Three Months into Detention, No Formal Charges

Three months after the arrest of Massoud Sepehr, his wife told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that it is still not clear why he was arrested. Sepehr is a Political Science lecturer at Shiraz Azad University who was arrested on 17 November 2011.

“On the morning of 17 November 2011, plainclothes security forces came to our home and after a complete search of the premises, he was arrested and transferred to the Shiraz Intelligence Office Detention Center, also known as Number 100,” Mahshid Tadayon told the Campaign about her husband’s arrest.

Tadayon said that during the first few days after Sepehr’s arrest, security forces told his family not to interview with the media so that his situation would be clarified quickly and he would be released. After three months, despite the family’s silence, there has been no change in the prisoner of conscience’s case.

“My husband was arrested about three months ago, but his case file has not yet been forwarded to the courts. His charges are not clear, nor is there any news about his release. His lawyer has not been able to access his case file or even meet with him. He has been denied all his legal rights,” Tadayon told the Campaign.

“His general health is not good. He suffers from high blood pressure. He has kidney problems, too, and must always be monitored by a physician. I am seriously concerned about his physical condition,” Tadayon added.

In a 31 December 2011 statement, the Iran Islamic Revolution Mujahedin Organization objected to the wave of arrests of critics and political and civil society activists. “Dr. Sepehr is a prominent figure and a highly educated academician, respected by the people of Shiraz. More than anything else, the arrest of this distinguished individual who has always maintained his balance and supported logical criticism while maintaining his independence, shows the increasing constriction of legal liberties and the daily increase of repression and dictatorship,” the statement said.