Emadeddin Baghi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Emadeddin Baghi is a "prominent Iranian rights activist and leading prisoners' rights advocate," and a "renowned Iranian investigative journalist." He is the founder and head of the Committee for the Defense of Prisoners' Rights and the Society of Right to Life Guardians in Iran and the author of twenty books, six of which have been banned.[1] In 2000, Baghi was imprisoned in connection with his expose writings on the Chain murders of Iran, and served two years.[2] He was imprisoned again in late 2007 for another year on charges of "acting against national security." According to his family and lawyers, Baghi has been summoned to court 23 times since his release in 2003.[3] He has also had his passport confiscated, his newspaper closed, and suspended prison sentences passed against his wife and daughter.[4]

[edit] Overview

Emadeddin Baghi's record as a political prisoner or defendant includes

  • A three-year prison term passed in 2000, by a Revolutionary Court on charges brought by the intelligence ministry and the conservative-run state television[5] of “endangering national security” for his writings about the serial murder of dissident intellectuals in Iran in the late 1990s. He served two years of that sentence, and one year was suspended.[6]
  • A one-year suspended term for “endangering national security” and “printing lies” in his book, The Tragedy of Democracy in Iran issued in 2003 by Judge Babayee of Branch 6 of the Revolutionary Court.[7]
  • A one year prison sentence for "acting against national security," issued on Oct. 15, 2007 when he was summoned by Tehran's revolutionary court on the charges of "propaganda against the Islamic Republic" and "divulging state secret information." This imprisonment has been condemned by Iranian lawyer, human rights advocate and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, and by the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders.[8]

Emadeddin Baghi founded two Iranian nongovernmental organizations - the Society for the Defense of Prisoners’ Rights, in 2003 and the Society of Right to Life Guardians in 2005. The two organizations produce reports on the situation of Iranian prisoners and gather data about death penalty cases in Iran.[9]

In 2004 he was awarded the Civil Courage Prize but was prohibited from leaving Iran to accept it.[10] and in 2005 he was awarded the French Human Rights Prize in recognition of his work campaigning against the death penalty.

Baghi had been protesting a wave of public hangings that was part of a campaign by the authorities, to improve "societal security". A year before his arrest and trial Baghi had written an open letter to the heads of the reformist parties scolding them for their silence over the increased number of hangings.[11]

[edit] References and notes

  1. ^ Emadeddin Baghi
  2. ^ Iran: Release Leading Defender of Prisoners’ Rights
  3. ^ Iran: Release Leading Defender of Prisoners’ Rights
  4. ^ Prominent Iranian Human Rights Defender Emaddedin Baghi Detained 2007
  5. ^ Pro-reform journalist arrested in Iran BBC News, 29 May, 2000
  6. ^ Iran: Release Leading Defender of Prisoners’ Rights
  7. ^ Iran: Release Leading Defender of Prisoners’ Rights
  8. ^ Prisoners' Rights Activist Arrested and Detained
  9. ^ Iran: Release Leading Defender of Prisoners’ Rights
  10. ^ Emadeddin Baghi
  11. ^ Letter of application to parties leaders inside Iran for reacting against waves of executions in Iran

[edit] External links