Letter Ayatollah Khamenei for immediate care of 18 Iranian journalists

Leader of the Islamic Republic
Ayatollah Sayed 'Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street
End of Shahid Keshvar Doust Street
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

Your Excellency,

We are writing this letter to ask for immediate care for eighteen Iranian journalists. We are deeply concerned about their survival in prison. Please allow them to see their families. The journalists are:

Abolfazl Abedini Nasr is a journalist, political activist and campaigner for human rights by the regime sentenced to 12 years in prison. In September of 2010 Abedini was beaten in prison in Ahvaz. In the same month the journalist was transferred to the notorious Evin prison.

Arash Saghar is a journalist and political activist condemned by the regime to 8 years in prison. Currently he is illegally detained in Evin prison.

Bahman Ahmadi Amouee is a journalist sentenced to 5 years in prison. He was jailed June 19, 2009. In July 2010, together with 14 other prisoners went on hunger strike to protest against ill-treatment in Evin prison. Prison officials punished them by denying family visits for a month.

Mohammad Davari is a journalist, political activist and professor. He was jailed after telling of the alleged abuses and rapes occurred in the detention center at Kahrizak. He was unjustly sentenced to 6 years in prison. He is now at the Evin prison.

Mohammad Reza Moghiseh is a journalist sentenced to 6 years in prison. Is illegally detained in the notorious Evin prison.

Mohammad Sedigh Kaboudvand is a journalist and human rights activist sentenced to 11 years in prison by the regime. Kaboudvand is located in Evin prison. Mr. Kaboudand launched a hunger strike May 28 following the refusal of authorities to grant him furlough to visit his gravely ill hospitalized son.

Nazanin Khosravani is a journalist sentenced to 6 years and is located in Evin prison.

Farshad Ghorbanpour is a journalist. Ghorbanpour is serving a one-year prison sentence in Evin prison.

Saeed Matinpour is a journalist and human rights activist. was arrested July 12, 2009. He was sentenced to 8 years in prison. He spent most of his captivity in solitary confinement. He has heart problems. Matinpour is illegally detained in Evin prison.

Siamak Ghaderi is a journalist and blogger. Is held in Evin Prison where he is serving 4 years in prison.

Kamal Sharifi is the journalist who is serving the longest sentence. It is located in Miandoab prison where he is serving 30 years in prison.

Ahmad Zeidabadi is a journalist and political activist. He is serving a sentence of 6 years in the notorious Rejaei Shahr Prison (Gohardasht).

Heshmatollah Tabarzadi is a journalist and political activist. He has been detained illegally in Rejaei Shahr Prison (Gohardasht) where he is serving 7 years in prison.

Keyvan Samimi is a journalist imprisoned on June 14, 2009. Samimi was subjected to ill treatment. The journalist is in poor health and suffering from liver problems. He is now at the Rejaei Shahr Prison (Gohardasht). The prison houses violent inmates.

Masoud Bastani is a journalist who is serving a sentence of 6 years at Rejaei Shahr Prison (Gohardasht). The authorities have limited the family to a visit every two weeks. In July 2010, the family of the journalist Bastani said that he suffered from an infection in the jaw. No doctor has helped to heal the journalist.

Mehdi Mahmoudian is a journalist and political activist sentenced to 5 years at the Rejaei Shahr Prison (Gohardasht).

Adnan Hassanpour, journalist and activist, was jailed Jan. 25, 2007. In July 2007 he was sentenced to death. After a series of appeals, in May 2010, the court sentenced him to 15 years in prison. It is located at the prison of Sanandaj.

Hamed Abolhassani is a student and journalist. Is serving a sentence of 20 years in prison unknown.

Sincerely,