Ahmad Batebi

Ahmad Batebi
File:AhmadBatebi Economist July 1999.jpg Batebi from the cover of The Economist.
Born	May 1977 (age 46–47) Iran
Known for	Imprisonment after July 1999 Iranian Student Protests

Ahmad Batebi (Persian: احمد باطبی) (born July 25, 1977 in Shiraz, Iran) is a human rights activist. During his studies at the University of Tehran he gained international fame for his appearance on the July 17, 1999 cover of The Economist magazine, holding up a shirt splattered with the blood of a fellow protester.

The photo, which has been called "an icon for Iran's student reform movement", was taken during the Iranian Student Protests in July 1999 in Tehran. Following its publishing, Batebi was arrested, tried in closed-door proceedings, found guilty of "creating street unrest", and sentenced to death.

This was reduced to 15 years after domestic and international outcry. Less well-known are persistent reports of torture and ill-treatment of Batebi in prison, and his resulting poor physical and mental health. While temporarily released from prison to receive medical attention, Batebi was assisted by KDPI, to flee Iran for Iraq. He finally entered the United States on June 24, 2008 on Humanitarian Parole. . He was then granted assylum status by the United States government.

The protest

Iranian Student Protests of July, 1999 (Also known as 18th of Tir and Kuye Daneshgah Disaster (Persian: فاجعه کوی دانشگاه) in Iran) (7-13 July) were the largest, most widespread and violent anti-government protests in Iran since Iran's Islamic revolution of 1979 that overthrew the Shah.

The protests began on July 8, 1999 as peaceful demonstrations in Tehran against the closure of the reformist newspaper, Salam. The peaceful demonstrations turned violent, however, when authorities raided a student hostel atthe University of Tehran. At least one person was killed and some 20 injured during that raid. As a result, public demonstrations and rioting by students and the general public escalated, during which time at least three more people were killed and more than 200 were injured.

A photographer, Jamshid Bayrami, took that famous picture. He was a photojournalist in Jame'e newspaper. The shirt belonged to a friend, "who had just been beaten by Iranian security forces" during the student protest.

Trial and prison life

Batebi was initially arrested in connection with the Iran student protests of July 1999. He and many others protesters were brutally tortured. In prison Batebi wrote of beatings by guards:

I resisted and punched one of them in the face. At this point, they took me and ducked my head into a closed drain full of excrement. They held me under for so long, I was unable to hold my breath any longer, and excrement was inhaled through my nose and seeped into my mouth.

During the interrogations, they threatened several times to execute me and to torture and rape my family members as well as imprison them for long terms.

He was one of four people who received a death sentence in a closed-door trial(s) by a Revolutionary Court on charges relating to "creating street unrest" and "agitating people to create unrest," and "endangering national security" following the demonstrations. Batebi, in an open letter addressed to the judiciary, wrote that he had been beaten in his "testicles, legs, and abdominal area. When I protested, they answered that this is the land of the Velayat and that I should be blinded and not live here."

Following an outcry from Iranians and international human rights groups, his death sentence was commuted to a 15-year prison by Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. Upon appeal in early 2000, the sentence was further reduced to 10 years.

Around March 2005, Batebi was temporarily released from Evin Prison in order to get married. He failed to report back to prison. On June 23, 2005 a newspaper interview reported him "currently on the run, avoiding the authorities in Iran". Batebi was re-arrested on 27 July 2006 and re-imprisoned. He continued to serve his 10-year sentence. However, his family was not told where he was detained till August 12, 2006 when he was permitted to telephone his wife.

He was held in Section 209 of Evin prison which is run by the Ministry of Intelligence.

During a hunger strike in August 2006 "his doctor wrote an open letter to the prison authorities" stating that Batebi "required specialist care", and that "there was a risk he could die if he was not released." Also adding to the fears for his life was the fate of another July 1999 protestor, Akbar Mohammadi, who died in custody under suspicious circumstances in July 2006.

As of 20 September 2006, his relatives were permitted to visit him in prison three times. During their first two visits, Batebi's family was accompanied by four prison guards, although their third visit, on 18 September, was reportedly less heavily supervised. Batebi was not permitted to see his lawyer.

Amnesty International reported Ahmad Batebi's physical and mental health was poor and deteriorating further.

