The Status of Prisoners

Here is a good summary of the conditions and sentences of the various political prisoners held in Iran since the election:

They are crushing the younger activists. Shahabeddin Tabatabie is getting five years in prison, while Masoud Bastani is getting six.

They are shutting out any possibility of a viable youth movement with this. Maybe the youth will not care, but they are doing their best to silence them. If the price is too high, many will be hesitant to speak out. Shahabeddin Tabatabaie has done NOTHING but actively participate in and organize for Mousavi’s youth campaign.

Hedayat Aghaie has been sentenced to five years in prison.

A deputy of Tehran’s prosecutor general met with Behzad Nabavi in the hospital yesterday and said: “he should remain in the hospital for now.” ! WTF? Since when does the judiciary handout medical advice?!

Saeed Hajjariyan: a five year suspended sentence (he will be imprisoned if he “repeats his crime”.)

As of two days ago, they’ve brought some of the political activists out of solitary confinement and placed them in bigger prison cells. Mohsen Mirdamadi, Abdollah Ramezanzadeh and Feyzollah Arabsorkhi are together. Mostafa Tajzadeh and Mohsen Aminzadeh are together. Farahani, Abtahi, Atriyanfar and Saeed Shariati are no longer in solitary confinement either. But the rest, including Ahmad Zeydabadi, Saeed Leylaz, Abdollah Momeni and Davod Soleymani are.

Not much is known about Ghouchani, Bahman Ahmadi Amooyi, and Keyvan Samimi.

And not much about the younger prisoners either: Ali Pirhosseinloo, Mehdi Shirzad, Mehdi Mahmoudian, Hossein Naimipour.

Those prisoners who have been brought out of solitary confinement can see their families on a more regular basis and the meetings are easier than before. This means that these prisoners know of what is going on outside and they [the judiciary, whoever the heck is holding them hostage] knows that it can’t break their will anymore than it has. They will sentence them each to a few years in prison and wait to see how things go until the prisoners appeal.

But the rest have not even gotten a chance to see their families. Until a few days ago, Zeydabadi and Momeni had not seen anyone for a month.

Can anyone detect a pattern here? Is this all random? I would think not. Why release Jalayipour who was in the youth campaign as well? (because his dad has more connections?) But they’ve also released Emad Bahavar. Why them and not the others? What’s their release&hold strategy?

Listen to Shadi Sadr’s interview if you haven’t already (and if you understand Persian.) She said that they did not physically hurt her, but for days, she was blindfolded and forced to listen to the brutal beating of a dozen or so youngsters who were beaten even harder if they let out a whimper.

UPDATE1

Tajbakhsh: 15 years in prison.

Zeydabadi: 7 years in prison.

I don’t know what to say about this. I’m just shocked.

UPDATE2

The news about Zeydabadi was a rumor. It has not yet been verified.

Tajbakhsh: 12+ years in prison. The exact number has not been announced.