Hossein Ronaghi Maleki Returned to Evin Prison

Hossein Ronaghi Maleki, an Iranian political activist and blogger, was returned to Evin Prison on Wednesday evening, January 30. According to reports, Mr. Ronaghi Maleki has been on medical leave since last June due to kidney problems, as advised by prison doctors. The website Kalemeh quoted Mr. Ronaghi's mother, stating that efforts to continue his treatment and prevent his return to prison have been ineffective. In his latest post on Facebook, he mentioned, 'My non-return is equivalent to the confiscation of bail, which means the loss of trust of the bail guarantors and the collapse of commitment and ethics. The execution of bail is legal only when I am not accessible for arrest, and this happened despite the fact that I had officially informed the judicial authorities of my address in writing so they could arrest me if necessary; however, this did not happen, and ultimately they told a story that the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] says Hossein must be returned to prison.' Human rights defenders in Iran have repeatedly warned about Hossein Ronaghi Maleki's health condition. Mr. Ronaghi Maleki has faced charges such as 'insulting the leader of the Islamic Republic.' He was arrested during the crackdown on protests related to the 2009 presidential election and was ultimately sentenced to 15 years in prison. This Iranian activist has been in prison since October 2009.