Latest news with #Reza
CBS News
7 hours ago
- CBS News
American cyclist who got trapped in Iran talks about his tense escape as Israeli "bombs kept falling"
Popping a champagne bottle on Portugal's Atlantic coast in February, 32-year-old American Ian Alexander set out to fulfill his dream of biking across all seven continents of the world. He planned to ride for 10 months, covering roughly 10,000 miles to reach his final destination of Japan. He did not plan, however, for Israel to launch a war on Iran. As he crossed into Iran on June 1, Alexander was filled with excitement, and anxiety. "I was quite nervous. I was like, okay, now we're getting into some uncharted territory here," he told CBS News on Thursday from a hotel room in Azerbaijan's capital of Baku. "But I was immediately put at ease with so many positive experiences from people that I met on the road… and hospitality, generosity." American cyclist Ian Alexander is seen posing for a photo after clearing customs to enter Iran. Ian Alexander He said he was "surprised daily" by kind, curious Iranians inviting him for tea or offering him food, even trying to pay for his meal at a restaurant. On June 13, that changed, when Israel started bombing Iran's nuclear and military sites. "Not any outward hostility, but I just kind of read people's body language and their facial expressions," said Alexander. "And I knew I was in quite a bit of danger, because people were seeing Israel and the U.S. as being quite tied together at that point, as the bombs kept falling and the missiles kept striking." He and his local Iranian guide, Reza, decided to hunker down at a guesthouse about 45 miles north of Tehran, in a village called Harijan, for two days. Reza, who Alexander said had become his friend, advised him to avoid telling people he was American, and to avoid talking to people at all if possible. But he said he slipped up, revealing his nationality to some local travelers who joined them at the hotel. "They weren't happy about the fact that they were having to share a hotel with 'that American' that was there," said Alexander. On June 15, Alexander heard an Israeli bomb explode in the distance. That same day he received an email from the U.S. State Department, advising him of options for Americans wishing to leave Iran, based on their current locations. He decided his best bet was an eight hour drive north, around the Caspian Sea, to reach Azerbaijan. He and Reza were quickly caught up in a steady flow of dense traffic, as residents streamed out of Tehran. They passed gas stations with long lines of cars, and many military checkpoints. "It was quite harrowing," he said. "The idea of maybe being pulled over at one of the military checkpoints." Smoke rises after an Israeli strike on a building used by the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network, part of Iran's state TV broadcaster, June 16, 2025 in Tehran, Iran. Getty Images "Reza, my guide, had told me that he can no longer protect me, and that really rattled me, right? Cause, he's my guide. He's my Iranian guide, and very stable, sturdy, dependable guy. And he's like, 'All right, this is it. Like, you're in quite a bit of danger here. If we're stopped and the police suspect you of something, there's nothing I can do.'" Alexander said he became "more and more at ease as we got closer," and they eventually made it without incident to Iran's border with Azerbaijan. But the most nerve-wracking part of that final day was about to begin, as he was interviewed not once, but twice by Iranian officials - normal border police and then by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. For the second interview, he was pulled out of a crowd and taken into the backroom of a storage closet in a makeshift army barracks. "That's where I was like, 'Okay, I've got a 50-50 chance of being taken either as a bargaining chip or for further questioning,'" he said. "Actually, the interview was like, less than a minute." "I walked out back into the night to get my bicycle and then actually enter Azerbaijan, and I half expected them to call me back. I was like, 'Something's wrong here. Um, why, why was this so easy?' But they didn't, and I was able to enter Azerbaijan." Clear of Iran's internet firewall, he was able to message his family in the U.S. before he checked into the first hotel he could find, and then sleep for 12 hours in relief and exhaustion. Now safe as the Israel-Iran conflict drags on, Alexander said he thinks a lot about the possible spillover effect for anyone with a U.S. passport living and traveling overseas. He said he registered his travel itinerary with the U.S. State Department's STEP program, which sends country-specific notifications and updates based on a traveler's movements. It's how he knew to head for Azerbaijan, and he urges all Americans traveling abroad to do the same. Alexander also said if it were not for his Iranian guide, he might not have made it out of the country. He hopes to raise money for Reza and his family, who are still in Iran. He also intends to carry on with his bike ride to Japan, to fulfil his dream of cycling all of the world's continents.
