Nasser Zarafshan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nasser Zarafshan (born 1946) is an Iranian novelist, translator, and attorney.
As a member of the Iranian Writers' Association Kanoon and a notable member of the Iranian Bar Association, Zarafshan's translations and articles have appeared in important periodicals in Iran. He has also acted as the legal envoy of two of the families of Iranian writers who were assassinated in November 1998 in what came to be known in Iran as the 'serial murders' case. The murdered journalists included Majid Charif, an editorialist with the monthly Iran é Farda , writer-journalists Mohamad Mokhtari and Mohamad Jafar Pouyandeh, and a couple, Darioush and Parvaneh Forouhar, who were freedom of expression activists. It is reported that Zarafshan has been tremendously critical of the shortcomings in the official examination into these killings.
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[edit] Case history
Zarafshan was arrested by members of the Judicial Organization of Armed Forces (JOAF) in October 2000 after giving a speech in the city of Shiraz in which he stated that the intelligence services had murdered five Iranian intellectuals in 1998 in Tehran.
He was initially charged with publishing information about the assassinations, imprisoned in December 2000, and was released after a month pending trial. In February 2002 he was tried in a military court behind closed doors with his lawyer present; the presiding judge was a prosecutor with the JOAF. While in detention, Zarafshan's office was reportedly searched, and weapons and alcohol were allegedly found.
He was sentenced on March 19, 2002 to five years' imprisonment (2 years for disseminating state secrets, 3 years for the possession of firearms) and 70 lashes for the possession of alcohol. Zarafshan denies the firearms and alcohol charges and claims these were planted in his office by the authorities.
Zarafshan was awarded the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award in 2004.
[edit] Current status
Iranian judicial organizations have so far failed to explain why Zarafshan, a civilian, was brought before the JOAF, the purpose of which is to try members of the armed forces and Revolutionary Guards for violations of the military code. It is reported that the Chair of the Iranian Parliamentary Committee for Human Rights has protested against the use of a military court in these circumstances, branding it "unconstitutional."
Zarafshan has reportedly appealed to the Supreme Court and is currently awaiting a decision, which, according to information as of October 2002. Since his imprisonment was not only denied medical care for an urgent kidney disease, but also was held in a cell with prisoners of violent crimes. On June 7, 2005 Zarafshan started a hunger strike to protest the absence of medical treatment. After a significant deterioration in his health, he ended his hunger strike and was hospitalized for an operation on his kidney in July 2005. He continues to remain on medical leave.