"He suffers from a number of medical problems as a result of being tortured and ill-treated during his previous period of detention, including stomach and kidney problems. He has lost some of his teeth, and has permanent hearing problems and poor vision."

Despite the seriousness of his medical condition, prison authorities did allegedly not permit Batebi to receive any medical treatment beyond a few pain killers. According to a press report, Dr Hesam Firouzi, Batebi's doctor, wrote to the authorities on 6 August stating that his patient was at risk of paralysis or heart attack, and needed to receive specialist treatment outside prison

Psychological abuse is reported to include denying Batebi "the opportunity to see daylight", forcing him "to wear a blindfold during exercise sessions in the prison yard."

In February 2007, Batebi was reported to have suffered two brain strokes over the course of a few days, having several seizures on 16 February spending "three hours in a coma" and suffering another two days later after being released from hospital. He was returned to the prison following his second stroke over the reported objections of hospital doctors who are said to have told prison officials that he requires follow up care in a hospital. Following the strokes, Ahmad Batebi reportedly told his father in a telephone call on 22 February that the prison authorities do not care about him and that if he dies, his father should "hold a celebration of my life, rather than a funeral".

Somaye Bayanat, Batebi’s wife, was detained at her house outside Tehran on 21 February 2007. "Her whereabouts are not known to Amnesty International. Amnesty International fears that she may be at risk of intimidation, harassment or ill-treatment because of her connection to Ahmad Batebi."

Escape

While being temporarily released from Evin Prison to receive medical attention, Batebi fled the country into Iraq, then Austria. He was assisted by the KDPI and the Kurdish underground network who moved him to the northwestern border with Iraq and then to Erbil. While he was in Iraq , an Iranian-American lawyer was introduced to Batebi by his friend Kianush Sanjari.The lawyer ,Ms. Mazahery,reported his critical situation to US government and US government provided Humanitarian Parole for his entrance to US . Although Sweden had grated him asylum by UNHCR , but after consulting his friends in United States , Batebi preferred to reside in US .Afew days after his arrival to USA , he deposed Ms Mazahery because she caused difficulty and trouble for him .

In United States Ahmad Batebi was granted asylum with the assistance of his lawyers Eric Husketh , Nazan Riahi and Joobin Niamehr.

Aftermath

Ahmad Batebi after his escape, in the United States in an interview with VOA Persian TV explained the story of his escape. He announced that he is going to be the representative of Iran's Human Rights Activists in the US.

All main foreign-based Persian media such as BBC Persian Service, Radio Farda, Radio Zamaneh and Rooz Online interviewed Batebi about his departure from his homeland. Some also criticized him for his frequent presence on VOA programs.

In August 2008 Pejman Akbarzadeh gave a Persian piano recital at the University of Cologne and dedicated it to Ahmad Batebi because of his freedom.

In Feb. 2009 Batebi signed an open letter of apology posted to Iranian.com along with 266 other Iranian academics, writers, artists, journalists about the Persecution of Bahá'ís and is listed as being in Washington D.C.

Journalistic Activities

Ahmad Batebi started his journalistic activities in 1998 with student publications and also during his prison time under various names such as A.B, Elham Oveysi and Tayeb Ahmadi with the Persian-language media Bukhara bi-Monthly, Rooz and Radio Zamaneh as journalist and photographer. Ahmad Batebi is the spoke person of Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI).

See also

• Human rights in Islamic Republic of Iran
• 2nd of Khordad Movement

References and notes

Specific references:

General references:

• Amnesty International Urgent Action to get Batebi Medical Treatment, Wife Detained
• Amnesty International: Iran: Further information on fear for safety/ medical concern/ incommunicado detention: Ahmad Batebi (m)
• Amnesty International: "Five Years of injustice and ill treatment: Akbar Mohammadi - case sheet", July 7, 2004. Accessed May 4, 2007.
• Ahmad Batebi Profile The Alliance for Essential Liberties in the Middle East's profile of Ahmad Batebi Dead link

External links

• Ahmad Batebi in his website
• Ahmad Batebi's official website
• Ahmad Batebi's 360 Blog from Yahoo!
• Batebi's First Interview with VOA Persian Service
• Ahmad Batebi on BBC 4
• Piano Recital to be Dedicated to AHMAD BATEBI