Free Said Matinpour

UPDATE CHRR 29 July 2013

Saeed Matinpour allowed visitation in Evin prison

Committee of Human Rights Reporters – Saeed Matinpour, jailed journalist and political activist was granted visitation in prison today, July 29 after spending about 3 years of his sentence behind bars.

According to CHRR, on July 18 Saeed Matinpour and a number of other political prisoners at Evin prison were transferred to solitary confinement after about 150 officers violently raided the men’s public Ward 350 of the prison. This led to 6 prisoners launching a hunger strike in support of Matinpour, demanding that he be released from solitary confinement and returned to the public ward. The six prisoners who went on hunger strike were Saeed Jalalifar (CHRR member), Saeed Haeri (former CHRR member), Reza Shahabi, Soroush Sabet, Fereydoun Seydirad and Vahid Ali Ghalipour.

The hunger-striking prisoners ended their strike after 4 days when their demands were met and Saeed Matinpour was transferred from Ward 240 back to Ward 350 in Evin prison. Today, one week after his return to the public ward, Saeed Matinpour was finally granted visitation with his family.

Saeed Matinpour, a philosophy major at Tehran University is a civil activist involved in Azerbaijan ethnic rights, and journalist who wrote in Zanjan Newspaper. He was arrested on May 25, 2007 and subjected to harsh interrogations while held in solitary confinement for nine months, leading to back and neck problems. He was handed an 8-year prison sentence by Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court presided by Judge Salavati on the charges of “connection with foreign entities,” and “propaganda against the regime.” Even though Matinpour has spent more than half of his prison term behind bars in Evin prison, he has been barred from his legal right to furlough despite many requests on the part of his family. He is now serving his prison term in Ward 350 of Evin prison.

Source : CHRR
http://chrr.biz/spip.php?article21444
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UPDATE : Hrana 20th July, 2013

Six political prisoners started hunger strike in Evin

HRANA News Agency – 6 political prisoners of ward 350 of Evin prison have started hunger strike opposing the transfer of Said Matinpour to the solitaries of ward 240.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Reza Shahbi Zakaria, Fereydun Seydi Rad, Soroush Sabet, Said Haeri, Vahid Ali Gholipour and Said Jalalifar have started hunger strike to protest against the transfer of Said Matinpour to the solitaries of ward 240 of Evin prison.

These political prisoners have said in a short message: “Because Said Matinpour has been transferred to the solitaries of ward 240 without any acceptable reason. We announce that we want him to benefit the health treatment and specially furlough and since transferring him to the solitary in with no acceptable reason and we are worried about his health condition so much, we start our hunger strike from Thursday July 18, 2013 till he is brought back to the ward 350.”

These prisoners say he is suffering from severe back pain due to spinal curvature, drive back and stomach ache.

Source : Hrana
https://hra-news.org/en/six-political-prisoners-started-hunger-strike-in-evin

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Prisoner of conscience Said Matinpour, an Azerbaijani rights activist, is currently serving an eight-year prison sentence for his peaceful advocacy of the rights of the Azerbaijani minority.

Said Matinpour is a journalist, a graduate of philosophy at Tehran University. He is an advocate of linguistic and cultural rights for Iranians of Azerbaijani ethnicity, including their right to be educated in the Azerbaijani Turkic language.

Said Matinpour was detained a first time in February 2007 and held for 10 days in connection with his participation in peaceful demonstration marking International Mother Language Day, an annual event initiated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on 21 February.

On 25 May 2007 he was arrested in the city of Zanjan, north western Iran, and held, mainly in solitary confinement for over 9 months, in Section 209 of Evin prison in Tehran, which is run by the Ministry of Intelligence. He was tortured and now suffers from severe back pain and has been diagnosed with a lung infection and heart problem and needs medical care.

At the beginning of June 2008 during a court session held behind closed doors of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran sentenced Sa’id Metinpour to eight year’s imprisonment. In December of 2008, the appeals court upheld his sentence. Said Matinpour is serving his prison sentence in Evin, Tehran.