Judge Says Yazdi is Healthy Despite Illness and Postpones Trial for Third Time

In an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, Ebrahim Yazdi’s lawyer, said that the third session of Yazdi’s trial did not convene on 12 March, due to incomplete investigations. “The Judge said that he has forwarded the case file to the prosecutors so that they can do a new set of direct investigations from Ebrahim Yazdi,” he said.  Yazdi, the Secretary General of the Iran Freedom Movement, has been in prison for more than five months, charged with “acting against national security,” “propagating against the regime,” and “establishing the Iran Freedom Movement.”

Yazdi’s family members have testified to his dire physical conditions and repeatedly asked that his case be determined as soon as possible. Ebrahim Yazdi, who is detained inside an Intelligence Ministry “safe house,” again did not attend his court session on Saturday.

Mohammad Ali Dadkhah told the Campaign that he was only able to read Yazdi’s case file two months ago and that he doesn’t know anything about the case status at this time. “I asked the Judge to at least determine the date of the next court session at this time. He said that since investigations are not complete, the next court session cannot be scheduled, and that we must wait for the investigation processes to be completed,” said Dadkhah.

“The first issue I raised [with the court] is that his physical conditions are not good, and his fate must be determined sooner, but the Judge said that he had met with Ebrahim Yazdi recently, that he did not seem to have any physical problems and that he was well,” said Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, emphasizing Yazdi’s advanced age and unsuitable physical conditions.

During a recent interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Mehdi Nourbakhsh, Ebrahim Yazdi’s son-in-law, said that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is directly responsible if Yazdi is hurt in any way. “Mr. Khamenei himself is involved in this whole story. He is one hundred percent directly involved in decision making in his case. Whatever calamity happens to Dr. Yazdi, we, the family, truly hold Khamenei responsible, and no one else. Mr. Khamenei is involved in these arrests and we hold him as the main culprit in anything untoward that might happen to him,” Nourbakhsh said.

At 80 years of age, Ebrahim Yazdi, a member of Iran’s Revolutionary Council and the first Foreign Minister after the Islamic Revolution, is the oldest political prisoner in Iran. According to family members, Yazdi suffers from acute diseases and his detention conditions in the “safe house” may cost him his life. He was arrested in October of last year on the charge of “illegally holding Friday Prayers”, and ever since then, has been held in a “safe house.”