PhD Student Still Held in Ward 350 of Evin Prison

Human Rights House of IRAN

Ehsan Abdeh-Tabrizi who is a history student pursuing his PhD, is still held at Evin Prison. He is a post-election detainee who was sentenced to 7 years in prison by Judge Moghayeseh and has been confined in prison for the past year. He was charged with insulting the Supreme Leader, participating in Ashura protests and having contacts with foreigners. Ehsan Abdeh-Tabrizi, the PhD student of political sciences in Durham University, England, was visiting his family during his Christmas break when his passport was confiscated upon his arrival at Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran and he was arrested. His father Hossein Abdeh-Tabrizi is a critic of Ahmadinejad’s economic policies and had caused reactions of the government supporters with his comprehensive articles published in Sarmayeh newspaper. Hossein Abdeh-Tabrizi was also among 70 economists who had criticized government’s economical policies in an open letter published in fall 2008. In an interview with the media, his father had emphasized that his son is innocent and he is just a researcher who is not political. He had stated that he does not believe that any of the judicial authorities agree with the court’s verdict. The condition of his mother who has been suffering from Multiple Sclerosis has worsened since his arrest and she has been admitted to a hospital. The verdict of the appeals court has not been issued yet.