Iranian authorities of the Birjand central prison transferred the Kurdish religious prisoner known as Siyamand Bewzhi Motlagh to a solitary confinement cell yesterday for unknown reasons.
“On Sunday, July 23, prisoner Siyamand Bewzhi Motlagh held in Ward 101 of the Central Prison of Birjand was transferred to solitary confinement after being summoned to the guard office on the orders of the prison authorities without any clear indication of the charges against him. This religious prisoner had submitted a complaint to the prison chief about the denial of his Parole and transfer request to Tabriz Prison during the past days. So, it is likely that he his transfer to solitary cells is due to making the afore-mentioned complaint”, an informed source told Kurdistan Human Rights Network.
“Bewzhi Motlagh, from Mirawe of Bokan, was arrested in the fall of 2014 by security forces on charges of membership in religious extremist groups in the city of Saqez. Then, he was sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment on charges of membership in religious extremist groups and 1 year of imprisonment for Propaganda against the regime by the Revolutionary Court of Saqez while he was denied access to a lawyer,” The source added.
“After the verdict was finalised and served on him, He was first transferred to the prison of Baneh but then he was transferred to the Birjand Prison in late 2014 as his wife was a resident of Birjand. His wife, a resident of Tabriz, was forced by security forces to get a divorce from him last year but she refused to take care of his three children due to poverty. The children are now kept in the Tabriz Welfare Organisation,” the source continued.
The prisoner has asked for the transfer to Tabriz Central Prison to be close to his children after the separation, but so far prison authorities have refused to transfer him.
