Arash Sadeghi Speaks Out After Prison Release

Rooz: When and how were you released from prison?

Arash Sadeghi (A.S.): I was released on October 12th [2013] on [approximately] $170,000 [USD] bail. The bail was initially set at $100,000 USD, but after [my family] followed up [with authorities] they were told it was $ 170,000 [USD]. The bail was provided by a relative; otherwise my family does not have the financial means to meet such a demand.

Rooz: Which section of the prison were you held in? And under what type of conditions?
A.S: I was in section 209 [of Evin Prison], and for a period of time I was transferred to section 240 [of Evin Prison] . I was held in section 209, the basement of section 209, and section 240 of Evin Prison.

Rooz: What was this letter?
A.S: It was a reply to [the claim by] Mr. Eje’i. My father had stated [in the letter]: “during [2011 and 2012, in which Eje'i claimed Arash Sadeghi was not in prison], we had visited Arash twice in prison. Are you denying these visits? Seven days after his arrest, Arash made a phone call and informed us of Kouhyar Goudarzi’s presence in section 209. Are you denying that too? Do you deny exerting pressure on our family?” The letter’s content was along these lines. Unfortunately, it was not published at the time.

Rooz: Mr. Sadeghi, I contacted your father the same day that Mr. Eje’i had denied you were in prison, but your father did not mention the letter. Moreover, why was the letter not passed on to us? I’m hearing about it [for the first time from you].
A.S: When did you contact my father?

Rooz: The same day Mr. Ejei’s statement was published.
A.S: A few friends had come to our door, and there were discussions about the letter. Father told them that he had written such a letter, then he released [that letter's text] to several people. They, in turn, submitted the letter [to media outlets], but [no one] published it.

Rooz: You said that you were in sections 209 and 240 of Evin Prison. What was your condition in prison? Were you in solitary confinement throughout this period?
A.S: I was in solitary confinement except for a period of about 20 to 25 days when I was in Cell 92 with two other prisoners who may have been there for a while. Their charges were related to the Ministry of Intelligence. I assume [they were tied to the Ministry of Intelligence] because they knew some individuals very well. In some of the conversations they talked about Mr. (…) and knew his nickname when he was an interrogator during the 1980′s. I don’t know why they were being held there, but I was held in the same cell with them for about 20 days.

Rooz: So, you mean, except for these two individuals, you did not see anyone else in sections 209 and 240?
A.S: I saw Mr. Kouhyar Goudarzi. That is when I contacted [home] and told them Kouhyar was there. The types of talks circulating about me were similar to that about Kouhyar. However, Kouhyar has a mother who stood firmly by his side by following up on his case.

Rooz: My question is why would they treat you this way? On what charges?
A.S: I wasn’t aware of my charges for about 7 to 8 months. They just placed a piece of paper in front me with vague content printed on it. It was clear they had just photocopied a generic text and distributed that [among the accused].

Rooz: What paper? What was written on it?

A.S: “Ties to and Contacts with Foreign Media, attending rallies”, etc. Generally, some vague charges that were clearly photocopied and given to defendants. I did not sign it. The accusation against me, which is presented to this day by the interrogator, is that I was organizing a gathering in front of Allameh Tabatabai University. The other charge was having ties and contacts with Dr. Mohammad Maleki (the First President of the University of Tehran following the Revolution). [I] visited Dr. Maleki a couple of times after [my] release. The interrogators argued: “Dr. Maleki was spreading the [idea] of an “Active Boycotting of the [Presidential] elections”, and you wanted to cooperate with him on this issue, and run a committee to that end in your university.” Even though this was not true, they would not allow me entrance to university. When I attempted to enter the university to inquire about my status I was denied access.

Another issue is that of my mother. The main reason for which they held me in prison is my mother. Since my last arrest, they had come several times to ask me to withdraw my complaint against the Ministry of Intelligence. I remember once they came when we were having History class with the late Mr. Hoda Saber in section 350 of Evin Prison. They paged me over the speakers, and they summoned me and talked to me, and asked me to withdraw my complaint. They said there would be no financial problem. They would give me a blank cheque to write whatever amount I wanted to, and told me I could continue my education, and I could rest assured that there would not be any problems for me, and I could get on with my life. I replied that I cannot forgive the issue of [the death of] my mother. The subject of my mother is the top priority for me.

