Amnesty International's Statement in Protest of the Arrest of Mohsen Sazegara and His Son - 2003-06-19

Amnesty International has issued a statement protesting the arrest of Mohsen Sazegara, a 48-year-old journalist, and his eldest son, Vahid Sazegara, a 22-year-old student. The statement expresses concern over the lack of information regarding their detention location and warns of the risk of torture and ill-treatment by security forces. Amnesty International claims that these arrests were made solely due to the exercise of free expression by the two individuals. Mohsen and Vahid Sazegara were arrested on Sunday, June 15, at their home in Tehran. The statement notes that during the search of Sazegara's residence, an amount equivalent to $700 was confiscated. The human rights organization highlights that Mohsen Sazegara is a vocal critic of Iranian authorities. In 2002, he was instrumental in founding the new newspaper 'Golestan Iran,' which was produced by students but was shut down after a few issues. Earlier this year, Sazegara was imprisoned for five days in Evin Prison due to his article titled 'The First Step, The Last Word' on his website Al-Iran, in which he called for fundamental changes to the Islamic Republic's constitution. On June 7, Sazegara was informed that he could no longer speak with foreign Persian-language media and was subsequently banned from leaving the country. The following day, when he intended to leave Tehran for London, his passport was confiscated at the airport. Amnesty International has called for the immediate release of Mohsen Sazegara and his son, sending this statement to the office of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. Since their arrest, Mohsen Sazegara, who has undergone two heart surgeries, has gone on a hunger and medication strike. He also leads a group of freedom-seeking opponents in Iran. In an interview with Voice of America, Sazegara's attorney, Dr. Ghassem Sholeh Sadi, stated that his efforts to locate his client's detention site and meet with him have been unsuccessful. On June 15, Amin Bozorgian, the editor-in-chief of Golestan Iran, was also arrested, and there has been no information about his detention location so far.