The Print
a day ago
- Politics
- The Print
Why betting on a reformed Iran could be a mistake for India
A secular and liberal Reza Shah supplied Pakistan with arms , supported its war efforts against India by continuous supply of oil, and went to the extent of being an 'arms dealer' to keep the Pakistani Army going. Let's unpack this argument. Last time when a secular monarch was ruling Iran—Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi—his regime supported Pakistan, providing them with weapons and oil, and even harbouring their aircraft during the 1965 India-Pakistan war. With Iran and Israel locked in a military conflict, many experts, or non-experts, are giving different 'prophecies' of the war between the two West Asian countries. Some suggest the capitulation of Iran, backed by the West, would bring peace in the region and end all the bloodshed. Some predict it will make the invasion of Iraq look like a skirmish. Some even say Iran will be Balkanised. Amid all these so-called prophecies, Yusuf T Unjhawala, in an opinion piece in ThePrint, titled A reformed Iran is a valuable friend to India , argues that 'a secular and reform-oriented regime in Iran could be less prone to aligning with India's adversaries on ideological grounds'. After the 1971 war between India and Pakistan, Pahlavi, in a stern message to India, had said, 'Iran has no aggressive intentions, but it will not accept any attempt to liquidate Pakistan. The USSR and India must be fully aware of our resolution. We do not want a new Vietnam on the frontier of Iran.' Most importantly, can India ignore Donald Trump hosting Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir in White House for lunch on 18 June? Is that good news for India? Let's leave that to the Indian dispensation. Unjhawala argues that after the fall of the current Islamic regime, post-war Iran would possibly re-integrated into the Western world, the sanctions on it would be lifted, and peace and business would prevail. However, this argument raises some pertinent questions. Who will rule Iran after the fall of the regime? Is there any party or a figure to shoulder the very diverse and civilisational state? The answer is no. There is no visible opposition inside or outside the country. Israel and some Western countries are supporting 64-year-old Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the deposed monarch of Iran. Reza has given interviews to many news channels, with one BBC anchor asking him, 'Are you actually saying then that Israel bombing your in Iran being killed is a positive thing?' To this, Reza answered, 'I am not saying Israeli targeting was meant to hurt Iranian people. The targeting was meant to neutralise the regime.' A simple Google search will give the number of people killed in Iran in Israeli aerial campaigns. According to an Iranian government spokesperson, at least 224 Iranians have been killed in Israeli attacks, with most of them civilians. Also read: Israel crushed Ayatollah's regime, but stopping Iran's nuke programme will need total overthrow India-Iran relations post 1979 uprising Both India and Iran have enjoyed a great relationship since the monarchy was overthrown in Iran in February 1979. Iran has been extremely crucial for India regarding the Kashmir issue. Back in 1991, India, having mortgaged its gold reserves, was teetering on the edge of an economic collapse, while its long-time ally, Russia, was grappling with the aftermath of the Soviet Union's dissolution. Meanwhile, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was advocating a resolution at the Office of the UN Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR), later renamed the Human Rights Council, to denounce India for alleged human rights abuses in Kashmir. If the resolution had passed, it would have been escalated to the UN Security Council, potentially triggering economic sanctions and other punitive measures against India. OIC decisions require consensus for adoption. In 1994, it was Iran's vote in the OIC that killed the resolution. In Geneva, when Pakistan's envoy sought to advance the resolution, Iran's representative, following explicit directives from Tehran, declined to back it. Now let's look at the trade between Iran and India. Despite harsh sanctions on Iran, it traded goods worth $2.3 billion in 2024 with India, which could reach $10 billion within a couple of years, according to Indian Ambassador Rudra Gaurav Shresth. Iran was a key oil supplier for India until 2019, when US sanctions pushed it to look for alternatives Now, consider India's strategic interests within the Islamic Republic of Iran. India and Iran are jointly developing the Shahid Beheshti Port at Chabahar, Iran. It is crucial for India's access to Central Asia and Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. A 10-year agreement was signed in May 2024, granting India the operations of the Shahid Beheshti terminal. It is key to the International North–South Transport Corridor, a 7,200-km-long multi-mode network of ship, rail, and road routes for moving freight between India, Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia, and Europe. Both Iranian and Indian leaders have paid visits to each other's countries. India, on multiple