Ignorance of the status of Abbas Vahedian Shahroudi's case; 9 months of detention and uncertainty for criticizing Khamenei
Abbas Vahedian Shahroudi, one of the signatories of the letter calling for Khamenei's resignation and a prisoner held in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, is still in complete limbo after nine months of detention.
An informed source told Voice of America on Thursday, May 15, regarding the latest status of the case of this political prisoner, that at least 9 months have passed since Abbas Vahedian Shahroudi's arrest, and despite the family's follow-up, there has been no change in the process of handling this political prisoner's case. The judge in the case has repeatedly said in the family's appeals to the Mashhad Revolutionary Court, "I haven't had time to read the case and give an opinion."
This comment by the judge in the case comes at a time when the coronavirus has spread in Iran, and according to published news, the spread of the virus has caused the infection or even death of some prisoners in various prisons in Iran.
According to this informed person, with the spread of the coronavirus in Iranian prisons, Abbas Vahedian Shahroudi's family has approached Branch 3 of the Revolutionary Court of Mashhad and the Information Protection Office of Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, requesting the temporary release of this political prisoner; however, according to them, the responsible authorities have not agreed to the family's request and have cited the fact that the case is still open as the reason for their opposition.
This is while Mr. Vahedian Shahroudi is currently suffering from illnesses such as a lung infection, and according to his family, this condition has turned into an allergy in prison.
Abbas Vahedian Shahroudi was arrested and beaten by security agents in front of his family at his home on Sunday, August 17. He is an Iranian political and civil activist who, on June 12, 2018, along with thirteen other activists, wrote a letter calling for the resignation of the Leader of the Islamic Republic and a change to the Iranian constitution.
This informed person also said in his interview with VOA that, due to a complaint filed by the Director General of Khorasan Razavi Province Prisons, a legal case has been opened for one of Mr. Vahedian Shahroudi's children under the title of publishing lies for informing about the conditions of Vakil Abad Prison in Mashhad, in terms of poor health and nutrition, and failure to comply with the law on the separation of crimes, and he is also facing the risk of being sentenced to prison.
According to this informed source, Abbas Vahedian Shahroudi's family is demanding the temporary release of this political prisoner and expects that, given the poor conditions in Iran's prisons, the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, if they cannot address the situation of prisoners like Mr. Vahedian Shahroudi in prisons, at least temporarily release them so that they can receive treatment in medical centers outside the prison.
The US State Department also says that the Iranian regime has arrested thousands of protesters, civil activists, labor representatives, and other trade unions in the last two years.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently said in a press conference: "We have asked not only Syria, but also the Islamic Republic of Iran to release not only American citizens, but all those who have been unjustly imprisoned in these circumstances. This is a humanitarian act, and apart from the fact that these people have been illegally imprisoned, in these circumstances the principle of humanitarianism dictates that they be released from prison."
Source: Voice of America
