ياشاسين آذربايجان - Long live Azerbaijan

.

Azerbaijani activists detained by the Iranian authorities include the following five prisoners of conscience: Seid Metinpur, Elirza Metinpur, Jelil Qhanilu, Behruz Seferi and his wife Leyla Seferi (her maiden name is Mrs. Heyderi). They are now kept in Evin Prison, Tehran and have been detained indefinitely for months for no apparent reason. Three of these prisoners of conscience were

---

---

Azerbaijani activists detained by the Iranian authorities include the following five prisoners of conscience: Seid Metinpur, Elirza Metinpur, Jelil Qhanilu, Behruz Seferi and his wife Leyla Seferi (her maiden name is Mrs. Heyderi). They are now kept in Evin Prison, Tehran and have been detained indefinitely for months for no apparent reason.

Three of these prisoners of conscience were arrested almost nine months ago (nearly at the end of May 2007) and they are: Seid Metinpur, journalist and Human rights activist, Jelil Qenilu and Behruz Seferi, both cultural or political activists; whereas two of them were detained some six months ago and they are Elirza Metinpur (Seid’s brother) and Mrs Leyla Heyderi, the wife of Mr Behruz Seferi.

All five activists, ever since their detention, have been without indictment, have not been tried but have been consistently denied of access to a lawyer, let alone a lawyer of their choice; and are seemingly detained indefinitely.

Thus, the trauma of their families are mounting faced with the meagre stream of published news indicative of the maltreatment of their loved ones, as well as with directly experiencing for themselves the impoverished behaviour of an unaccountable judiciary system in Iran.

Now we know that these prisoners of conscience have been subjected to intense physical and psychological torture, where the Iranian authorities were forcing them to confess for their dictated terms. Our information is authentic and has emerged thanks to other prisoners of conscience already released from Wing 209 of Evin prison, as well as through the inside story obtained by the family members of these victims.

These prisoners of conscience have expressed to the visiting members of their families, that the officials forced them to endure many long sleepless periods and to undergo 24 hourly interrogations; were threatened by telling them that members of their families would be harmed.

According to the families of Seid Metinpur, Elirza Metinpur, Behruz Seferi, Jelil Qenilu and Mrs Leyla Seferi they were continually and severely put under such mental and physical torture that often they were subsequently fainted and were taken to the hospital for treatment.

One released prisoner of conscience describes the mental and physical tortures which he and the other detainees suffered in Wing 209 of Evin prison in the following terms:

Using foul language, they were insulting us, our families, and the whole nation of Azerbaijan in the most offensive manners. We were punched and kicked day in day out and to make the matters worse, we were given false information about our loved ones.

Considering that the above mentioned detainees have been arrested so many months ago, they are now subjected to the “war of attrition,” as their families are in vain to secure the liberty of their loved ones despite their persistent trafficking to the Revolutionary Court and the Secret Service Department. Now the norm of their lives for the last eight month or so has been that every time when they refer to the authorities, they are routinely told, come back in two weeks time.

Seid Metinpur, Journalist and human rights activist

Imprisoned on 25 May 2007

Security agents arrested Metinpur and his wife, Mrs. Etiyye Metinpur (her maiden name is “Tahiri”) in Zengan on 25 May 2007. They were both taken to their house for a search but Seid Metinpur was subsequently transferred to a detention facility in Zengan. During the search, they confiscated Metinpur’s PC, books and personal belongings. They even cut the telephone line and ordered Mrs. Metinpur not to disclose anything to anyone.

Now Metinpur has been in his eighth month of detention, yet to be indicted, to contact a lawyer, or yet to be tried.

It was early in October 2007 when Mehemmedrza Feqihi, a lawyer, was denied of visiting Metinpur or to represent him. Metinpur is outspoken about the Iranian socio-political system and their repression of Southern Azerbaijani activists by contributing to the daily newspaper of Merdom-e-nov and many other local publications.

Metinpur has been transferred to a number of detention facilities including to Evin prison in Tehran. The last transfer took place on 4 December 2007, at which time all these five Southern Azerbaijani prisoners of conscience were transferred to Wing 209 of Evin prison.

