Tabrizi After Release: I Feel Very Good

Hashmatollah Tabrizi, Secretary General of the Democratic Front of Iran, was released on Tuesday night after approximately 5 and a half years in prison. Tabrizi's prison sentence was originally 9 years, but with the application of Article 134 and the aggregation of crimes, this political prisoner was released from Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj on Tuesday night. Tabrizi, who was arrested on December 28, 2009, and sentenced to 9 years in prison, had previously been arrested and imprisoned multiple times. He was the editor of publications such as 'Payam Daneshjoo Basiji', 'Neday Daneshjoo', 'Hoviyat Khod', and 'Ghazareh Rooz'. In an interview with Bakhtash Khamespour from Radio Farda, Tabrizi discussed the circumstances of his release: "It was surprising for me and my fellow inmates last night. Also for the family, as we had no contact, no phone. Last night around eleven o'clock, as we were coming from Karaj, the kids called and found out. They have a law called Article 134 of the new Code of Criminal Procedure, which states that if there are multiple crimes and the most severe punishment applies, which was the case for me... I had received two years for insulting the leadership, one year for propaganda against the regime, and five years for conspiracy, totaling eight years. We expected to serve the maximum, which was five years, and I served five and a half. Additionally, it seems that two years for insulting the leadership had been applied as a legal general amnesty as a regular crime, which should have been applied to me but was not. The release had to happen from both sides. However, it took six months, and they released me based on Article 134. Mr. Tabrizi, you were imprisoned for five years. You have a history of over ten years in prison. How do you feel now after spending five years in prison? As you mentioned, I have actually served 12 and a half years in prison according to their calculations. I had seven years of imprisonment, from which I was released in 2008. After a little over a year, I was sentenced again to eight years, of which I served five and a half, legally. However, in reality, I was handed over to Evin prison on June 16, 1999. So, I have been in prison for 16 years. In fact, there has not been a year where I have not spent at least a few months in solitary confinement. I feel very good now because after these fifteen or sixteen years, in terms of social and global conditions and the overall situation, fortunately, I feel good. I sense that it is a period of freedom for many prisoners, and the situation is not like a few years ago. I feel good. Very good. What was the situation like in prison for you and other political prisoners? You know that Rajai Shahr prison is an exile place and is very bad. It is a very unsuitable place. In the hall we were in, Hall 12, they closed the door, and there were about seventy to eighty prisoners, thirty to forty of whom were Baha'is and prisoners from various political groups. These are people who are under double oppression. It is hard. There is no phone, no personal visits, no access to the library or outside the ward. Some political prisoners have been scattered in Ward 10, Ward 3, Ward 2, which is against the law. The conditions in Rajai Shahr prison are extremely inhumane and regrettable. Last night when I was being released, my fellow inmates were surprised and came to celebrate. I told them that I really do not feel free until the people of Iran are free, until all political and ideological prisoners are free, and that is my only wish. Mr. Tabrizi, you are now with your family. You have been away from your family, children, and spouse for years. How do you feel now that you have returned to your family? Last night when I came out of prison and called the kids, it was one of the best nights of my life. I arrived at midnight, and all my siblings had come. For all of us, especially for me, until a person is not in prison, especially a long-term prison in the prisons of the Islamic Republic, no one understands or feels the sensation of being a prisoner when they come out. Mr. Tabrizi, can we now say that your case is closed? Of course, I have a social deprivation case. I had ten years of social deprivation from the previous case. Fortunately, according to the new Islamic Penal Code, the maximum social deprivation is two years. Therefore, I think that should also be over. Currently, I have no other cases. As for the future situation, since we live inside Iran and our aim is freedom, democracy, human rights, a non-religious, democratic, secular system, and social welfare, we will naturally be involved. However, I feel that social and political conditions and global developments have changed so much that they will not create cases as quickly as before. However, from my perspective, the framework of the Islamic Republic has not changed, and the security and repression system exists, but fortunately, the situation has improved compared to the Ahmadinejad era. I feel that. For example, for the first time, we saw that they came and spoke with prisoners who had served over 15 years, and I heard they went to other prisons and talked to prisoners who had served over 15 years, and I think their number is also large. They said they want to release them. This means we have a kind of half-rationality, especially in the security system. We feel that the security system is acting a bit more precisely and better than in the past when it was very ruthless, and I felt that long-term imprisonments and imprisoning in these conditions will have the opposite effect. I hope that no one, especially civil, political, and social activists, will have to deal with prison. But let's see what will happen.