Punitive Measures Against Zia Nabavi and Ahmadreza Haeri for Informing About Prisoners' Conditions

Families of Zia Nabavi and Ahmadreza Haeri, political prisoners, have reported punitive measures taken by prison officials against them and their families' lack of information regarding their conditions. Hananeh Nabavi, Zia Nabavi's sister, expressed concern about her imprisoned brother's situation, stating that officials at Evin Prison removed this student activist from Ward 8 on Sunday, May 19, under the pretext of transferring him to quarantine with 'one set of clothes and a toothbrush.' Hananeh Nabavi added on the social media platform 'X' that her brother has not contacted the family since then and 'we have no information on the reason for this transfer or what conditions he is currently under.' In a letter dated May 12, Zia Nabavi had reported the prison's infestation with 'bedbugs' and the resulting 'psychological and physical harassment' for prisoners. This issue was corroborated by several former political prisoners who spoke about its impact on the health of inmates. Subsequently, the judiciary of the Islamic Republic denied the existence of bedbugs in Evin Prison. Meanwhile, Ahmadreza Haeri's brother reported his transfer to solitary confinement after protesting the 'dire situation' of imprisoned rapper Saman Yasin. According to the Campaign for the Defense of Political and Civil Prisoners, this punitive action occurred on Sunday, May 19, by order of Sadaat Rasoul, the head of the intelligence protection of Qazalhasar Prison in Karaj. In recent months, Ahmadreza Haeri had informed about the conditions of several political prisoners in Qazalhasar Prison, including Saman Yasin, Ghasem Abasteh, and Ayoub Kariki. Previously, the website 'Kolber News' had reported that Saman Yasin was transferred to the hospital due to seizures caused by stress. Mehdi Mahmoudian, a human rights activist and former political prisoner, was also summoned to Branch 9 of the Culture and Media Prosecutor's Office on Sunday, May 19. He had written a post on 'X' a day earlier, stating that this was the thirteenth time he had been summoned since 1998 on charges of 'propaganda against the regime.' This civil activist emphasized, 'I fundamentally consider this regime so lacking in legitimacy that I see even propaganda against it as beneath my dignity.' Officials of the Islamic Republic consistently resort to punitive measures against protesting prisoners and their information dissemination regarding prison conditions, including creating new cases, issuing additional prison sentences, transferring to solitary confinement, and depriving them of phone contact and family visits. Recently, Narges Mohammadi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and imprisoned human rights activist, was accused of 'propaganda against the regime' in a new case due to her protests against sexual assaults on women. The attribution of the charge of 'rebellion' to five political prisoners and their transfer to Evin Prison quarantine, once again, highlights the issuance of a death sentence after a violation in the Supreme Court; this time, the life of a Turkish citizen is at risk. A 'long-term prison sentence' has been issued for Amir Tataloo; the lawyer of the case reported the issuance of the sentence to the accused. Rabab Gholizadeh, the wife of political prisoner Sayyad Mohammadian, was summoned to the intelligence office in Karaj.