Still no news on young man beaten and arrested on Fire Festival

Human Rights and Democracy Activists in Iran

There is no news on the whereabouts and condition of Rasoul Hardani, a young man who was severely beaten and arrested on the Fire Festival (March 16, 2010).

Rasoul Hardani, 27, was arrested on the Fire Festival along with two of his friends and after being taken to the Shapure Detention Center, was tortured with electric clubs and electric shocks.

According to one his cellmates who was recently released, Rasoul, who had severe injuries because security forces had pulled his body on the asphalt, was taken to an unknown location after 24 hours.

His family has no information on his whereabouts since his arrest. Despite their constant appeals to the Revolutionary Court, the Tehran Prosecutor's Office, Evin Prison and other centers, officials refrain from giving them a clear answer.
This has caused serious concerns for the Hardani family. Rasoul Hardani and his family had tried in the year 2000 to divert a plane in order to seek asylum outside of Iran but they were unsuccessful. Rasoul and his family were subsequently arrested.

A number of his family members were sentenced to death which was then lowered to long prison terms. According to his family, Rasoul Hardani was given a medical leave last year after 10 years of prison and received two surgeries at the Golestan Hospital in Ahwaz.