occasions, has supported Iran's 'peaceful nuclear ambitions' while opposing the Islamic Republic's ambitions to develop nuclear weapons. During his November 2009 trip to Washingon, former Prime Minsiter late Manmohan Singh said, 'As a signatory to NPT (Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty) it (Iran) has all the rights that flow from the NPT for the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, it has obligations that go with its membership.' During his 2012 Tehran visit, then-External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee backed Iran's right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Then, during PM Narendra Modi's 2016 visit to Tehran, he said that 'India and Iran are not new friends. Our 'dosti' (friendship) is as old as history,' PM Modi even in 2016 called Iran to be the first country to respond for India's help during the 2001 Bhuj earthquake. So betting on an Iran which is 'reformed' or 'secular' at this time is bizarre. On several occasions, India chose the wrong side or put all the eggs in one basket, which haunted the country or still casts shadows over its strategic outlook. Like after the fall of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League, chief of Bangladesh's interim government, Muhammad Yunus in China said, 'The eastern part of India, known as the Seven Sisters, is landlocked. They have no access to the ocean. We are the only guardians of the ocean in this region. This opens up huge possibilities.' In the case of the fall of Mohammed Najibullah's rule in Afghanistan during the late 1980s and early 1990s, it proved fatal for India's strategic ties with Afghanistan. Later on, the Taliban, supported by Pakistan, captured Kabul which created serious security ramifications for New Delhi as it influenced the rise of terrorism in the Kashmir valley in the 1990s. (Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)
Saba Yemen
6 days ago
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Iran: 10 hostile Zionist aircraft downed in various parts of country
Tehran – Saba: The commander of Iran's Air Defense Command, Brigadier General Amir Alireza, announced on Saturday that 10 hostile Zionist aircraft had been downed in the past hour. The Iranian Tasnim News Agency quoted Brigadier General Reza as saying, "The air defense systems of the Islamic Republic of Iran were able to down 10 hostile aircraft belonging to the Zionist entity in various parts of the country in the last hour." Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The Iranian Man Imprisoned For Supporting Women's Rights
Iranian human rights attorney and activist Nasrin Satoudeh holds a photo of her husband outside Tehran's Evin Prison, where he is an inmate. Reza Khandan was taken into custody in December on charges of making buttons reading "I Oppose the Mandatory Hijab" and otherwise supporting women's rights. His wife has spent six years behind bars on similar charges. "Today was the day I'm supposed to be able to meet Reza," she said, "but as usual they prevented me from seeing him because I wasn't wearing a hijab." Credit - Photo by Barbad Behravan این متن را به فارسی بخوانید Reza Khandan was arrested in December 2024 for supporting women's rights in Iran, and creating thousands of homemade buttons that said, 'I Oppose the Mandatory Hijab.' He had previously been imprisoned for 111 days in 2018 for this so-called crime before being released on bail. Reza's wife, Nasrin Sotoudeh, spent over six years in Iranian prisons for her work as a human rights attorney and activist. Reza raised their daughter and son while maintaining his graphic design business, and defying government threats as he campaigned for Nasrin's freedom. Now, Nasrin is home on a medical furlough for a heart condition that was exacerbated by COVID-19 and mistreatment in prison, and Reza is facing at least three more years in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison. I got to know these good people when I directed and produced Nasrin, a 2020 documentary about her life and work. She was in prison most of the time we were filming, and I saw Reza's character— and love—repeatedly tested by a regime that punishes families as a way of inflicting additional pain on its detainees. This interview started in April when I sent a series of questions to Reza. Slowly and with some complicated back and forth, he passed his answers to me. Why have you put yourself at risk (in and out of prison) by criticizing your government—and is it dangerous for you to do this interview? I have a duty and the privilege to defend my rights and the rights of others. Without that, there is a dark future for us and our children. In a country like Iran, with this government, every protest and criticism carries a risk, but that's a chance I'm willing to are a man, with all the privileges that brings in virtually every country. Why do you so strongly support women's rights? No country can achieve democracy, and development with justice and human dignity, without guaranteeing equal rights for women and men. A society that ignores the rights of half of its population will never achieve real greatness. Describe your December 2024 arrest. That morning, I'd gone to the store so I could do some