- Target:
- United Nations, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Head Judiciary of Tehran
- Region:
- GLOBAL
- Website:
- freehossein.com
Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki (Babak Khorramdin) Iranian blogger, human rights activists and one the members of Iran Proxy, was arrested on December 13, 2009, but under pressure exerted by intelligence agents, his family and his friends had been forced to keep the news of his arrest secret.
Throughout his detention, Ronaghi-Maleki has been subjected to excruciating physical and psychological torture techniques by his interrogators who want him to participate in televised confessions.He has gone on hunger strike to protest the harsh conditions of his detention and unlawful actions of the intelligence and judicial authorities. On May 24 he was placed in solitary confinement in Tehran’s Evin Priosn, 3 days after he started a hunger strike.
On Thursday 05/24/2012, Jailed Iranian blogger Hossein Ronaghi Maleki has once again begun a hunger strike to protest his dire situation at Evin Prison. The Human Rights Activists News Agency reports that the Ronaghi Maleki is suffering from a failed kidney and is being refused medical attention so he has begun a hunger strike to draw attention to his situation.
Doctors have said that the jailed blogger’s left kidney has completely failed and his right kidney is on the verge of total shutdown. Therefore, he is in need of urgent surgery.
HRANA reports that Ronaghi Maleki’s medical problems are being superficially treated in prison with injections of morphine and other painkillers, which are compounding his condition with problematic side effects.
HRANA reports that the Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence department has forbidden prison authorities from giving Ronaghi Maleki the sick leave recommended by several doctors. Ronaghi Maleki was arrested during the crackdown on the 2009 election protests and sentenced to 15 years in jail for his critical blogging on government actions.
HE HAS BEEN RE-ARRESTED ON MARCH 4, 2015 AND IS ONCE AGAIN ON A LIFE-THREATENING HUNGER STRIKE!
“They want to kill my son,” Ahmad Ronaghi-Maleki, Hossein's father said. “They want to turn him into another Sattar Beheshti.” Beheshti, a blogger and activist, who died in 2012 while in custody.
Now Ahmad Ronaghi-Maleki says he is willing to take drastic measures to draw attention to his son’s case. On March 2, he stated his intention to stage a sit-in outside the prosecutor’s office until he receives a response. “I will sit there wearing a shroud,” he tells IranWire. “I will bring gasoline and if they do not answer me, I will set myself on fire. If they try to prevent me, I will set them on fire as well.”
He had previously been released from prison on September 3, 2014 after the Supreme Leader pardoned him on medical grounds. It was thought that he was in such poor health that that he would not live to serve out his sentence. But soon after his release, he was re-arrested.
In recent weeks, his father has contacted the prosecutor’s office and the prison warden, hoping to get further information about his son. He has called the judge in charge of the case, but has had no reply.
The Cyber Police unit of the Revolutionary Guards arrested Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki and his brother Hassan on December 11, 2009 at their father’s home. Both were taken to Section 2A of Evin Prison, which is controlled by the Revolutionary Guards, and put under intense physical and mental pressure to sign confessions. It was believed that authorities arrested Hassan Ronaghi-Maleki, who was not politically active, in order to force Hossein to confess. Hassan was released on bail after spending a month in solitary confinement, but Hossein remained in a solitary cell for a total of 13 months.
Maleki’s case was sent to Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court presided over by Judge Pir Abbasi, who sentenced him to 15 years in prison for his cyber activities and for insulting the Supreme Leader, a verdict which was upheld by the appeals court.
Ahmad Ronaghi-Maleki says the family has been deceived. “They told me that if the doctor decided that the prisoner cannot withstand incarceration because of his medical condition, he would be pardoned. All the letters from the forensics team and prison officials have been presented. Despite this, he has been taken back to prison. I told them over and over that he needed medication and should not be detained, but they would not accept this, insisting that he had fled from his sentence illegally.” He insists that his son presented himself to authorities as soon as he was summoned via telephone. “We have given the prosecution a bail amount of 1.7 billion tomans [over $600,000]. But they will not budge.”
“Nobody in this country is accountable.”
When Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki was first arrested in 2009, authorities warned his father not to speak to the media. But now he feels he must talk. “I do not want to create headaches for my son,” he says, “but when nobody in this country is accountable and nobody hears me, I have to speak to the media. I call on all authorities to look into my son’s case.”
But authorities have told Ahmad and Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki that speaking to the media will not work. Khoda-Bakhshi, the assistant to the prosecutor, has said, “Many have died and what happened? At most the BBC and Voice of America make noise for a few days. And then it is over.”
“Hossein lost his kidneys in prison,” says Ahmad Ronaghi-Maleki. “Why don’t just they let us be?”
Hossein Ronaghi Maleki is a 25year old blogger who used the name Babak Khorramdin for his blogs. He was also involved in writing computer programs and used his expertise in bypassing filters to combat the censorship environment in Iran’s cyberspace. He was born in the city of Tabriz in Iran and speaks the Azari language.
