Ahmad Ghabel Arrested For Revealing Vakilabad Mass Executions, Says Wife

In an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Marzieh Pasdar, wife of imprisoned religious scholar Ahmad Ghabel, said her husband suffers from heart disease and was under treatment until his most recent arrest last week. Ghabel was a student of the late Ayatollah Montazeri and is currently being held inside ward 6/1 of Vakilabad Prison in Mashad. Pasdar was allowed to have an in-person meeting with him a few days ago. “Mr. Ghabel was well, thank God. But when I talked to him on the telephone today, I sensed that he is under the weather. You know that Mr. Ghabel suffers from heart disease and is currently under treatment. Today he told me that he has been to see the prison physician. He shares a cell with political and ordinary prisoners,” said Pasdar.

“It appears that his charges are the same as before. But he says himself that he has been returned to prison for what he said about the Vakilabad prison group executions. I think they have somewhat informed him of these charges,” said Pasdar about her husband’s charges.

Religious scholar Ahmad Ghabel was released last June after six months in prison. He was summoned to Mashad Revolutionary Courts on 8 September 2010, and transferred to prison from there. Ghabel had spoken about the numerous secret executions carried out inside Vakilabad prison during several interviews after his release. Trusted sources have told the Campaign that with a capacity of 4,000 prisoners, Vakilabad prison currently holds in excess of 12,000 prisoner. They also said that over the past year more than 500 prisoners sentenced to death have been executed during secret group executions. Ghabel said that at least 50 people were hung during his time there. According to information received by the Campaign, families of the prisoners and their lawyers did not have any knowledge of the executions and as a result were not present at the time of execution.

“We take issue with the charges and with Mr. Ghabel’s arrest. Whatever he said is based on evidence and reasoning. He did not commit any crimes for which he deserved to go to prison. If they believe that he has committed a crime, they should convene his trial court so that we know what is going to happen and end this state of limbo. We don’t believe he has committed a crime. If they believe that he has committed a crime, then they should take action,” Marzieh Pasdar told the Campaign.