Ahmad Batebi

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Ahmad Batebi, a symbol of Iran's reform movement, appeared on the cover of The Economist. He has been in prison since then. ^[1]

Ahmad Batebi (born 1977 in Shiraz, Iran) is an Iranian student who has been imprisoned since the Iranian Student Protests in July 1999. During the protests in the areas surrounding Tehran University, Batebi held up a bloodied shirt belonging to a fellow student who had been beaten by the Basij paramilitaries. The image, pictured right, spread quickly and ended up on the cover of The Economist magazine. Following the publication of The Economist, Batebi was detained and sentenced to death on charges relating to "endangering national security" following a closed-door trial by a Revolutionary Court in Tehran. His death sentence was later commuted to a 15 year prison term by Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei . Upon appeal in early 2000, his sentence was further reduced to 10 years.

In approximately March of 2005, Batebi was temporarily released from Evin Prison in order to get married. He failed to report back to prison. On June 23, 2005 an interview with Ahmad Batebi appeared in The New York Sun newspaper, inside which the article described Batebi as being "currently on the run, avoiding the authorities in Iran".

On 28 June 2005, a Judiciary spokesperson announced that an arrest warrant for Ahmad Batebi had been issued after he had failed to return to prison at the expiry of his leave. Batebi was re-arrested on 27 July 2006. He is continuing to serve his 10-year sentence. However, his family was not told where he was detained till August 12, 2006 when he was permitted to telephone his wife.

He is currently held Section 209 of Evin prison. His family has only been permitted to visit him three times. During their first two visits, Ahmad Batebi's family was accompanied by four prison guards, although their third visit, on 18 September, was reportedly less heavily supervised. Ahmad Batebi is not permitted to see his lawyer.

Ahmad Batebi is reportedly in poor physical and mental health, which is said to be deteriorating. He suffers from a number of medical problems as a result of being tortured and ill-treated during his previous period of detention, including stomach and kidney problems. He has lost some of his teeth, and has permanent hearing problems and poor vision.

Despite the seriousness of his medical condition, prison authorities are allegedly not permitting Ahmad Batebi to receive any medical treatment beyond a few pain killers. According to a press report, Dr Hesam Firouzi, Ahmad Batebi's doctor, wrote to the authorities on 6 August stating that his patient was at risk of paralysis or heart attack, and needed to receive specialist treatment outside prison.

Ahmad Batebi is reportedly not receiving adequate medical care at Evin Prison, and in recent days has suffered a series of seizures and prolonged loss of consciousness. His life may be in danger. In a telephone call on 22 February, Ahmad Batebi reportedly told his father that the prison authorities do not care about him and that if he dies, his father should "hold a celebration of my life, rather than a funeral".

Somaye Bayanat, Ahmad Batebi’s wife, was detained at her house outside Tehran on 21 February. Her whereabouts are not known to Amnesty International. Amnesty International fears that she may be at risk of intimidation, harassment or ill-treatment because of her connection to Ahmad Batebi.

Ahmad Batebi was severely beaten in detention following his initial arrest in connection with a student protest in 1999. Since then he has spent over six years in prison, detained in harsh conditions, worsening his poor health. He suffers from a number of medical problems as a result of being tortured and ill-treated in detention. He, like many other prisoners, has been denied medical treatment or had it delayed.

Ahmad Batebi reportedly suffered several seizures on 16 February and fell unconscious over a period of at least three hours in the course of the day. His fellow prisoners reportedly took him to the prison’s medical facility. Unconfirmed reports stated that Ahmad Batebi suffered a stroke. On 18 February he reportedly suffered another seizure and was taken to Martyrs’ Hospital (Bimarestan-e Shohada) in north Tehran where he reportedly received an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan, the results of which are not known to Amnesty International. On 19 February he was reportedly returned to Evin Prison’s medical facility despite the reported objections by doctors who are said to have told prison officials that he requires follow up care in a hospital and that he is not in a fit state to be imprisoned.

According to a 20 February news report, officials at Evin Prison stated that Ahmad Batebi was returned there on account of the "sensitivities aroused by his friends outside of prison". Following complaints made by Ahmad Batebi’s father, he was again taken to the Martyrs’ Hospital, with hands and feet bound, but was later moved to another hospital. The director of Martyrs' Hospital reportedly told Ahmad Batebi’s father that he was ordered to have him removed from the hospital. He was later returned to prison. He is reportedly under observation at the prison’s medical facility. While a friend of Ahmad Batebi reportedly stated that the two hemispheres of his brain were showing abnormalities, a spokesperson for the judiciary stated on 20 February that his condition was satisfactory.

It is highly likely that Ahmad Batebi will suffer further seizures unless he receives all necessary medical treatment. In light of a pattern of gross negligence on the part of prison authorities with respect to prisoners' health, including in respect to cases of death in custody, Amnesty International fears for the life of Ahmad Batebi.

Akbar Mohammadi, another “18 Tir” student, died in custody in suspicious circumstances in July 2006. Medical care required by Akbar Mohammadi was either delayed or denied. His lawyer is seeking an investigation into the cause of his death.