Arrest: Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki was arrested on December 13, 2009, along with his brother Hassan Ronaghi-Maleki at their father’s house in the city of Melkan, situated close to the city of Tabriz. His brother was arrested in order to put added pressure on Hossein to secure a confession and force him to accept the charges against him. Ronaghi and his brother were put under severe physical and psychological duress. According to family members, Hassan Ronaghi was so severely beaten up he suffered damage to his spine and the back of his neck. Hassan was released from jail a month later with 80million tomans bail. He has made a formal complaint regarding his mistreatment in jail, but so far no one has attended to his file.
Ronaghi and his brother were transferred to solitary confinement in ward 2A of Evin prison the day after they were arrested. This area is under the jurisdiction of the Revolutionary Guards and is not supervised by prison officials. Revolutionary Guards used threats and put heavy pressure on Hossein’s family members warning them to refrain from publicizing Hossein and Hassan’s situation.
Ronaghi was put under severe pressures while he was in solitary confinement at Evin prison. On March 15, 2010 the government run newspaper, Keyhan published a report about this blogger with strong accusations towards him. He was accused of acting against national security, having relationships with foreign entities, and accepting money from them. At the same time, when his family traveled from their town to Tehran to receive information, court officials did not disclose anything to them.
Hossein endured relentless intimidation and abuse in an attempt to coerce him into making a confession during the televised trials. On May 24, 2009, he went on hunger strike in protest of his mistreatment and was subsequently transferred to solitary confinement again. After this blogger’s hunger strike, his parents travelled to Tehran in hopes of getting news about his condition, but were not able to obtain any updates about their son. When the Tehran Attorney General refused to let them see their son, Hossein’s mother also went on hunger strike and broke it after two weeks.
Despite the reported warnings that Hossein’s health had deteriorated to a worrisome level due to his long detention, on June 29, 2009 his files were sent for further review to Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court presided by Judge PirAbassi.
Hossein Ronaghi’s unhealthy physical condition reached a dangerous level caused by the relentless psychological and physical abuse, but still prison officials denied him access to any medical care. This dire situation caused his family immense worry and distress.
On July 2009, Hossein Ronaghi was again put under tremendous pressure and abuse, this time to take part in a televised interview. He again went on hunger strike, lasting 10 days. As a result, the interrogators did not allow him to communicate with his family by phone.
On August 29, 2010, almost 10months after his arrest, Hossein’s temporary detention was extended by another month due to his opposition to the IRG supported cyber crime Internet group “Cyper Army.” This happened despite the fact that his 200million toman bail had been set by the court. Judge Pir-Abassi, presiding over Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court, prevented his freedom because Hossein had contradicted IRG news agencies.
Charges and Sentence: On October 4, 2010, after 10 months of temporary detention in Ward 2A of Evin prison, holding this human rights activist under an unknown condition, finally his verdict was issued. Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court issued a sentence of 15years in prison. Hossein was given the ruling by the head officer of Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court, who used threats to force Hossein into signing the verdict. When he refused to sign the verdict, the head of the office and his officers savagely attacked and beat Hossein. So on October 7, 2010, Hossein went on his third hunger strike in protest of the brutal assault against him.
On November 20, 2010, Hossein’s file went to the appeal court despite the protests of his lawyers. On December 1, 2010, the 15year sentence for Hossein Maleki was upheld by branch 54 of the appeal court. The charges announced against him in court were “membership in Iran Proxy Network” and “insulting the leadership and insulting the president.”
Update: Almost one year went by with this blogger being held in temporary detention, between solitary and two person cells in Ward 2A of Evin prison. Finally on December 19, 2010, one month after the 15year prison sentence was issued, he was transferred to the general ward of Evin prison. He was relocated in Ward 350 of Evin prison, which is reserved for political prisoners. None of the prisoners in this ward are able to communicate with family members by phone.
Ronaghi had not been allowed to meet with his family since July 4, 2009. Finally after 6 months, on December 20, 2010, his family was allowed to visit him. Even though the verdict had been issued and he had already spent one year in prison, court officials said Hossein could not go on prison leave unless high-ranking officials allowed it and they also set a one billion-toman bail for him.
Hossein Ronaki is now suffering from critical Kidney ailments. His one-year incarceration along with the torturous pressures inflicted upon him has severely exasperated his illness. Due to the grave deterioration of his health caused by his kidney ailment, Hossein is in desperate need of an operation in a medical facility outside of prison. Even the prisons doctors have confirmed that Hossein suffers from an acute kidney disease that needs immediate care in a suitable hospital but still, court officials have opposed allowing him temporary medical leave.
Iranian Authorities Responsible for Health & Safety of Tavakoli & Ronaghi-Maleki, 2 Prisoners of Conscience on Hunger Strike: Hunger Strike Day 5: Tavkoli’s Condition Deteriorates, No News on Ronaghi’s Fate
Ronaghi Maleki Allowed Prison Visit after his Mother Staged Hunger Strike outside Evin
Hossein Ronaghi Maleki’s Case Forwarded to Revolutionary Court.
Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki in Poor Condition and Deprived of Medical Treatment
The Story of Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki | From Threat of Execution to 15 Years Imprisonment
One year has passed since the arrest of blogger Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki
Continuous pressure on Hossein Ronaghi at Evin prison
Our dear friend and vital human rights activist Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki (also known under the alias Babak Khorramdin) has been imprisoned by the Iranian Regime since December 13, 2009. During this time there has been little mention regarding his situation and painfully little effort given towards campaigning for his freedom.
Hossein was a member of IranProxy creating anti-filter software for opposing censorship. Before his detainment, he dedicated his time and energy to gathering information about prisoners, creating websites and petitions for them to be set free, as well as writing his own blog campaigning for freedom of expression.
Throughout his detention, Ronaghi-Maleki has been subjected to excruciating physical and psychological torture techniques by his interrogators who want him to participate in televised confessions. He has gone on hunger strike to protest the harsh conditions of his detention and unlawful actions of the intelligence and judicial authorities. 3 days after he started a hunger strike, on May 24, 2010, he was placed in solitary confinement in Tehran’s Evin Prison. On May 31 he was allowed a prison visit with his Mother after she staged a hunger strike outside of Evin. This was the 3rd time in 6 months that the blogger was able to visit with his family. He is said to be in weak physical condition and has difficulty speaking. Ronaghi is suffering from kidney problems and needs surgery. He had been transferred to the prison clinic on January and the medical staff had confirmed that he needs to be transferred to a hospital outside of prison. According to the Human Rights House of Iran, his family had previously been informed that in case of authorization by the “higher officials”, he would be granted furlough on bail.
HE HAS BEEN RE-ARRESTED ON MARCH 4, 2015 AND IS ONCE AGAIN ON A LIFE-THREATENING HUNGER STRIKE!
He had previously been released from prison on September 3, 2014 after the Supreme Leader pardoned him on medical grounds. It was thought that he was in such poor health that that he would not live to serve out his sentence. But soon after his release, he was re-arrested.
Please join the fight to save Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki, the way he fought for us, and continues to fight. Sign the petition to condemn the severe injustices and oppression of the Iranian Islamic Regime. Write for him, petition for him.
حسین رونقی ملکی(بابک خرمدین) فعال حقوق بشر در 22 آذر سال 1388 دستگیر شد. در طول این مدت اطلاع رسانی مناسبی در خصوص او و نیز کمپینی برای آزادی او شکل نگرفته است.
حسین یکی از مسئولان ایران پروکسی بود که برای مبارزه با سانسور اقدام به ساخت فیلترشکن می نمودند. او پیش از دستگیری تمام وقت و انرژی خود را صرف اطلاع رسانی در خصوص زندانیان سیاسی و عقیدتی، تنظیم دادخواست و جمع آوری امضاء برای آزادی آنان، و وبلاگ نویسی در خصوص آزادی بیان می کرد. پس از دستگیری او را تحت فشارهای شدید روحی و جسمی قرار دادند برای حضور در مقابل دوربین تلویزیون جهت اخذ اعترافات و پذیرفتن اتهامات ساختگی. وی از تاریخ 2 خرداد 1389 در اعتراض به شرایط غیرعادلانه و فشار و بدرفتاری مسئولان زندان دست به اعتصاب غذا زد و سه روز بعد در تاریخ پنجم خرداد به سلول انفرادی در زندان اوین انتقال یافت.
رونقی ملکی در 10 خرداد اجازه یافت که ملاقات کوتاهی با خانواده خود داشته باشد و این سومین ملاقات او با خانواده پس از 6 ماه بازداشت است. مادر وی نیز در بیرون زندان دست به اعتصاب غذا زده بود. گفته می شود حسین هم اینک در شرایط بسیار بد جسمانی قرار دارد و به سختی قادر به تکلم است. خانواده حسین رونقی ملکی در دی ماه 1389 درخواست اخذ مرخصی در ماههای آینده و یا در ایام عید نوروز را به مسئولان قضایی ارائه دادهاند اما مسئولان، تامین وثیقه بالای یک میلیارد تومان واخذ مجوز از مقامات بالاتر را شرط رسیدگی به درخولست آنها بیان کردهاند. حسین رونقی ملکی که در بهمن ماه سال 1389 در زندان اوین دچار عفونت کلیه شده، با کارشکنی های وزارت اطلاعات برای معالجه مواجه است. ماموران وزارت اطلاعات به این زندانی اعلام کردند که در صورتی با اعزام ایشان به بیمارستان موافقت میکنند که وی در یک مصاحبه ویدیویی بر علیه خود و دوستانش اعترافاتی را انجام دهد، در غیر این صورت از عمل جراحی کلیه جلوگیری خواهند کرد و دستور به برداشتن کلیه عفونی در داخل زندان خواهند داد.
لطفا برای نجات حسین رونقی ملکی به این پتیشن بپیوندید همانگونه که او برای ما تلاش میکرد. برای محکوم کردن بی عدالتی و سرکوب از جانب رژیم جمهوری اسلامی اینجا را امضا کنید.
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The Save Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki (Babak Khorramdin) petition to United Nations, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Head Judiciary of Tehran was written by Tara Niazi and is in the category Human Rights at GoPetition.