Seyyed Semi Hosseini, a Kurdish political prisoner detained in Central Prison of Qazvin (known as the Choobindar), has been on hunger strike since Sunday, Nov 26, 2017 in protest to the deprivation of the right to visit and contact his family.
“About two months ago, Choobindar Prison authorities launched a smart telephone system in the prison according to which each prisoner received a smart telephone card on which the telephone number of maximum seven family members have been registered. The prisoners could then only communicate with the specified numbers.”, an informed source told Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) while confirming this news.
According to the source, however, Seyyed Sami Hosseini has not been given the smart card despite registering the telephone numbers of his contacts. In protests to such discrimination and his repeated unanswered complaints to the prison authorities, he finally went on hunger strike as the last resort.
“In the past two months, the concerned family of this political prisoner contacted the prison authorities and requested to visit and call him, but the prison authorities have been denied to grant permission under various excuses.”, the source added.
“Seyed Semi Hosseini and Seyed Jamal Mohammadi had been initially sentenced to death on charges of Moharebeh by Khoy Revolutionary Court. They went on a retrial in 2013 and were sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment on a number of different charges. In November 2005, they were exiled to Qazvin Central Prison from Orumiyeh Central Prison in order to endure their 10-years of imprisonment with exile”, an informed source said to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN).
“The request of these two political prisoners for a retrial was approved by the Supreme Court in 2012. However, Following the retrial at Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court headed by judge Chabok in 2013, they were sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment and exile to Qazvin Central Prison on charges of cooperation with the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK). These two Kurdish political prisoners were also convicted of participation in murder, deliberate assault and destruction of state’s properties during the trial at branch 16 of the Criminal court in Orumiyeh in 2013 headed by judge Ibrahimi who issued two separate verdicts and they were sentenced to another 15 years of imprisonment in total. Although in accordance with the new Iranian penal code, these three verdicts should be combined, the judge of the criminal court has declared that Article 134 will only be enforced after completion of 10 years imprisonment “, the source continued.
Per Article 134 of Iran’s New Islamic Penal Code, the prison term should not exceed the sentence for the charge that carries the heaviest punishment if one is convicted of multiple charges.
“Seyed Jamal and Seyed Sami almost served 10 years of imprisonment and have been deprived of furlough,” the source added.
The two Kurdish political prisoners were arrested by Salmas Security Forces on 4th June 2008 at Shahid Shirazi Inspection Stop and they were transferred to Salmas Intelligence Detention Centre. They were interrogated and severely tortured for three months and five days at Salmas and Orumiyeh Intelligence Detention centre on charges of Moharebeh. They were tortured so severely that Seyed Sami went into a coma for 18 days and was admitted to Imam Khomeini Hospital affiliated with the Intelligence Ministry of Orumiyeh. After completing the interrogations, Salmas intelligence agents transferred them to the Salmas Prison where the prison authorities first refused to accept them in prison due to their critical conditions but they were forced to accept these two prisoners following an official letter from the Salmas intelligence Centre.
The trial of these two political prisoners was held on Dec 4, 2008, at Branch 1 of Khoy Revolutionary Court. The judge only took a few minutes to convict them to death on charges of Moharebeh through their membership in PJAK. They appealed against this verdict but Branch 10 of the Appeal Court confirmed the verdict on Dec 12, 2009.
After the sentences were finalised and served on them, these two political prisoners were transferred from Salmas ward to Orumiyeh Central Prison where they remained until Nov 2015
