Press rights group condemns abuse of detained Iranian journalist

Abdolreza Tajik

Reporters Without Borders issued a statement condemning the abuse of Abdolreza Tajik, the detained Iranian journalist, in Iran’s Evin prison and urged international action against the violations of detainee rights in Iran.

Reporters Without Borders say: “It is time for United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay to press the Iranian authorities to accept a visit from the UN special rapporteur on torture, so that he can investigate the allegations of mistreatment in Iranian prisons.”

Three days ago the Tajik family informed Iran’s head of judiciary, Ayatollah Larijani in a letter that their detained son had told them in the course of a prison visit that he has been “dishonoured” at the prison and demands to see his lawyer, Mohammad Sharif and the prosecutor of Tehran, Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi.

In the visiting cabin, according to Reporters Without Borders, Tajik was not able to explain more because the conversations are recorded; however, Mohammad Sharif, Abdolreza Tajik’s attorney says that the expression used by his client could be translated as “physical and sexual abuse.”

Abdolreza Tajik, who also worked with Shirin Ebadi’s Defenders of Human Rights Centre, was arrested for the third time in the past year on June 13. His whereabouts were unknown for over a month and his charges were not announced.

Reporters Without Borders states: “When a detainee is held incommunicado in this manner, it can be regarded as a case of forced disappearance and as a crime against humanity.”

Reporters Without Borders also note that Iranian opposition leader, Mehdi Karroubi published a report in Etemad-e Melli newspaper on July 29, 2009 saying post-election detainees were being raped in Iran’s prisons.

The press watchdog adds that a number of detainees who managed to flee the country later confirmed these reports despite the governments repeated denials.

Today 90 Iranian journalists issued a letter addressed to Tehran’s prosecutor expressing grave concern about Abdolreza Tajik’s situation in prison.

They write: “We would never have believed that one day we would have to write letters to the officials about our colleagues being dishonoured in prisons. But no doubt it is justice, law and the rights of humanity that are being dishonoured; it is our political and legal structure that is being dishonoured, and not Abdolreza Tajik.”