Saeed Leylaz and Behzad Nabavi: Released for Nowruz Holidays

Saeed Leylaz, an economic analyst who was arrested after the Iranian elections, was released for the Persian New Year’s Holidays on $500,000 bail. Leylaz has been sentenced to five years in prison. Behzad Nabavi, a senior member of the Islamic Revolution Mujahedin Organization, has also been released until the end of the Persian New Year holidays in order to pursue his medical treatment.

Saleh Nikbakht, Nabavi’s lawyer, has told ILNA News agency about Nabavi’s health: “Considering that Behzad Nabavi’s heart disease and kidney and spine conditions have not improved, in order to be able to do a follow up on his own treatment, he will leave the prison on a 15-day health related furlough during the Persian New Year holidays so that he can confer with his doctors who have expressed different opinions about his treatment, hoping that he can select the best option.”

Referring to Nabavi’s various treatment furloughs during this time period, Nikbakht said: “Even though Nabavi has been given a short one or two-day leave for treatment, so far his diseases have not been treated successfully, so in the upcoming week, to continue his treatment, he will take a furlough leave.

Nabavi was sentenced by Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Courts to six years’ imprisonment, but in Branch 654 of the Appeals Court, the charges of propaganda against the regime were dropped and he was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for participating in 15 June 2009 demonstrations.