More than 200 political and civil activists and journalists have signed a statement calling out Iran’s “inhumane treatment” of jailed 74-year-old journalist Keyvan Samimi after a new case was brought against him.
The signatories of the statement, which was published on June 14, also accused Iranian officials of “attempted assassination,” noting that Samimi has been kept behind bars despite the fact that he is suffering from “various illnesses.”
“The senior judicial, security, and political officials of the Islamic republic will be responsible for any negligence or misfortune for him,” they said, calling for his immediate release.
Samimi, a journalist and a member of the Religious Nationalists Council, was arrested on May 18 after being summoned to the Evin court and sent to Semnan prison.
He was charged with “assembly and collusion against the state” for his presence at a protest rally that was held in May 2019 on International Labor Day in front of parliament.
Early this year, Samimi was sent to Semnan prison after he called the death of imprisoned writer Baktash Abtin a “premeditated murder.”
On February 3, he was temporarily released from prison due to his health condition and a “forensic report.”
However, he was rearrested on May 18 and sent to Semnan.
Source » rferl