Imprisoned Teacher Abdolreza Ghanbari Suffering from Illness in Evin
Abdolreza Ghanbari, an imprisoned teacher who was detained on October 12 after visiting the Evin prosecution office and transferred to Evin Prison, was moved on November 10 to ward 8, hall 32 of Rajaei Shahr Prison in Karaj to serve out his sentence. His family says that Mr. Ghanbari’s physical condition is not good.
A source close to Mr. Ghanbari’s family told Voice of America that his physical condition inside the prison is currently not appropriate and he is suffering from a digestive disorder. Abdolreza Ghanbari contracted this illness during a previous detention after being exiled to Borazjan Prison in December 2013.
Abdolreza Ghanbari, an imprisoned teacher, was released in March 2016 after enduring more than six years in prison following a change in legal procedures and acceptance of retrial with a stay of sentence execution from Rajaei Shahr Prison in Karaj, but ultimately upon renewed case review, Judge Moghisseh increased his sentence from 10 years to 15 years in prison. Mr. Ghanbari was again detained on October 12 when he visited the Evin prosecution office and after nearly a month of detention in Evin Prison, was transferred to Rajaei Shahr Prison.
This informed source told Voice of America that currently, following Mr. Ghanbari’s re-detention, no change has occurred in the process of his case review.
He said the family’s request from officials is initially to transfer Mr. Ghanbari from Rajaei Shahr Prison to Evin Prison and subsequently his release from prison.
This is not the first time in Iran that such a heavy sentence has been issued for a teachers’ union activist. Recently, a sentence of ten years and six months in prison and lashing for Mohammad Habibzadeh, a teachers’ union activist and member of the board of directors of Tehran Province Teachers Association, was upheld in the court of appeals.
The U.S. Secretary of State has repeatedly criticized the Islamic Republic of Iran for human rights violations.
Source: Voice of America
