For the 13th time, a new case has been opened against political prisoner Sohail Arabi.

The mother of political prisoner Soheil Arabi says that for the thirteenth time, a new case has been opened for this political prisoner in the Revolutionary Court, and the judge has charged him with "gathering and collusion" and "propaganda activity against the regime."

Farangis Mazloum, the mother of Soheil Arabi, a political prisoner imprisoned in Rajai Shahr Prison, told VOA in an exclusive interview that the court session was held on Monday, June 23, at the third branch of the Martyr Moqaddas Investigation Department of Evin Prison with the presence of the case lawyer in the courtroom, and Mr. Arabi also attended the session virtually from prison.

Ms. Mazloum cited examples of the accusations as writing statements regarding the poor conditions of the prison and statements criticizing the deputy prosecutor overseeing the prison, and said that the judge in court asked Soheil Arabi about these revelations, to which he replied: "Go investigate and bring an impartial journalist there to see. If I lied, I will accept your accusations."

The mother of the political prisoner, who says that a "case has been built" for Soheil Arabi once again, told VOA: "Soheil himself told me that when I was in Ward 2A, one of the interrogators said, 'We are afraid to release you because if you get out, you will definitely do something.'"

Farangis Mazloum says that Mr. Arabi has not been sent on leave for even a single day despite his medical documents, and the responsible authorities are not even willing to send this political prisoner on leave with a strict schedule: "I even took the medical files to the prisons organization, but they do not accept my words despite the documents I have, they have never given him leave, and they are increasing the pressure on Sohail and those like him every day."

The mother of Soheil Arabi, a political prisoner imprisoned in Rajai Shahr Prison, told VOA, referring to the poor conditions of Rajai Shahr Prison: "I ask the international and human rights communities to help us and be our voice, not only for the sake of my son, but for the sake of all the prisoners in prison. Illegal and inhumane acts are being committed against these children. Despite their illness and pain, they are deprived of even a doctor, someone to examine them and give them medicine. Be our voice, our children threw themselves into prison for our comfort and peace."

Previously, Soheil Arabi's mother told VOA that after the release of an audio file of this political prisoner's revelations regarding the poor conditions of Greater Tehran Prison in some Persian-language media outlets outside Iran, he was transferred to Rajai Shahr Prison and the head of Greater Tehran Prison threatened her son, saying, "I will send you to a prison that is worse than this, and I have permission to do so."

Soheil Arabi, a photographer, blogger, and civil activist, was arrested by the Revolutionary Guards in December 2013. The sentence issued against him, which was initially sentenced to death on charges of “insulting the Prophet and insulting sacred places,” was later overturned by one of the branches of the Supreme Court. After a retrial and overturning of the sentence, he was sentenced to 7 and a half years in prison; but in October 2019, in addition to the previous sentence, he was sentenced again by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court, headed by Judge Ahmadzadeh, to another 3 years in prison and exile to Borazjan.

The United States has repeatedly and on various occasions condemned the Islamic Republic's violent confrontations and widespread repression of protesters and civil activists, as well as its repeated and persistent violations of the rights of Iranian citizens.

Source: Voice of America