Blogger Notes

Mahsa Naderi, a 19-year-old economics student of Mashhad university, imprisoned in Ward 209 of Tehran’s Evin prison, is in critical condition but she has been denied of medical treatment. She was arrested for attending a ceremony in Khavaran, a cemetery located in South East of Tehran, commemorating the victims of 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran.

Following is the excerpts of an interview of Persian language Voice of America TV with Mrs. Masoumeh Naderi, Mahsa’s mother:

VOA: Mrs. Naderi why was your daughter arrested?

Masoumeh Naderi: My daughter and her father who was a political prisoner for 5 years from 1381-1986 went to Khavaran cemetery for honoring those martyrs who have been buried there. Few days later, they [Iranian regime’s agents] arrested my husband and told him your daughter will be arrested too. But since my daughter was under 18 at the time, they did not arrest her. A couple of years later, they came to our house and arrested my daughter and took away our computer, my daughters’ hand writings and a few a number of other things with them. My husband was in prison at that time. They transferred the 18-years-old Mahsa to solidarity confinement and she spent three months there.

VOA: Have you been in contact with your daughter or did you get a chance to visit her in prison or did you have a lawyer for her?

Masoumeh Naderi: After she had spent three months in solidarity confinement, they transferred her to Ward 209 of Evin prison. She is there with three others in a cell. Because there are so many prisoners there, they were allowed to use washroom only once in a day. This resulted in creating kidney problem and infections for her. Once she had so much needed help that her friends ask prison guards for help but they responded by saying that let her die, we brought her here to die.

VOA: In Khavaran cemetery, those who have been executed in 1981-1988 have been buried. Most have been buried secretly. Later the family members and their relatives found out. Most of them were member of the People’s Mojahedin organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). Gatherings held by victims’ families has always turned into clashes with the government forces. A few months ago the government forces destroyed a number of graves sites there.