Transfer of a Political Prisoner to 'Unknown Location' Following Critical Letter to Khamenei

After the publication of a letter from Mohammad Davari addressed to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, the lawyer for this political prisoner states that judicial officials have taken him from Adelabad Prison in Shiraz to an 'unknown location.' Farshid Tabaniyan, a lawyer, reported on Sunday, February 10, that although Astareh Ansari, another lawyer for Mohammad Davari, has been following up in Shiraz, she has not yet been able to obtain any news about this political prisoner. In a letter published on Saturday on social media, Davari spoke of 'tortures inflicted upon himself and his family,' mentioning the 'black holes of Adelabad Prison in Shiraz, harassment, threats of sexual assault, and fabricated charges.' In this letter addressed to the Supreme Leader, he emphasized that he has addressed Ali Khamenei because he is imprisoned for 'insulting' him, adding: 'Therefore, I hold you responsible for all the suffering and hardships that my family and I have endured during this time.' He also referred to the 'runaway inflation, the ever-increasing price of the dollar, housing, cars, and food items that have further shamed the working class and the lower strata of society and a large part of the middle class,' asking Khamenei whether these issues 'leave any room for the psychological security of society?' In December 2023, the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Shiraz sentenced Mohammad Davari, a labor and civil activist and political science student at Golestan University in Shiraz, to four years and six months in prison along with additional penalties. Davari was sentenced to three years in prison for 'insulting the leadership' and one and a half years for 'propaganda against the regime in cyberspace,' and was transferred to Adelabad Prison on May 14, 2024, to serve his four and a half year sentence. The additional penalties related to the charge of 'insulting the leadership' against this labor and civil activist from Dehdasht include 'two years of travel ban through passport cancellation, two years of prohibition from activity in cyberspace, and two years of exile in Bardasir, Kerman.' According to the laws of the Islamic Republic, the maximum penalty for 'insulting the leadership' is two years, and for propaganda against the regime, one year is considered. Voice of America had reported during the handling of the case that this civil activist had refrained from attending the interrogation and revolutionary court stages in protest against the 'unfair trial process' and 'fabrication of charges by the Ministry of Intelligence.'