17 Political, Civil, and Labor Activists Criticize Violations of Iran's Constitution

Seventeen political, civil, and labor activists signed a statement criticizing the "flagrant and repeated" violations of rights enshrined in the Constitution by the Iranian government, supporting the demand of political prisoner Arash Sadeghi for the release of his wife, Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraei. Arash Sadeghi has been on a hunger strike in Evin Prison for about 50 days. Previously, according to the Iran Human Rights Campaign, he described the arrest, trial process, and the six-year prison sentence for his wife as "illegal." Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraei has been accused of "insulting the sacred" due to an unpublished story in her private notes, which has led to her receiving a six-year prison sentence. She is being held in the women's section of Evin Prison. The 17 signatories of the statement referenced certain principles of the Constitution, stating: "The only competent judicial court is the general courts of justice, and the 'Revolutionary and Special Clergy Courts' are fundamentally illegal, and their rulings are not only devoid of judicial value but also constitute a prosecutable offense against the perpetrators and accomplices of these actions." Among the signatories are Mahnaz Pakzad, Nasrin Sotoudeh, Mohammad Seifzadeh, Shirin Ebadi, and Mohammad Nourizad. Ms. Ebadi, head of the Human Rights Defenders Center and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, stated in an interview with Radio Farda regarding the statement: "The aim of writing this statement is to draw public attention to the injustice prevailing in the judiciary, which has long lost its independence and has turned into a branch of the Ministry of Intelligence." The head of the Human Rights Defenders Center pointed out the "fabrication of cases against innocent individuals" and added that conditions in prisons are such that prisoners have been forced to go on hunger strikes. The signatories also declared that the crimes listed in the Constitution are "merely ordinary, political, press-related, and military-specific" and added that there is no security crime in the Constitution, making it legally void. Shirin Ebadi noted that "no laws are respected regarding critics, and their trials are not public," adding that "all these issues contradict the principles of the Constitution." According to the statement, "political and press crimes must only be tried in public courts of justice with the presence of a genuine jury (not government-appointed) and held publicly." The signatories emphasized that all political prisoners have been prosecuted and punished in "illegal and incompetent forums by illegal and incompetent judges and with the complete denial of the right to legitimate defense." They added: "What causes severe concern among political and human rights activists is Arash Sadeghi's prolonged hunger strike under the current very dangerous conditions." They stressed that Mr. Sadeghi's demand, whom they referred to as "a justice-seeking and people-loving person," is "merely for the government to act according to the Constitution." The signatories called on the government to "respect the rights of the people in the law, avoid violating their fundamental rights, and make an urgent and wise decision regarding unconstitutional convictions, especially regarding Arash Sadeghi's request for the unconditional release of his wife, Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraei, to prevent a serious and irreparable incident." Previously, over 1,850 individuals had also issued a statement supporting Arash Sadeghi's demands and calling for an end to his hunger strike. The signatories expressed concern over Arash Sadeghi's "dangerous physical condition" resulting from his prolonged hunger strike. A relative of Arash Sadeghi had previously told Radio Farda that this political prisoner is "on the verge of death" and is unwilling to end his hunger strike until his wife's release. According to the signatories, insisting on the continued punishment of these prisoners will "add to the negative record of the judiciary and intensify the legitimacy crisis and injustice in this institution." Arash Sadeghi has been sentenced to 15 years in prison by Judge Salavati in the Revolutionary Court of Tehran on charges such as "collusion and conspiracy against the regime, insulting the founder of the Islamic Republic, propaganda against the regime, and forming an illegal group." Mr. Sadeghi is an expelled student from Allameh Tabatabai University who was arrested in September 2014 by the Sarallah Headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards. This former student activist has been arrested multiple times in recent years and has spent several months in solitary confinement. Arash Sadeghi's mother also suffered a heart attack during a raid by security forces on their home to arrest her son in 2010 and passed away after several days in the hospital.