Public Letter to Supreme Leader about Torture in Prison Brings Abdollah Momeni New Trial Instead of Justice

In an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Fatemeh Adinehvand, wife of student activist and political prisoner Abdollah Momeni, expressed surprise for his new summons to court. “The last time I visited Abdollah on Monday, 25 July, he told me that he had been summoned to court the previous week because of his letter to the Supreme Leader, and that his charges include ‘propagating lies’ and ‘creating public anxiety.'”

A year after he wrote a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader in which he spoke of the torture he suffered during his interrogations, asking him to investigate the performance of prison and security authorities, Momeni was summoned on Tuesday, 19 July to Branch 4 of Evin Prison Court, facing serious charges for this letter.

“Abdollah was so upset. He said that ‘I was asking for justice, now they have answered me this way. Instead of addressing my letter, they have taken me back to court.’ I was also very surprised when I heard this from Abdollah, wondering why instead of investigating this injustice, they have taken my husband to court, accusing him. Regrettably, not only his request for justice was not addressed, but they fabricated a new case against him, calling him a liar in court,” said Adinehvand.

Speaking about Momeni’s physical health in prison, Adinehvand said: “It’s prison life afterall, with its own specific problems. Mr. Momeni has an earache now and the prison infirmary doctor has told him that he has a ruptured eardrum, and he must seek treatment outside the prison. This must have happened during his interrogations under torture. For the past two years, he has developed a skin condition in prison which he has been unable to treat. He also once went to the prison infirmary for a heart problem which has not been treated.”

Momeni’s in-person visits have also been reduced since his letter to the Supreme Leader. “Since March 2010, my children and I have only been able to have in-person visits with Mr. Momeni twice. Our last visit in-person visit was last March,” added Adinehvand.

Abdollah Momeni, a former spokesperson for the Daftar-e Tahkim-e Vahdat student organization, was arrested following the 2009 election. He was later sentenced to four years and 11 months in prison.  Currently he is in Ward 350 of Evin Prison.