My release coincided with the Coroner’s office’s confirmation once again that my mother had no heart problem and died as a result of the shock she had suffered from the raid [on our home in the middle of the night]. After that, she suffered a blow to the head that resulted in an internal hemorrhage. I tried to follow up with the case. My sister was present, but unfortunately she is not interested to get involved [in general]. My probability of success in following up on [with my mom's case] depends in a way on whether my sister will join me in the process. I think the reason I was arrested is because I was pursuing [my mother's] case. After I was arrested [the last time in January 2012]…I was held in solitary confinement [and forced to live] in a state of prison limbo.

Rooz: There was a report that your grandfather visited you, and after this visit a letter was published under your grandfather’s name which was written to your interrogator stating that your charge was related to the interview I conducted with you in 2010, as well as your interview with BBC. Based on what you are saying, these were not the charges against you.

A.S: There were different issues brought up. For example, another issue they brought up [for me] was [that I allegedly] cooperated with the Iran Khabar News Agency website. I was always the one to insist to my friends that if they decide to do media work, they should avoid cooperating with Iran Khabar due to its ties to the MEK/PMOI. Those who cooperated with that site faced various problems and difficulties.

There were many charges against me. The key accusation is organizing a rally in front of the university, even though they had arrested me a month before the rally was held. The other accusation is related to the “Active Boycott” of elections. Another is about the statements published outside the prison. These are the key reasons I was arrested, plus [the death of] my mother.

Rooz: You mentioned that they were insisting that you withdraw your complaint about your mother. Did you withdraw the complaint? Is that why you were released?
A.S: No, it has not been withdrawn. I was not interrogated after a certain period, but I was being held in a state of prison limbo. My father’s pursuing of my case did not bear any results either. My argument was that if I had been charged with anything, those charges have to be communicated to me, and I have to appear before a court of law. There is no reason to have held me for such a long period of time under those circumstances.

Rooz: There was a lot of discussions and talks by your friends about your arrest. Individuals claiming to be your friends were saying that you had been killed in prison. Other ones claiming to be your friend were saying that you were not even arrested in the first place, and all this was a scenario…Why were these discussions taking place about you?
A.S: I really don’t know what to say. I have accessed the cyberspace through the help of my friends, and I am reading many of the materials, and I don’t know what to say. My question for friends who denied my imprisonment is that my father gave three interviews [discussing my imprisonment] despite being a military member, and being under immense pressure from Military Intelligence Security and Ministry of Intelligence. If I was really out of prison, they would arrest and deal with my father for spreading and disseminating lies. Another argument is that I had prison visits. Mr. Alizadeh Tabatabaei [, my lawyer,] also gave interviews and stated that he was following up on my case. He had gone to the court and asked whether I was alive. They told him that he (Arash Sadeghi) is alive. So, why did they not [the judiciary officials] deny imprisonment while in the case of Kouhyar they were claiming that he was not even arrested. The Judiciary and Ministry of Intelligence said, go announce that Kouhyar had been kidnapped and not arrested. However, later on, it became clear that he was in prison. His whereabouts and conditions were disclosed as a result of the efforts of his friends and his mother. I did not have anyone to follow up and give interviews. Unfortunately, I don’t know what to say. Another question regarding the denial of my arrest is that I was in prison for nearly two years. Why did the Intelligence Ministry or Judiciary not deny my arrest earlier?

Rooz: You said that you went on hunger strike once to protest Hossein Ronaghi’s condition. You had no contact with the outside world, so how did you know about Hossein Ronaghi’s condition?
A.S: I had a visit with my grandfather. Hossein Ronaghi had gone on hunger strike a few days before this visit. My grandfather told me that “your friend Hossein Ronaghi has gone on hunger strike to protest his medical condition.” I told him that I would go on hunger strike starting today in support of Hosseing Roanghi Maleki.

Rooz: Did you visit you grandfather in Evin Prison?
A.S: Yes.

Rooz: There were reports that your grandfather was arrested and transferred to section 209 of Evin Prison. Did you see your grandfather in section 209?
A.S: No, not at all.

