Iranian Writers' Association warns: Keyvan Samimi's life is in "serious danger"
The Iranian Writers' Association issued a statement on Friday, January 14, warning that the life of Keyvan Samimi, a political prisoner and head of the Association for the Defense of Press Freedom, is "in serious danger."
The statement emphasized that Mr. Samimi, who is currently in Evin Prison, "is at risk of being deported to another prison following the publication of a letter titled "quasi-intentional murder" and referring to the murder of Bektash Abtin."
Keyvan Samimi's letter, written in response to the death of Bektash Abtin, states: "Concern and pain are not pain if they do not lead to demands and cries, and at most, they can be called dissatisfaction. He was in pain and protested, not like many of us who only talk and maybe some of us write beautifully, but we are afraid and avoid protesting in the square and on the street."
Following the deaths of Adel Kianpour and Bektash Abtin after they were transferred from prison to hospital, concerns have increased about the risk to life of prisoners, especially political prisoners.
On Wednesday, Hadi Ghaemi, director of the Human Rights Campaign in Iran, expressed concern in an interview with Voice of America about the risk to the life of this 73-year-old political prisoner and the possibility of his deportation to another prison.
The Iranian Human Rights Campaign has announced in a statement that despite the authorities' recommendation to release him for treatment, this political prisoner remains illegally detained in Tehran's Evin Prison.
The human rights organization, citing an informed source, wrote: “Given Keyvan Samimi’s advanced age and medical history, the doctor and the prison director agree that his prison sentence should be changed, but Amin Vaziri, the deputy prosecutor and judicial official responsible for political prisoners, insists that Samimi be transferred to another prison.”
According to Article 502 of Iran's Criminal Procedure Code, if imprisonment aggravates the prisoner's physical or mental illness, the prison sentence may be suspended.
Keyvan Samimi, journalist and editor of Iran Farda magazine, was arrested on International Workers' Day in 2019 and tried on charges of "gathering and colluding with the intention of disrupting the country's security," "propaganda against the system," and "insulting the leadership," and sentenced to three years in prison.
In an interview with Voice of America on August 3, 2020, Mr. Samimi said in response to the confirmation of his 3-year prison sentence: "The Islamic Republic has been pursuing a policy of repression and punishment for 40 years and thinks victory can be achieved by creating fear and terror."
Source: Voice of America