work at the house. On my way back, I noticed several people standing by the entrance talking to the building manager. As soon as I got out of the car, they came towards me, pointed at my license plate, and said they were investigating a crime that had been committed with my car. It quickly became clear that all of their words were lies, and their real intent was to arrest me for my judicial case. After a minute or so, Nasrin joined us. She asked if she could get our son Nima from upstairs so he and I could have a moment together before they took me away. They said yes, but when she left to get him, they forced me into their car and drove off. I never got a chance to say goodbye to my son. I slept in the detention center that night. It was extremely cold. They intentionally turned off the radiator, and there was no other heating device. The detainees were not given food or water. The cells had no beds and there were only a few dirty blankets to somehow be shared by about a dozen people. The Guardian Officer responded to my protests with dirt and ridicule. The filthy bathroom had no soap. They weren't even willing to even let me buy soap with my own money. The next morning, I was transferred to the prosecutor in Evin Prison's court. After hours of being interviewed and processed, I was transferred to a prison quarantine, where I stayed for nine days without any outside more: Why Iran's Leading Women's Rights Defender Thinks the Protesters Could Topple the Regime What is your typical day like in prison? Part of my day is spent cleaning and doing personal chores like buying supplies that are available in the prison store. Food in Iranian prisons is rarely edible, so we have to purchase whatever ingredients we can and prepare our own meals. Ward 8, where I am held, has 33 gas burners for around 600 people. I am part of a group of about ten inmates who cook and eat together, and we are allowed to use a burner three times a week. When possible, I read in the library, and I make sure to exercise. I also walk with friends, which gives us the opportunity to exchange opinions about the news we get through contact with our families. The big problem for an inmate is usually the very slow passage of time, but for me it is just the opposite. I don't want my time here to pass faster because that means I am losing all the moments I should be sharing with my wife, my children, and others I love. Describe Evin Prison and the ward you are in. Evin Prison houses about 15,000 inmates divided into different wards, and there is extreme overcrowding. The reason Evin is infamous is because of its terribly cruel high security detention centers that are poorly supervised by the Prison Chief. Each of these security areas is controlled by of one of the government's security bodies, such as the Ministry of Information, the Revolutionary Guards, and the Judiciary. These detention centers do not comply with any law. Their interrogators employ all kinds of inhumane behavior with the inmates, who are systematically deprived of their rights. Prisoners face beatings, denial of medical care, months in solitary confinement with a total news-blackout, crushing interrogations, forced confessions that taped and broadcast on national television after heavy editing, plus psychological, physical, and sexual torture. Even seemingly small acts deliver needless cruelty. For instance, prisoners have to wear a blindfold and be escorted by an officer if they need to use the bathroom or go to the nurse's more: 'It's Like We're Hanging in the Air.' Iranian Activist Nasrin Sotoudeh's Husband on Her Temporary Release From Prison After the interrogation phase and the issuance of a sentence, prisoners are transferred to a public ward. This is where we will remain until our sentence expires. I am in Ward 8, which has about 600 prisoners. Almost 80% of these men are held for public offences, and the rest are political. Political prisoners do not enjoy equality with ordinary prisoners. We are constantly monitored and followed, our phone access is strictly controlled, the limited calls we do get are constantly cut off for false reasons during conversations, and we rarely get parole. Bedbugs continue to plague all the prisoners. Drugs are rampant. The prison yard has become unusable due to drug use in front of guards and cameras. The slightest complaint about the prison administrators' performance is severely suppressed. This is why I have gone on several hunger strikes since my and why have the authorities harassed and hurt your family? How does this make you feel? The Iranian government actively suppresses the voices of civil society, especially women, and it reacts with great brutality to the smallest protest or disobedience. My wife Nasrin was imprisoned for over six years for her work as a human rights attorney. Our daughter Mehraveh has been threatened and harassed in numerous ways (including a forced daylong interrogation). Our son Nima was savagely beaten by prison guards when he tried to visit me (this was no accident, but a planned assault). In addition, our bank accounts were frozen, and now I am held in one of the worst wards of Evin Prison because I support women' rights and I made buttons that said, 'I oppose the mandatory