Veteran journalist Emadeddin Baghi released on 3rd day of strike in Iran

Iranian authorities have released one of the twelve political prisoners on hunger strike in Tehran’s Evin prison.

Prominent human rights activist and journalist Emadeddin Baghi was released from prison on Monday, the third day of hunger strikes in Evin prison’s ward 350.

Baghi and twelve other inmates had begun an “indefinite” hunger strike on 18 June as a show of protest against ongoing human rights violations in the country especially rights abuses against political prisons. They began their hunger strike after the killing of political prisoners Hoda Saber and Haleh Sahabi.

According to reports, since Baghi’s release from prison, fellow inmate Mahdi Eghbal has stepped in to continue this collective show of protest.

Baghi was arrested on 28 December 2009, a day after the massive Ashura protests in Tehran and other cities across the country. His was jailed after the broadcast by the BBC Persian Service of a two-year old interview he had conducted with the late Gran Ayatollah Montazeri, considered by many to be the spiritual leader of the Green Movement prior to his death.

The veteran journalist was sentenced today to six years in prison on charges of "propagating against the regime," and "assembly and collusion for disrupting national security." He was subsequently acquitted of the charge of acting against "national security."

The six-year imprisonment was later reduced to one year in prison and a five-year ban from journalism and civil activities. It should be noted that Baghi’s release came 19 days after fulfilling his one-year jail term.

Emadeddin Baghi is the 2009 recipient of the prestigious Martin Ennals Award and president of the Association for the Defence of Prisoners Rights, which was established in 2003.
 

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