sentence to six months and overturned
his additional sentence of five years internal exile. However,
although he had served the entire sentence, the Tehran judiciary challenged
~e ~ court decision ~d brought new charges against him in
connectlon With newspaper arucles he wrote prior to April 2000.
Senten~ed on 16 Ju~y 2~)()l to s~x years' imprisonment on charges of
collectlng confidential informatlon harmful to national security and
spreading propaganda against the Islamic system. Professional details:
Author of the best-selling book Dungeon of Ghosts, a collection of
Ganji's newspaper ~cles published in early 2000, in which he implicated
the former president, Akbar HasheDÙ Rafsanjani, and other leading
conservative figures in the "serial murders" of 1998. The book is said to
have seriously ~ged l:he reputation o~ Rafsanjani, and is thought to
have been a major factor IDthe conservaUve defeat in the parliamentary
elections of February 2000. Health concerns: Reported on 21 May 2001
to have been taken to hospital for medical tests. His condition is believed
to be poor, but not serious. Other information: Recipient of the
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) 2000 International
Press Freedom Award. Honorary member of: Canadian American and
English PEN Centres.
'
Abdollah NOURI
Profession: Managing director of daily Khordad. Date of Arrest: 28
November.l~. ~entence: Sentenced to five years' imprisonment and
fined 15 nùlhon nals (about US$8,600). Expires: 27 November 2004.
Details of arrest: Sent to prison the day after his sentence was handed
down. De~ o~ Trial: .Tried by the Special Court for the Clergy.
Accused of msulung offiCIals of the Islamic Republic, spreading false
reports and propagating against the Islamic system in Khordad's news
coverage. Also accused of promoting friendly relations with the U.S. On
1-4 November 1999 appeared in a special clerical court to face these
charges. On November Il 1999 it was reported by the jury that he had
been found guilty on 15 out of 20 charges. He was sentenced on 27
November 1999. Professional Details: A former Minister of the Interior
and Vice Preside~t; a close. ally of President KhataDÙ's. Had resigned
from the Tehran City Council and had declared his intention to run in the
Parliamentary elections in February 2000. Other Information: AI
Prisoner of Conscience.
"amakPOURZAND
D.o.b.: 1930 Profession: Journalist and film critic. Date of arrest: 24
November 2001. Details of arrest: Siamak Pourzand went DÙssing on
24 November 2001, and there are unconfirmed reports that he has been
arrested by the Iranian inte1lige~ce se~ices. It is thought that his disappearance
~ay be co~ected to hiS posltlon as manager of the Majmue-ye
Farrhangl-ye Honan-ye Tehran, a cultural centre for writers artists and
intellectuals. Pourzand is also known for his articles critical of the
Islamic regime, and is said to have been recently working with Iranian
foreign-based media. His .d~tention has not to date been officially
acknowledged by the authontles, although on 7 December 2001 his sister
was reportedly told to bring a change of clothes for him to the Ostad
Motahhari Street Office of the COmDÙtteefor Propagation of Virtue and
Prohi~ition of Vice. This organisation maintains discipline on matters of
morahty, such as dress codes, consumption of alcohol and mixing of the
sexes. Health concerns: Pourzand suffers from diabetes and a heart
complaint. Other information: Siamak Pourzand is the husband of
writer and lawyer Mehrangiz Kar (see below).
Khalil ROSTAMKHANI
D.o.b.: 1953 Profession: Translator and journalist with the Daily News
and Iran Echo. Date of arrest: 8 May 2000 Sentence: 9 years' impriso~ent,
reduced to eight years on appeal. Detalls of arrest: Detained for
hls.m~olvement i~ the Berlin conference held on 7-9 April2000 at the
Hemnch Böll InstItute. Details of trial: Rostamkhani appeared in court
?n 9 No~e"!ber 2000 .. He is t~ought. to be charged with being a
mohareb (fighter agamst god), havmg 'received and distributeè
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