“He Falls Into Comma & Can’t Stand up for Days”

HRANA News Agency – While Majid Dori remains locked up in Behbahan Prison for the last 29 months, his family’s efforts to release him on furlough or transfer him to a prison in Tehran have been unsuccessful. Majid Dori is an imprisoned student expelled from Allameh Tabatabai Univerity (ATU) and exiled to the city of Behbahan in Khuzestan Province.

In an interview with Jaras News, Monaver Hashemi, Majid Dori’s mother, talked about her son’s latest condition and said, “Majid suffers from migraines and anemia. He experiences dizziness before falling into a coma. For 3-4 days at a time, he can’t stand up. We have explained all this to the authorities. Before the Persian New Year, he was taken to see a doctor who ordered a brain scan, but nothing was done. He wasn’t taken for tests or follow-ups.”

Monaver Hashemi added, “When I saw him last time, Majid had caught a cold and was very weak such that he couldn’t talk. When he called later, he sounded better. I have told the Prosecutor about Majid’s physical problems to no avil. We can’t do anything else. We are told that our request for furlough is being considered! It has been four months since Ramadan. Our request is still being considered! I follow up every week, but there is no news. They just tell me they’ll contact me if there is any news. Approximately 20 days ago, we went to Behbahan to see Majid, but since then, we don’t know how he is doing.”

While complaining about the fact that her son hasn’t been given furlough or transferred to a prison in Tehran, Monaver Hashemi said, “We must travel the long distance from Karaj to Behbahan. Unfortunately, we can’t travel this distance every week to see Majid who is also upset about this hardship when he sees us. We have followed up on getting him released on furlough. Majid has been in prison for 29 months now but hasn’t been given even one hour of furlough. We have requested multiple times to transfer him to a prison in Tehran, but our requests have been denied.”

Majid Dori was arrested on July 9, 2009 in his sister’s house in the city of Qazvin located northwest of Tehran. He was charged with the crime of Enmity with God (Moharebeh), acting against national security and disturbing the peace. In December 2009, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison and exiled to Behbahan Prison for five years.

On May 20, 2010, the Appeals Court then reduced this verdict to 6 years in prison but confirmed the order for his exile. In August 2010, without prior notice, prison officials placed Majid Dari in shackles and transferred him to a prison in the city of Behbahan in Khuzestan Province. Since then, Majid Dari has been serving his prison term in exile.