hijab.' Many others have faced similar cruelties, and much worse. Despite all the difficulties and hardship that Nasrin has endured on this path, she doesn't doubt her choices. Neither do I. We can't be apathetic towards injustice and oppression. I think this is why regardless of the challenges and struggles we've faced; we have kept the family close and as strong as ever. This is the treasure that has made all our activism possible. What has your wife Nasrin taught you and how does she inspire you? I've loved Nasrin since we first met, and a shared commitment to women's rights and opposition to the compulsory hijab has always been part of our relationship. Nasrin was unjustly and cruelly imprisoned for her legal work representing Iranian human rights and women's rights activists from 2010 through 2013 (when our children were very young), and again from 2018 through 2021 (she was eventually released on a medical furlough due to a serious heart problem). In October 2023, she was beaten, arrested, and detained for several weeks for attending the funeral of Armita Geravand, a 17-year-old who was killed for supposedly not properly wearing her hijab. All this time, Nasrin has never stopped showing a deep concern for her family, and she has never given in to enormous pressure from the government. I am inspired by those qualities, and more. I am also inspired by my fellow inmates who have been arrested for their support of human rights, in Iran and around the more: Nasrin Sotoudeh Is on the 2021 TIME100 List You have spoken openly about some of your cellmates who are also imprisoned for being human right activists. If it will help and not put them at risk, please share what you can about them. We have no statistics of the number of political prisoners in the security detention centers inside Evin Prison, but I estimate that there are about 300, and about 70 of them are women. There are nearly 80 political prisoners in our ward alone, including men with dual citizenship, women's rights and democracy activists, and those held for a variety of ideological beliefs. Reza Valizadeh is currently the only dual-national political prisoner with American citizenship. Last year he visited Iran to see his aging parents. After a few months of harassment and interrogation, he was finally arrested and sentenced to ten years in prison. Valizadeh was a radio reporter until a few years ago, so they tried to force him to confess to 'collaborating with a foreign government.' The also tried to get him to speak against his former colleagues at Radio Farda, which he strongly rejected. Valizadeh has consistently stood up against their inhumane demands. Mohammad Najafi, Mohammad Reza Faghihee and Taher Naghavi are lawyers who are in prison for their human rights activities. Mohammad Najafi holds the record in having the most cases created against him. He has been in prison for nearly 7 years. Vahid Khadirzadeh is a young man who was convicted and incarcerated for protesting the forced veiling of women, and he is somewhat similar to me and my friend Farhad Meysami (Farhad was imprisoned for 5 years). Another man is in prison for the fourth time for a total of 8 and a half years. He says he spent 120 days in solitary confinement during one of his detentions. Because of this experience, he was so intellectually and psychologically disturbed that at the end of confinement when they gave him a piece of fruit, he could not remember the word 'orange.' What personal message can you say to your daughter Mehraveh and your son Nima? Nasrin and I at all times think about our son and daughter. When we are working for individual freedoms and human rights, and when we are away in prison for those activities, Mehraveh and Nima are in our hearts. We consider their circumstances, their dreams, their future, and the future of all the children in this country. They deserve a better life. All our strength and energy come from our children, who have suffered more than us. Nasrin and I are very proud of them, and we have learned from them greatly. Being separated from Mehraveh and Nima, and from Nasrin, is agony. I love them very much. You are in prison in part because you believe in a democratic ideal, yet democracy is being seriously challenged in many countries, including America. Do you still believe in democracy and where do you see the world headed in the next decade or two? The process of democratization starts and stops, but the world is moving forward. Progress is inevitable. Perhaps it is hard for people in other countries, like yours, to imagine having leaders who have so little concern for human rights that they will lock up individuals for trying to make their society better. This can happen if you are not careful. In Iran, I feel the arrest of people like me, activists in the women's movement, protesters of the compulsory hijab, and advocates of a just civil society, is a last desperate and senseless attempt to continue this incompetent and corrupt government. I do draw hope and strength from those here who support the process of democratization, and from people half-way across the world whose daily lives are dedicated to the fight against injustice. I am proud of our work and am sure that we have taken the right path. How