Of the 235 detention days on 14 January 2008, Metinpur endured 45 days of solitary confinement in a completely dark and thoroughly unhygienic cell and was constantly tortured; 205 days of his total duration in the detention has been condemned to solitary confinement; and now he is jailed in Evin prison in a cell shared by a few.

Mrs. Etiyye Metinpur visited her husband in Evin prison for the first time on 17 December 2007 – on the 207 th day of the detention. According to her, Seid had massively lost weight and was suffering from a heavy hair loss. He was severely tortured and security officials had exerted unbearable pressures on him to take part in a TV program to confess to charges as dictated to him.

An opposition prisoner had met Seid Metinpur for a short duration in the prison and after being released issued a statement saying that: in the prison I came to meet an individual called Seid Metinpur for a short duration and his torturers were inserting boots and jugs into his mouth and were telling him “as you are demanding education in your mother language, therefore you have to bray in your mother language.” (In Iran they call Azerbaijani Turks donkeys L During constitution revolution in Iran, Azerbaijanis in Tabriz and other Azerbaijani cities were surrounded by central army and refused to surrender. Azerbaijanis were eating grass and other vegetation eatten by grazing animals. So they suffered and brought constitution to Iran but they are called donkeys who ate pasturage.)

This untold torture was also paralleled with exerting pressure to Metinpur’s family commenced from day 1 of the detention. As Seid Metinpur did not yield to torture, the Ministry of Information summoned his brother, Elirza Metinpur, on 28 August 2007 and then arrested him. His brother has been in detention for some four months and suffered much the same fate.

Seid Metinpur is 32 years old and a graduate of philosophy from the University of Tehran. He together with his brother were arrested earlier on 21 February 2007 when celebrating the International Mother Language Day in Zengan, at which time they were assaulted by plainclothes agents. They were also protesting to the restrictions inflicted by the Iranian authorities, forbidding education in Azerbaijani Turkic. The Metinpur brothers were then released on bail after 10 days of enduring solitary confinement.

It should also be mentioned that Seid Metinpur was interrogated in Urmu at the border with Turkey on 23 October 2006, when returning from Turkey, at which time the authorities confiscated his passport, as well as his 35 books and 3 journals of philosophy all in Turkish and bought in from Turkey.

The Metinpur family has expressed their anxiety for their loved ones and are demanding for their lawful treatment.

Jelil Qenilu, Freelance journalist

Imprisoned on 27 June 2007

Jelil Qenilu (30 years old), a political activist from Zengan, was arrested on 27 June 2007 and was shuttled between Evin prison and Zengan prison for a number of times. His last transfer to Wing 209 of Evin prison was together with his other Azerbaijani prisoners of conscience and took place on 4 December 2007. He has recently been transferred to a cell, sharing it with a few others.

So far, this prisoner of conscience from Zengan has not even been indicted; has had no access to a lawyer; and he has not been tried. According to a statement by his brother, Tevekkul Qenilu, his brother was apparently arrested for writing an article on the Iranian violation of human and civil rights of Southern Azerbaijanis.

He took part in the celebration of the International Mother Language Day in Zengan on 21 February 2007 and participated in the Zengan protest orchestrated by journalist and educationalists of Southern Azerbaijan. He was then arrested by security agents. The protest was concerned with the restrictions imposed by the Iranian authorities forbidding Azerbaijani to be educated in their mother language. He was released on bail after providing a surety of $30,000 but enduring 26 days of solitary confinement in Zengan prison and Evin prison. According to his brother, Jelil was even subjected to physical and mental torture during his first detention.

Behruz Seferi, political activist

Imprisoned at the end of May 2007

Behruz Seferi, a political activist of Zengan, was arrested at the end of May 2007 and just after the widespread protests of the South Azerbaijanis in response to the state sponsored publication of the offensive cartoon printed in official Iran daily Newspaper. After being kept for 6 months in detention facilities of the Ministry of Information and Security in Zengan, he was transferred to Sefer-abad prison of Zengan on 3 November 2007 and eventually, together with other Azerbaijani activists, they were transferred to Wing 209 of Evin Prison on 4 December 2007. Currently, he has been transferred to a cell in Evin prison, sharing it with a few others.

