Free Saeed Madani

UPDATE HRANA 24th July, 2013

Said Madani returned to prison

HRANA News Agency – Said Madani, the Melli – Mazhabi activist, has returned to the Evin prison after the surgical operation he had.

According to a report by Melli – Mazhabi website, Said Madani has returned to the prison after the surgical operation through which his gallbladder was taken out.

He is told to be suffering from gallbladder pain in the one recent year however the authorities did not allow him to be hospitalized since last week.

SOURCE ; HRANA
https://hra-news.org/en/said-madani-returned-to-prison

Lots of political and social activists visited him while he was in the hospital. Seyyed Mohammad Khatami was one of them.
_ _ _ _ _

UPDATE Radio Zamaneh 06/26/2013

Activists call for release of exiled sociologist

380 Iranian activists from various walks of life have issued a protest letter against the jail and exile sentence handed to sociologist Saeed Madani, who is a fellow activist.

Kaleme reports that the letter says the people’s political statement of recent weeks should have been a clear message to those in power to stop arrests and incarcerations that violate people’s freedom. However, the letter goes on to add that the security forces are continuing to put the interests of the powerful ahead of honesty and the protection of human rights.

Saeed Madani has been handed a six-year sentence in exile and an additional 10-year exile in Bandar Abbas for “acting against national security and propaganda against the regime.”

The statement goes on to add that, as activists from different walks of life, they are calling for the release of Saeed Madani and “look forward to his return to the hopeful community of academics and anticipate changes in the current approach to such activists.”

Source : Radio Zamaneh
http://archive.radiozamaneh.com/english/content/activists-call-release-exiled-sociologist

_ _ _ _ _ _

75-YEAR OLD SOCIOLOGIST SAEED MADANI SENTENCED TO SIX YEARS IN PRISON, 10 YEARS OF EXILE (LINK TO PETITION INCLUDED)

June 21, 2013-- A court in Iran has sentenced political activist Saeed Madani to six years in prison and 10 years of exile to the southern city of Bandar Abbas. He was sentenced for activities against national security and propaganda against the (Islamic system) . Saeed Madani, 75, is a researcher, sociologist and member of the Nationalist-Religious Front. He was arrested on January 7, 2012. After his arrest he suffered prolonged solitary confinement and denied contact with his family or lawyer.

SOURCE: Iran Daily Brief
http://www.irandailybrief.com/2013/06/21/two-political-activists-jailed/?utm_source=rss

UPDATE : Evin prisoners sent to solitary over complaints

Radio Zamaneh 04/28/2013

Ten Iranian political prisoners from ward 350 of Evin Prison have been transferred to solitary confinement. The Kaleme website reports that Saeed Madani, Abdollah Momeni, Khosro Delirsani, Abolfazl Abedini, Siamak Ghaderi, Mohammd Hassan Yousefpour, Saeed Abedini, Kamran Ayazi, Mohammd Ebrahimi and Pourya Ebrahimi were transferred to solitary on Sunday April 28.

The reason for the transfer, according to Kaleme, is the prisoners’ refusal to dismiss Saeed Madani as their representative.

Prison authorities had reportedly demanded that the prisoners assign a different representative, after Madani filed complaints regarding “the inappropriate treatment of prisoners and the situation in the prison store and the mishandling of accounts by its managers.” The report also indicates that Madani had called for the dismissal of an official who has repeatedly insulted prisoners’ family members during visitation hours.

The 10 prisoners are currently in solitary and deprived of any visiting rights. They have let it be known that if their current treatment persists, they will go on a hunger strike.
_ _ _ _ _

Kept in Solitary as Punishment, Says Imprisoned Activist’s Wife

JUNE 28, 2012

Political activist Saeed Madani, 74, remains in Evin Prison’s Ward 209 after having completed his interrogations. Mansoureh Ettefagh, Madani’s wife, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that he has likely undergone torture during his detention. She also said that his interrogators are keeping Madani in solitary confinement “to punish him.”

On 7 January 2012, authorities arrested researcher, sociologist and member of the Nationalist-Religious Front Saeed Madani outside of his home in Tehran. Since his arrest Saeed Madani has not been allowed to see his lawyer.

Mansoureh Ettefagh told the Campaign that Madani’s interrogators continue to illegally detain him in Ward 209:

Unfortunately, though his interrogations have been completed and the Prosecutor and the Investigative Judge from Branch 2 of Evin Prison Court have ordered his transfer to the General Ward, he has remained inside Ward 209 on request from his interrogators and ‘case specialists’ who are monthly asking for an extension of his ‘temporary detention.’ His interrogators wish to punish him because Saeed has not accepted the scenario they have built for accusing him. They have not accepted his interrogation sheets and would not allow him to be transferred to the General Ward. In fact they don’t want to accept the truth about him, they only want him to accept what they are saying against him.