can you keep hope alive in prison? The most important point of hope is that it strengthens our belief in change and in the impact our activities have outside of prison. When political prisoners hear of support from people like you, it has a direct benefit. Knowing we are not alone and not forgotten is very closely tied to keeping our sense of purpose. Of course, all prisoners must have a plan for themselves. Reading, exercise, exchange of information and ideas with fellow inmates, and helping each other, all helps us to serve our sentence with the least damage. What message do you have for the leaders of Iran? Leaders of authoritarian governments do not want to hear anything except praise. They always deem themselves to be an exception to the lessons of history. But they should know, history doesn't have any exceptions. I also want to say, "I demand freedom for all political prisoners,' and 'I object to the compulsory hijab!' What would you like to say to all the people who signed the petition calling for your freedom? When Nasrin told me that this petition was signed by so many people from dozens of countries around the world, it made me very proud and hopeful. I am deeply grateful to every one of these dear friends. Were it not for this level of concern, awareness, and public pressure for the release of me and other political prisoners, our condition would be much worse and more dangerous. This a great blessing. Farsi translation by Parisa Saranj Contact us at letters@
Time Magazine
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Magazine
Meet the Jailed Husband of Iran's Most Prominent Women's Rights Defender
این متن را به فارسی بخوانید Reza Khandan was arrested in December 2024 for supporting women's rights in Iran, and creating thousands of homemade buttons that said, 'I Oppose the Mandatory Hijab.' He had previously been imprisoned for 111 days in 2018 for this so-called crime before being released on bail. Reza's wife, Nasrin Sotoudeh, spent over six years in Iranian prisons for her work as a human rights attorney and activist. Reza raised their daughter and son while maintaining his graphic design business, and defying government threats as he campaigned for Nasrin's freedom. Now, Nasrin is home on a medical furlough for a heart condition that was exacerbated by COVID-19 and mistreatment in prison, and Reza is facing at least three more years in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison. I got to know these good people when I directed and produced Nasrin, a 2020 documentary about her life and work. She was in prison most of the time we were filming, and I saw Reza's character— and love—repeatedly tested by a regime that punishes families as a way of inflicting additional pain on its detainees. This interview started in April when I sent a series of questions to Reza. Slowly and with some complicated back and forth, he passed his answers to me. Why have you put yourself at risk (in and out of prison) by criticizing your government—and is it dangerous for you to do this interview? I have a duty and the privilege to defend my rights and the rights of others. Without that, there is a dark future for us and our children. In a country like Iran, with this government, every protest and criticism carries a risk, but that's a chance I'm willing to take. You are a man, with all the privileges that brings in virtually every country. Why do you so strongly support women's rights? No country can achieve democracy, and development with justice and human dignity, without guaranteeing equal rights for women and men. A society that ignores the rights of half of its population will never achieve real greatness. Describe your December 2024 arrest. That morning, I'd gone to the store so I could do some work at the house. On my way back, I noticed several people standing by the entrance talking to the building manager. As soon as I got out of the car, they came towards me, pointed at my license plate, and said they were investigating a crime that had been committed with my car. It quickly became clear that all of their words were lies, and their real intent was to arrest me for my judicial case. After a minute or so, Nasrin joined us. She asked if she could get our son Nima from upstairs so he and I could have a moment together before they took me away. They said yes, but when she left to get him, they forced me into their car and drove off. I never got a chance to say goodbye to my son. I slept in the detention center that night. It was extremely cold. They intentionally turned off the radiator, and there was no other heating device. The detainees were not given food or water. The cells had no beds and there were only a few dirty blankets to somehow be shared by about a dozen people. The Guardian Officer responded to my protests with dirt and ridicule. The filthy bathroom had no soap. They weren't even willing to even let me buy soap with my own money. The next morning, I was transferred to the prosecutor in Evin Prison's court. After hours of being interviewed and processed, I was transferred to a prison quarantine, where I stayed for nine days without any outside contact. Read more: Why Iran's Leading Women's Rights Defender Thinks the Protesters Could Topple the