His relatives have been threatened that any pursuance of this case and publicising him in international media would result in the authority’s harsh treatment.

Mrs. Leyla Seferi (her maiden surname is Mrs. Heyderi), the wife of Mr. Seferi, did not publicise her husband’s detention and not even disclose it to close friends, bowing to the strict blackmailing threats of the authorities. Not withstanding this, she herself was arrested on 28 August 2007 when she went to visit her husband in prison as arranged previously.

Mr Seferi`s family managed to visit him in Evin prison on 31 December 2007 when they came to realise of the torture that he had endured in the last months. Also, in accordance with the reliable sources, Mrs Leyla Seferi (who is still kept in solitary confinement), was tortured together with her husband, Behruz, many times at each other’s presence.

The authorities have not still indicted him, they have still denied him the right of access to Behruz Seferi; and he has not been tried. It is many months that he and his wife have been detained indefinitely.

Mrs Leyla Heyderi, a cultural activist

Detained on 28 August 2007

Mrs Leyla Seferi (her maiden surname is Mrs. Heyderi), the wife of Mr Behruz Seferi, is from Zengan, who has been in detention since 28 August 2007 and currently she is kept in Evin prison. Her husband, Mr Behruz Seferi who was arrested sometimes at the end of May 2007, is also under detention in Evin prison.

Security officials had threatened Mrs. Seferi that any pursuance of her husband’s case and publicising him in international media will result in the authority’s harsh treatment. Mrs. Leyla Seferi, did not publicise her husband’s detention and not even disclose this to close friends, bowing to the strict blackmailing threats of the authorities. Not withstanding this, she herself was arrested on 28 August 2007 when she went to visit her husband in prison as arranged previously.

After being kept one month in the detention facilities of the Ministry of Information in Zengan , she was transferred to Evin Prison on 4 December 2007 together with other prisoners of conscience in Zengan. Mrs Leyla Seferi’s family managed to visit in Evin Prison on 31 December 2007, who were informed of torture ordeals that she was subjected to as the authorities were forcing her to confess to the terms dictated by them.

According to Leyla Seferi`s family, she is currently being kept in solitary confinement and that she was repeatedly tortured together with her husband.

One female activist, who was released recently from Evin prison, expressed concern on Mrs. Seferi and the manner of interrogation methods that she was subjected to and the grave condition that she in.

According to this released activist, Mrs. Seferi was suffering from severe migraine headache and that she was in bad physical and mental state. Security officials had threatened her family afterward saying that should they pursue this case and publicise her in international media, she would suffer unforeseen consequences.

It is noticeable that although five months have passed from her arrest, no information has been given on charges against her; it is not known on what legal basis she has been put under arrest; she has been interrogated without the presence of a lawyer, let alone a lawyer of her choice; the judiciary systems has issued no communiqué on her case.

It should be mentioned that Mrs. Seferi was the owner and manager of the Chichek (a Turkic Azerbaijani word meaning blossom) Bookstore, but it was shutdown under seal by Department of Estates and the Information Department in 2006. The Bookstore was engaged in trading of Azerbaijani books, music cassettes and other cultural materials. .

Elirza Metinpur

Imprisoned on 28 August 2007

Elirza Metinpur was arrested on 28 August 2007, as a way of exerting pressure on his elder brother, Seid Metinpur.

This Southern Azerbaijani activist has been in detention for the last 5 months. He was transferred to Zengan prison after one month of being kept in detention facilities in Zengan. In a wave of escalating pressures, he was transferred to Evin prison together with other prisoners of conscience in Zanqan. Now he is kept in a cell there, sharing it with few others.

Metinpur’s family managed to visit Elirza in the prison on 17 December 2007. According to his family, Elirza is in bad mental and physical state and that he has lost a lot of weight.

This prisoner of conscience has not been indicted; he was denied of the right of access to a lawyer, let alone a lawyer of his choice; and he has not been tried. Metinpur’s family has expressed their concern and demand a lawful treatment of the children.

, Voice of a Nation

---

Share This | Print