“When I asked Saeed whether he had been beaten, he did not deny it,” said Ettefagh, The first few months were very hard for him, until he managed to improve his conditions after he went on a hunger strike. His interrogation sessions have lasted as long as 15 hours,” she added.

When asked about Madani’s charges, Ettefagh told the Campaign:
Because his lawyer has not yet been informed of his charges, I cannot answer that question exactly. But during this period he has been accused of planning to start a website against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and of trying to hold gatherings on this website. Or he has been accused of getting paid by foreigners. But none of these charges are true. His interrogators were unable to find anything other than his known activities, so they have created this scenario against him and now they insist that he accepts it.
Madani was one of several members of the Nationalist-Religious group arrested in March 2000. At the time, Madani was sentenced to four years in prison on charges of “membership in illegal groups,” “collusion with intent to commit a crime,” and “propagating against the regime.” Judge Haddad of Branch 26 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, issued prison sentence sof 4 to 11 years, bans on public speech and assembly, and bans on political activity for 5 to 10 years for the entire group. Madani was released on $200,000 bail after serving a year in prison, five months of which were spent in solitary confinement. “Unfortunately, he is not in good physical shape.

Prisoners inside Ward 209 are only allowed three half-hour fresh air breaks per week in a very small area, where prisoners are unable to exercise. Their cell, where prisoners live together, is only 8 square meters. Because there is not enough space to move around, he suffers from pain in his knees, arms, and legs,” said Mansoureh Ettefagh. Ward 209 of Evin Prison is illegally under the authority of the Intelligence Ministry, and not the Prisons Organization. The Campaign has reported various instances of torture allegations from within this ward.

“I hope there will be conditions whereby the Judiciary would have sufficient power and influence to enforce the law, so that interrogators and case specialists are not so powerful to do things against the Judiciary’s orders. Right now, interrogators have a lot more power than the Prosecutor and other judicial authorities,” said Mansoureh Ettefagh.
_ _ _ _

In Solitary Confinement for 65 Days, Political Activist Gets Only One Phone Call

MARCH 21, 2012

A member of the Nationalist-Religious group and member of the editorial board of Iran-e Farda monthly, Saeed Madani, who was arrested by security forces on 7 January 2012, remains in solitary confinement. He has only been allowed to contact his family once since his detention began, his wife Mansoureh Ettefagh told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.

“Saeed only called home once during this time. Unfortunately, despite our follow-ups and correspondence, we have not been able to visit with him yet. We don’t know about his conditions, and this worries us. We don’t even know for what reason and on what charges he was detained, as we have not been given any answers about this. The only thing I can say for sure is that his detention has been extended until next month,” she said.

Security forces arrested Saeed Madani, sociologist, on 7 January and transferred him to Intelligence Ministry’s Ward 209 at Evin Prison. He was one of several members of the Nationalist-Religious group that were arrested twelve years ago in March 2000. At the time, Madani was sentenced to four years in prison on charges of “membership in illegal groups,” “collusion with the intent to commit a crime,” and “propagating against the regime.” Judge Haddad, head of Branch 26 of Tehran Revolutionary Court, issued sentences of 4 to 11 years and a ban on public speech, assembly, and political activity for 5 to 10 years for the entire group. Madani was released on $200,000 bail after serving five months in solitary confinement and seven additional months in prison. All suspects who served between 5 and 15 months in prison and solitary confinement were later released on high bail amounts.

The case file of Nationalist-Religious members has remained open in Appeals Court since then, but in the aftermath of the 2009 elections, first Hoda Saber, then Taghi Rahmani, and later Alireza Rajaee were arrested to start serving their prison terms at Evin Prison. Later, Massoud Pedram was summoned to Evin Prison, and now Saeed Madani has been detained for unknown reasons. Authorities have released Taghi Rahmani, but Hoda Saber died after he embarked on a protest hunger strike, faced the negligence of prison authorities, and was beaten inside Evin Prison’s infirmary.

“We were on the street when the forces came forward showing an arrest warrant for Madani and for searching the house. They entered the house and took away all of Saeed’s research works, the computer, my daughter’s and my laptop computers, and even personal items that were unrelated to Saeed. For example, I had film in my camera that was completely personal, but they took it. Also they took some of my daughter’s photographs, CDs, and films, and they have not returned them yet. We object to this behavior,” Mansoureh Ettefagh told the Campaign.

“Our request is that a prisoner’s basic rights be granted so that he is able to have visitation. Saeed has been in solitary confinement for 65 days. Though this is his third time in prison and he is familiar with solitary confinement, this is still very hard. Mr. Mohseni Ejei said himself in an interview that solitary confinement must be abolished. They should do what they say. Really, the right to visitation is a natural and normal right for prisoners,” she said.