Mother of jailed lawyer requests release for ailing son

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In an interview with Rooz Online, Zahra Mashhadi Farahani, the mother of Mohammad Oliyaifard expressed concern over her son’s situation. She has requested his unconditional release from prison.

Mohammad Oliyaifard is a judicial lawyer who has defended many political prisoners and journalists. He was the lawyer for Behnoud Shojaee and a few other people sentenced to death under the age of 18. He is accused of “Spreading propaganda against the regime” and was sentenced to one year in prison. It has been nine months and Mohammad Oliyaifard is [still] held in Evin prison. His lawyer Abdolfateh Soltani told Rooz in September that neither him nor his client have been informed of the verdict.

His mother said, “My son is not in good condition and is very ill. We are very worried about him…They have made my son and my daughter promise to not conduct any interviews. When they agreed, [regime agents] granted a 48 hour prison leave to my son. This short leave was extended for two days before he had to return to prison. But, unfortunately, the leave coincided with the holidays, and due to the air pollution in Tehran, we were unable able to have his health checked. We are very worried because they have indicated that there is a lump in his lung.

Earlier, news reports were published that Mohammad Oliyaifard has cancer, but his wife complained that the media was spreading rumours. She said, “They have not told us the results of the tests and, no matter how much we requested from them, they did not respond to us. All we know is that there is a lump in his lung and when he was on leave his mental condition was not good at all. He was too weak and, unfortunately, he has breathing problems that worsen with imprisonment.

She added, “The short leave did nothing for us but disrupt our lives. We were unable to do anything for his health and [Mohammad Oliyaifard's] son’s mental state has been affected. [After Oliyaifard returned to prison] we asked for a prison leave so he may receive medical treatment, but they never responded to us. Even though more than half of his sentence has been served and he is now eligible for conditional release to receive treatment, they still refuse to respond. We go to the Prosecutor’s office every day and we write letters, but nothing. They don’t respond.

Mrs. Mashadi Farahani told Rooz that after her son’s return to prison, they have not been permitted to visit him. She said, “They never informed my son and his lawyer of the verdict and therefore he was unable to appeal the sentence…”

She added, “My son is a lawyer and defended people and the rights of prisoners within the framework of the law. He does not belong to any group or organization. What sin has he committed to deserve this? My son is receiving this [mis]treatment only for defending his clients. I am a mother. Someone needs to explain to me how defending the trampled rights of clients is a crime? Why are they holding him in prison despite his poor health condition? What about his human rights?”

“Do not forget my son. He is ill and must be treated. I do not know why they keep him detained under these conditions. I am announcing that the judicial and security officials are responsible if anything happens to my son. My son served in the front lines of war for two years. Our family participated in all the demonstrations during the [1979] Revolution. Did my son fight for his country in the front lines so they can hold him in a prison cell while his health deteriorates every day?”

Mohammad Oliyaifard’s mother requested from officials to release her son unconditionally before it becomes too late.