Outcome of Protests Against 'Open Theft' from Evin Prisoners; Mohammad Nourizad Transferred to Solitary Confinement

The wife of Mohammad Nourizad, a political prisoner held in Evin Prison, reported his punitive transfer to solitary confinement following his 'protests against the overpricing of fruits and vegetables' to prisoners and the 'open theft' from them. Fatemeh Maleki wrote in an Instagram note on Wednesday, June 13, that Mohammad Nourizad has been 'engaged in protests against the overpricing of fruits and vegetables to prisoners for the past two months; prisoners who are mostly struggling to meet their daily needs.' This family member of political prisoners explained that Mohammad Nourizad could not bear witness to this 'open theft,' especially from prisoners, and after his protests yielded no results, he began a hunger and medication strike on Saturday, June 8, and has also refrained from in-person visits and phone calls. According to Fatemeh Maleki, her husband has called the reason for his imprisonment 'protests against the open and hidden thefts of the officials' of the Islamic Republic and questioned: 'Now do you expect me to remain silent in the face of this open theft? Theft! Especially from the pockets of prisoners?' Mrs. Maleki, in protest against the treatment of Mohammad Nourizad by Evin prison officials, asked: 'By what decree and for what crime has he been placed in solitary confinement?' She expressed concern about the health status of her 72-year-old husband and held the responsible authorities accountable for 'any incident' concerning Mohammad Nourizad. Previously, Mohammad Nourizad had been sentenced to '61 months' in prison for protesting against the 'very large theft' by Islamic Republic officials from prisoners in a new case. This political prisoner explained in an audio file that 'when I see a very large theft, I do not remain silent,' elaborating: 'For instance, nearly 90 billion tomans of prisoners' money that was in their accounts were withdrawn across Iran, and everyone remained silent. I took a meat grinder and smashed [the phones].' Previously, Voice of America had reported on the poor conditions of 'non-affiliated prisoners' in Evin prison. Also see: Exclusive | Discrimination between 'affiliated and non-affiliated' in Evin; government-affiliated prisoners have 'special facilities.' Mohammad Nourizad, a director, screenwriter, and one of the signatories of the '14th Statement' calling for the resignation of Ali Khamenei and the transition from the Islamic Republic, has been arrested and imprisoned multiple times in recent years. After signing a letter at the Revolutionary Court in Mashhad, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison, two years of exile to the city of Izeh, and a two-year travel ban from Iran. Mohammad Nourizad's protests in prison have continued, and several other cases have been opened against this political prisoner while serving his sentence. In May 2020, he was sentenced to another year in prison for defending the rights of Baha'is residing in the city of Ivanki in Semnan province. In August 2020, in another case at the Criminal Court 2 in Mashhad, he was accused of 'disrupting public order' for his presence in front of the building where the appeal hearing of Kamal Jafari Yazdi was held, and was sentenced to 8 months of imprisonment, 74 lashes, and exile to Tabas, and for the charge of 'spreading falsehoods,' he was sentenced to 74 lashes; a ruling that was also upheld in the appeals court of Razavi Khorasan province. This civil activist was then transferred from Vakilabad prison in Mashhad to Evin prison and was released from Evin on November 17, 2021, following the prosecutor's agreement to suspend the execution of the sentence, but shortly after, on January 22 of the same year, he was summoned to Evin prison to serve the remainder of his sentence. In July 2023, this political prisoner was again sentenced to two years in prison in a new case.