URGENT ACTION
PUBLIC AI Index: MDE
13/105/2006
19 September 2006
Further Information on UA 163/06 (MDE 13/063/2006, 08 June 2006) Incommunicado
detention/ Fear of torture/ Medical concern new concern: Prisoner of Conscience
IRAN Abbas Lisani (or Leysani), (m) aged 38, activist
His family
Prisoner of conscience Abbas Lisani
is detained in Ardebil Prison in the
north-west of Iran. He has received a one-year prison sentence for
"spreading
anti-government propaganda", and faces other trials apparently related to
his
peaceful political and cultural activities on behalf of the Iranian Azerbaijani
minority community. He is reportedly in poor health.
Abbas Lisani was arrested
on 3 June 2006, shortly after participating in a
demonstration in
a detention facility run by the Ministry of Intelligence in
being transferred to
until 7 June, when, in a phone call lasting only a couple of minutes, he told
them that he was detained in solitary confinement in
hunger strike.
Abbas Lisani has had
limited access to his family. He was permitted his first
family visit on 29 June, some 26 days after his arrest. His lawyer has only
been allowed to see him once, though he has made several other requests for
visits which have been denied.
Abbas Lisani’s hunger
strike reportedly lasted for 58 days, for some of which
he also refused liquids. Throughout his hunger strike, he was detained in
solitary confinement. He finally ended his hunger strike on 30 July, after
being granted his first family visit, during which he was reportedly very weak
and could barely speak. By the end of his hunger strike he had lost about 30
kilograms in weight.
Amnesty International remains concerned for the safety of Abbas
Lisani. He is
currently detained in a prison cell with non-political prisoners, some of whom
are drug addicts. In
prisoners, at times political detainees are detained with criminal prisoners,
which they believe is a means of increasing pressure on them. It is believed
that Abbas Lisani has been
harassed and threatened by his cell-mates. He is
said to suffer from stomach and kidney problems, and pain in his ribs, which is
allegedly the legacy of torture during previous periods of detention. It is not
known whether he has access to adequate medical care.
Several cases have been brought against Abbas Lisani. These include charges
related to attending a commemorative gathering for Constitution Day at the
mausoleum of Baghir Khan in August 2005; attending
the annual cultural
gathering at Babek castle in 2005; and his
participation in the widespread
demonstrations that took place in north-western
On 6 September 2006, the
to one year’s imprisonment, for "spreading anti-government
propaganda"
according to Article 500 of the Penal Code. According to the court verdict, the
basis for the charge includes his participation in the annual Babek Castle
demonstration in 2005; encouraging others to participate in this gathering;
reciting Azerbaijani poems and other material at the gathering; publishing and
distributing a "Turkish-language" calendar; sending messages abroad
via the
internet; making calls to his supporters abroad; and intending to promote
Azerbaijani Turkic nationalism and independence.
Amnesty International believes that the charge of "spreading
anti-government
propaganda", of which Abbas Lisani
has been convicted, does not constitute a
recognizably criminal offence. Moreover, according to the court verdict, the
basis for the charge appears to relate solely to his peaceful political and
cultural activities on behalf of the Iranian Azerbaijani minority. As such,
Amnesty International believes that Abbas Lisani is a prisoner of conscience,
and calls for his immediate and unconditional release.
According to recent reports, Abbas Lisani will soon face a further trial before
the
the Constitution Day commemoration in August 2005.
Members of Abbas Lisani’s
family have also been subject to harassment. His wife
has allegedly been threatened with arrest if she publicises her husband’s
condition. The family’s butcher’s shop- their sole source of income- has been
closed, and its licence to operate revoked.