Brother of a Political Prisoner: He Has Been Attacked Three Times

Sources close to Mehdi Maskinnavaz, a political prisoner in Bandar Anzali prison, say that the prison authorities' failure to adhere to the principle of separating crimes has put his life at risk. A source close to Maskinnavaz's family confirmed reports about the danger to this political prisoner on Tuesday, November 28, to HRANA, the media organ of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, stating that he is "currently being held alongside prisoners accused of violent crimes without adherence to the principle of separation of crimes" and has "been physically assaulted multiple times by these prisoners." This source emphasized that the repeated attacks on Mehdi Maskinnavaz in prison have "caused concern for his family and close ones." Additionally, the brother of this political prisoner warned in an audio file that a prisoner accused of murder has attacked him several times in areas of the prison without surveillance cameras, causing serious harm, to the extent that Mehdi Maskinnavaz has warned his family that his life is seriously at risk. Maskinnavaz's brother stated that a dangerous prisoner has engaged him three times in the past month in areas without surveillance cameras, including in the restroom, and that "Mehdi's shoulder, back, and nose have been injured" and the attacker has "threatened that he will come after him again." He emphasized in this audio file that Mehdi Maskinnavaz "sleeps in fear that this person will come over him in his sleep." Mehdi Maskinnavaz's brother has called on international organizations to help protect his brother's life and emphasized that judicial agents transferred Mehdi Maskinnavaz from Evin prison to Anzali while his family lives in Tehran, depriving the family of the opportunity to visit him. Mehdi Maskinnavaz, a political prisoner who was previously held in Evin prison, was sentenced to 11 years in prison by the Tehran Revolutionary Court in relation to a case opened against him during his imprisonment. This constitutionalist political prisoner was transferred to Anzali prison on September 7 to continue his sentence. Mr. Maskinnavaz was first arrested in May 2019 by the security forces of the Islamic Republic in Bandar Anzali due to "activities in cyberspace and managing a Telegram channel with a subversive theme." This constitutionalist political prisoner was sentenced on December 18 of the same year by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court to a total of 13 years and two months of imprisonment, two years of forced residence in Faharj, Kerman, and a ban on membership in political parties and groups for charges of "collusion and conspiracy, acting against national security, insulting the leadership, and propaganda against the regime." Details of the charges against Mr. Maskinnavaz included "communication with expatriates, teaching slogan writing, how to act in street protests," as well as "uploading content and posts in cyberspace and on the Telegram channel." Mehdi Maskinnavaz self-immolated in Evin prison on January 18, 2023, in protest against a wave of "executions and repeated cuts in phone contact with his family," and spent weeks in the hospital.