Regime What is your typical day like in prison? Part of my day is spent cleaning and doing personal chores like buying supplies that are available in the prison store. Food in Iranian prisons is rarely edible, so we have to purchase whatever ingredients we can and prepare our own meals. Ward 8, where I am held, has 33 gas burners for around 600 people. I am part of a group of about ten inmates who cook and eat together, and we are allowed to use a burner three times a week. When possible, I read in the library, and I make sure to exercise. I also walk with friends, which gives us the opportunity to exchange opinions about the news we get through contact with our families. The big problem for an inmate is usually the very slow passage of time, but for me it is just the opposite. I don't want my time here to pass faster because that means I am losing all the moments I should be sharing with my wife, my children, and others I love. Describe Evin Prison and the ward you are in. Evin Prison houses about 15,000 inmates divided into different wards, and there is extreme overcrowding. The reason Evin is infamous is because of its terribly cruel high security detention centers that are poorly supervised by the Prison Chief. Each of these security areas is controlled by of one of the government's security bodies, such as the Ministry of Information, the Revolutionary Guards, and the Judiciary. These detention centers do not comply with any law. Their interrogators employ all kinds of inhumane behavior with the inmates, who are systematically deprived of their rights. Prisoners face beatings, denial of medical care, months in solitary confinement with a total news-blackout, crushing interrogations, forced confessions that taped and broadcast on national television after heavy editing, plus psychological, physical, and sexual torture. Even seemingly small acts deliver needless cruelty. For instance, prisoners have to wear a blindfold and be escorted by an officer if they need to use the bathroom or go to the nurse's office. Read more: 'It's Like We're Hanging in the Air.' Iranian Activist Nasrin Sotoudeh's Husband on Her Temporary Release From Prison After the interrogation phase and the issuance of a sentence, prisoners are transferred to a public ward. This is where we will remain until our sentence expires. I am in Ward 8, which has about 600 prisoners. Almost 80% of these men are held for public offences, and the rest are political. Political prisoners do not enjoy equality with ordinary prisoners. We are constantly monitored and followed, our phone access is strictly controlled, the limited calls we do get are constantly cut off for false reasons during conversations, and we rarely get parole. Bedbugs continue to plague all the prisoners. Drugs are rampant. The prison yard has become unusable due to drug use in front of guards and cameras. The slightest complaint about the prison administrators' performance is severely suppressed. This is why I have gone on several hunger strikes since my arrest. How and why have the authorities harassed and hurt your family? How does this make you feel? The Iranian government actively suppresses the voices of civil society, especially women, and it reacts with great brutality to the smallest protest or disobedience. My wife Nasrin was imprisoned for over six years for her work as a human rights attorney. Our daughter Mehraveh has been threatened and harassed in numerous ways (including a forced daylong interrogation). Our son Nima was savagely beaten by prison guards when he tried to visit me (this was no accident, but a planned assault). In addition, our bank accounts were frozen, and now I am held in one of the worst wards of Evin Prison because I support women' rights and I made buttons that said, 'I oppose the mandatory hijab.' Many others have faced similar cruelties, and much worse. Despite all the difficulties and hardship that Nasrin has endured on this path, she doesn't doubt her choices. Neither do I. We can't be apathetic towards injustice and oppression. I think this is why regardless of the challenges and struggles we've faced; we have kept the family close and as strong as ever. This is the treasure that has made all our activism possible. What has your wife Nasrin taught you and how does she inspire you? I've loved Nasrin since we first met, and a shared commitment to women's rights and opposition to the compulsory hijab has always been part of our relationship. Nasrin was unjustly and cruelly imprisoned for her legal work representing Iranian human rights and women's rights activists from 2010 through 2013 (when our children were very young), and again from 2018 through 2021 (she was eventually released on a medical furlough due to a serious heart problem). In October 2023, she was beaten, arrested, and detained for several weeks for attending the funeral of Armita Geravand, a 17-year-old who was killed for supposedly not properly wearing her hijab. All this time, Nasrin has never stopped showing a deep concern for her family, and she has never given in to enormous pressure from the government. I am inspired by those qualities, and more. I am also inspired by my fellow inmates who have been arrested for their support of human rights, in