Three Months After Bijan Kazemi's Arrest, No News About Him

Almost three months have passed since the arrest of Bijan Kazemi, a former political prisoner, which was carried out without prior summons or notification. Abdullah Momeni, a political activist in Iran, states that there is still no news about his condition. Bijan Kazemi was arrested in April 2020 on security charges and sentenced to three and a half years in prison. After two years in Khorramabad Central Prison, he was released under electronic monitoring. However, on January 19, 2024, security forces arrested him at his home in Kouhdasht, Lorestan Province, without any prior summons or notification, confiscating his and his family's electronic devices. Human rights sources indicate he has been transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison and has only had a brief phone call with his family before being moved to this security ward. On Saturday, April 6, Momeni wrote on X that the lack of access for the family and the prohibition of visits, while keeping the prisoner in conditions where no information about his health and status is available, is a "violation of the most basic human rights and principles of due process." Previously, Shahnaz Khosravi, Kazemi's mother, expressed concern for her son's situation, stating that he has been deprived of basic human rights, including the right to phone calls and visits, and that lawyers have no access to his case. According to human rights sources, there is still no information regarding the reasons for Kazemi's arrest and the charges against him. Momeni, who has a history of being imprisoned on political charges, wrote: "To end the inhumane treatment of political prisoners, the support of human rights activists, civil activists, and human rights and media organizations is needed."