Political prisoners exiled in a bid to increase pressure on them

Political prisoner Maryam Akbari Monfared was abruptly exiled to Gohardasht Prison on Sunday, September 26, even as the Women’s Ward at the prison is already highly overcrowded, and due to a lack of medical and other basic resources, the prison is in dreadful conditions. Deprived of a possibility to sleep at nights, the prisoners spend nights awake in their wards.

Ms. Akbari, 36, is the mother of three young children, and is being held on fabricated charges as a “mohareb” (enemy of God).

She has been sentenced to 15 years at Gohardasht Prison. During a show trial, she contested the sentence and described the judge as incompetent. The mullahs’ judge, Salamati, said she is charged with having relatives at Camp Ashraf, who are members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), and because some of her relatives have been executed for supporting the PMOI.

Two members of Ms. Akbari’s family, Alireza, 20, and Gholamreza, 26, were executed in 1981 and 1985, respectively, while two of her other relatives, Roqieh, 30, and Abdolreza, 23, were executed during the 1988 massacre of political prisoners by the clerical regime.

Political prisoner Hamid Haeri, 60, who suffers from a variety of health problems as a result of being tortured and imprisoned, has also been exiled to Gohardasht Prison. Mr. Haeri suffers from various ailments, including a heart condition and has survived two strokes. He has been sentenced to 15 years in prison because his son and brother are residents in Camp Ashraf.

Hadi Qaemi, who was arrested during the December 27, 2009 Ashura uprising, has also been sentenced to 15 years in prison, and has been exiled to Gorgan’s Minoudasht Prison.

Other exiled political prisoners in recent days include Majid Tavakoli, who has been transferred to Gohardasht Prison, and Zia Nabavi and Majid Dorri, who were sent to the notorious Karoun Prison in Ahvaz