Iran and around the world. Read more: Nasrin Sotoudeh Is on the 2021 TIME100 List You have spoken openly about some of your cellmates who are also imprisoned for being human right activists. If it will help and not put them at risk, please share what you can about them. We have no statistics of the number of political prisoners in the security detention centers inside Evin Prison, but I estimate that there are about 300, and about 70 of them are women. There are nearly 80 political prisoners in our ward alone, including men with dual citizenship, women's rights and democracy activists, and those held for a variety of ideological beliefs. Reza Valizadeh is currently the only dual-national political prisoner with American citizenship. Last year he visited Iran to see his aging parents. After a few months of harassment and interrogation, he was finally arrested and sentenced to ten years in prison. Valizadeh was a radio reporter until a few years ago, so they tried to force him to confess to 'collaborating with a foreign government.' The also tried to get him to speak against his former colleagues at Radio Farda, which he strongly rejected. Valizadeh has consistently stood up against their inhumane demands. Mohammad Najafi, Mohammad Reza Faghihee and Taher Naghavi are lawyers who are in prison for their human rights activities. Mohammad Najafi holds the record in having the most cases created against him. He has been in prison for nearly 7 years. Vahid Khadirzadeh is a young man who was convicted and incarcerated for protesting the forced veiling of women, and he is somewhat similar to me and my friend Farhad Meysami (Farhad was imprisoned for 5 years). Another man is in prison for the fourth time for a total of 8 and a half years. He says he spent 120 days in solitary confinement during one of his detentions. Because of this experience, he was so intellectually and psychologically disturbed that at the end of confinement when they gave him a piece of fruit, he could not remember the word 'orange.' What personal message can you say to your daughter Mehraveh and your son Nima? Nasrin and I at all times think about our son and daughter. When we are working for individual freedoms and human rights, and when we are away in prison for those activities, Mehraveh and Nima are in our hearts. We consider their circumstances, their dreams, their future, and the future of all the children in this country. They deserve a better life. All our strength and energy come from our children, who have suffered more than us. Nasrin and I are very proud of them, and we have learned from them greatly. Being separated from Mehraveh and Nima, and from Nasrin, is agony. I love them very much. You are in prison in part because you believe in a democratic ideal, yet democracy is being seriously challenged in many countries, including America. Do you still believe in democracy and where do you see the world headed in the next decade or two? The process of democratization starts and stops, but the world is moving forward. Progress is inevitable. Perhaps it is hard for people in other countries, like yours, to imagine having leaders who have so little concern for human rights that they will lock up individuals for trying to make their society better. This can happen if you are not careful. In Iran, I feel the arrest of people like me, activists in the women's movement, protesters of the compulsory hijab, and advocates of a just civil society, is a last desperate and senseless attempt to continue this incompetent and corrupt government. I do draw hope and strength from those here who support the process of democratization, and from people half-way across the world whose daily lives are dedicated to the fight against injustice. I am proud of our work and am sure that we have taken the right path. How can you keep hope alive in prison? The most important point of hope is that it strengthens our belief in change and in the impact our activities have outside of prison. When political prisoners hear of support from people like you, it has a direct benefit. Knowing we are not alone and not forgotten is very closely tied to keeping our sense of purpose. Of course, all prisoners must have a plan for themselves. Reading, exercise, exchange of information and ideas with fellow inmates, and helping each other, all helps us to serve our sentence with the least damage. What message do you have for the leaders of Iran? Leaders of authoritarian governments do not want to hear anything except praise. They always deem themselves to be an exception to the lessons of history. But they should know, history doesn't have any exceptions. I also want to say, "I demand freedom for all political prisoners,' and 'I object to the compulsory hijab!' What would you like to say to all the people who signed the petition calling for your freedom? When Nasrin told me that this petition was signed by so many people from dozens of countries around the world, it made me very proud and hopeful. I am deeply grateful to every one of these dear friends. Were it not for this level of concern, awareness, and public pressure for the release of me and other political prisoners, our condition would be much worse and more dangerous. This a great blessing.
