Eight Azerbaijani prisoners, Araz Aman Zeinabad, Ayaz Seifkhah, Vadud Asadi, Mohammad Reza Faghihi (a well-known Azerbaijani human rights lawyer), Taher Naghavi (an Azerbaijani lawyer), Mahmoud Ojaghlu, Karam Mardaneh and Murtaza Parvin, have written an open letter to Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, calling for his direct involvement and for an end to what they describe as institutionalised oppression.
The authors state that they were arrested by security agents in February 2024 in a coordinated manner and without a legal summons. Many of the defendants did not know each other before their arrest, and there was no organisational or group connection between them.
However, security agents, especially the Ministry of Intelligence, arrested them, searched their homes and confiscated their personal belongings on charges such as "collusion to commit a crime against national security", "espionage" and "propaganda against the State", without providing sufficient documentary evidence or judicial warrants.
Interrogations were often conducted without a lawyer present, and they were not even given the chance to choose a lawyer from the approved list. According to the letter, in some cases the interrogation lasted less than five minutes, and they were informed of the serious security charges only to the extent of "reading the file".
In another part of the letter, the prisoners describe intense pressure from interrogators to obtain forced confessions. They say they were subjected to physical and psychological pressure, threats and humiliation for 20 to 40 days in solitary confinement in Section 209 of Evin Prison. Part of the letter reads: "It was even suggested that we express regret for our past in front of the camera and promise that we will not cooperate with the so-called separatists from now on."
A case of more than 55 volumes led to an indictment being issued in less than a week, and the defendants were sentenced to a total of more than 100 years in prison by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Salavati. The authors say the judge issued the verdict without considering the defence of independent lawyers, and solely on the basis of one-sided reports by Intelligence Ministry interrogators. They also claim that the prosecutor had not read the case before the indictment was issued and signed it only on the basis of verbal explanations from the Ministry of Intelligence.
During the Israeli missile attack on Tehran, Evin Prison was also targeted. According to the authors, despite requests for the release or furlough of prisoners because of the war conditions, the judiciary took no immediate action.
After this incident, the authors were transferred at night to the Greater Tehran Prison in a "heinous and humiliating" manner, in shackles and handcuffs, hungry and thirsty. They say the prison lacks minimum biological and hygienic standards, and that they are now living in deplorable conditions.
At the end of the letter, the signatories cite Article 121 of the Constitution, which obliges the President to protect the rights of the people, and call for:
1. A thorough and fair review of the cases by an independent panel.
2. An immediate halt to extrajudicial treatment by security agents.
3. Compensation for the rights of which the defendants were deprived.
4. The identification of the officers and judges who played a role in fabricating the cases.
5. The immediate release of prisoners held in the present inhumane conditions.
