Exclusive | Description of the Situation of Several Political Prisoners; Saeed Ahmadi Deljou: Our Judge is You, the People

A former political prisoner who has been temporarily released and sentenced to four years in prison, in a message exclusively received by the Persian section of Voice of America, described the unsanitary conditions of Evin Prison and provided details about the situation of several political prisoners. Saeed Ahmadi Deljou, a political activist and protester who has previously been arrested, on Tuesday, November 1, began his message with 'in the name of woman and in the name of life,' referring to 'mothers seeking justice' and 'fighters against Ali Khamenei,' stating that he protests against 'the injustice, incompetence of the managers and officials of the country, and the ill-advised leadership that has brought the country to the brink of instability.' He mentioned that 'on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, Fatemeh Mokhtari, my close friend, was taken hostage by the tyrannical republic of Ali Khamenei to have leverage to capture me, and they succeeded.' According to Ahmadi Deljou, 'they fabricated a case against Fatemeh Mokhtari, with the same charges that most of the freedom fighters were convicted and imprisoned for,' including 'gathering and colluding to commit crimes against security for propaganda against the regime and insulting the leadership.' This political activist added that Fatemeh Mokhtari, who is currently in prison, has been sentenced to two years in prison, and he himself has been sentenced to four years after 'a month of torture and psychological pressure.' Saeed Ahmadi Deljou also described the situation of several political prisoners, stating that judicial authorities 'have sent Reza Mohammadi to solitary confinement for nearly a month' and have also 'transferred Masiab Raeisi Yeganeh without reason from Ward 4 to Ward 8' of Evin Prison. He pointed out that 'Masiab is not in a good condition at all,' referring to another political prisoner named 'Mohsen Sadeghpour,' who, according to him, 'needs treatment, but he is not being attended to at all,' and also 'Hossein Zabihih,' who 'has been charged with a fabricated case' and is currently in prison with a two-year sentence. Ahmadi Deljou emphasized that 'many others are in the women's ward, spending their days in obscurity,' referring to the conditions of Evin Prison, stating: 'Unclean water, very poor food, insects that are everywhere in the halls and rooms, and dirty blankets given to prisoners. They provide rotten and low-quality fruits at high prices to the prisoners. Buffet items are three times the price.' He noted that while political prisoners are in these conditions, some financial prisoners, whom he refers to as 'swindlers,' are in 'comfort' and 'have the same things they have outside. Good fruits, good goods. Everything is good.' He also mentioned the names of some political and civil prisoners, including 'Fatemeh Mokhtari, Sarvnaz Ahmadi, Golara Abbasi, Niloufar Hamedi, Elahe Mohammadi, Anousha Asadollahi, Reza Mohammadi, Masiab Raeisi, Mohsen Sadeghpour, Amir Hossein Zabihih, Kamyar Fakour, and Jafar Ebrahimi,' urging the media to be their voice. Saeed Ahmadi Deljou emphasized in this message: 'When we say teachers of freedom today, we are precisely talking about these young people. Those who have been martyred in this path and those who have been taken hostage. Our judge is you, the people. In hope of peace and freedom.'