Rooz: After your grandfather’s release, you did not see him, and he did not follow up on your case?
A.S: Unfortunately not. Friends pressured my dad to follow up on my case. The last news I have is that my grandfather lives in the Parand settlement, north of Robat-e Karim.

Rooz: You did not see your grandfather even after being released?
A.S: No, unfortunately.

Rooz: How about your father? Did you see your family after your release?
A.S: I saw them once. I do not have the right to enter the military zone [where my father lives]. Military Intelligence took away my pass for the military zone. I have to enter the zone in order to register, but they do not allow me to enter. However, I saw my father outside the zone. My father is in very poor condition. He suffers from anxiety attacks. He takes pills which have complicated his situation. His condition is such that his anxiety attacks are only under control with pills. When he does not take them, his neurotic health is quite disturbed. My father was under pressure from the Military Intelligence, the Ministry of Intelligence, and his wife. He was not interested in giving interviews, and when he was giving interviews, he would do it at times when his wife was not home, and would make sure she wouldn’t find out. Family problems played a role in my father’s lack of response.

Rooz: You said his wife?
A.S: Yes. My father re-married 60 days after my mother’s death. One of the reasons for which I cannot live with my father is this marriage.

Rooz: After Ejei’s denial, it was said that you were seen in South Mehrabad (the neighbourhood where your father owns a home subsidized by the military). It was said you were extremely thin and gaunt, resembling a dead body who had risen from the grave. Moreover, you seemed to have lost your cognitive faculties, and were wandering and looking around aimlessly…what explanation do you have to offer?
A.S: Yes, this was brought up by Mr. (…) whose sister was in my university, and he was a close friend of mine. His sister saw someone at the university, and then stated that she saw someone who greatly resembled Arash. Now, there is discussion that if it were Arash, then why did they not approach and talk to him?

Rooz: As for your release, why did you not inform anyone and, unlike other released prisoners, why was nobody informed and instead you announced it on your Facebook after several days?
A.S: I actually informed everyone, but I was faced with a media blackout. The sites did not publish the news of the release, and even now there are doubts whether the Facebook pictures are really of Arash…even though my Facebook account is in my own hands and I took the picture at the request of my friends with my own cellphone.

Rooz: What is the status of your case at the moment? What charge was finally communicated to you?
A.S: ”Collusion and conspiracy against the regime” and “Propaganda against the regime”.

Rooz: Did they not explain to you why you weren’t transferred to the public ward of the prison, and why you were being held in solitary confinement for such a long period? You didn’t ask them questions regarding these matters?
A.S: I objected against this many times. I asked to be transferred to cells 122, which had more of a public ambiance. However, my protests and my discussions with my interrogator, whether it was calm exchanges or clashes, did not result in my transfer. After my second visit, it was communicated to me that outside the prison the climate is such that I’m being accused of not being in prison. It was implied that I should cooperate with authorities in order to get released from prison. Following that visit I tried unsuccessfully to be transferred to cells 122. Finally, toward the end of my imprisonment, I was transferred to section 92, where I was imprisoned with two other people. And then, in what was even shocking to me, I was released on bail. I was denied all the rights of a prisoner. I did not have visits nor phone contacts except for one phone call and two prison visits [in the entire period of my imprisonment].

Rooz: What was the reason they offered for not transferring you to the public ward?
A.S: What they were telling my family was that the interrogator had to allow the transfer. In the period I was interrogated, he told me I did not deserve to be transferred to public ward.

Rooz: Another issue that is brought up is why did none of the people released from section 209 see you, neither in the hallway nor on the way to or from the interrogation room, washroom, or the showers? What conditions were you being held in that except those two individuals who you mentioned nobody else saw you?
A.S: But a few did see me, [for example] those who were transferred to section 350. There was incidentally a report in Jaras that a Section 209 official had published a response to an inquiry confirming that Arash Sadeghi was held in section 209. This was back in 2012. A few friends did see me in one way or other. We even talked. The fact that some argue nobody has seen me seems bizarre. Mehdi Khodaiee and a few other guys following up with my case and a couple of the section 209 prisoners did say that they had seen me.

Rooz: You mentioned you were going to the bathroom. You mean your cell did not have a bathroom?
A.S: The cells in section 240 have bathrooms, but in section 209 you switch on a light and the guard comes and takes you to the bathroom.