Dr. Hessam Firoozi arrested and charged with attempting to provide Ahmad Batebi medical treatment

On Saturday, January 6th Dr. Hessom Firoozi, Ahmad Batebi’s physician was summoned to court where he was charged and arrested. Dr. Firoozi received the summons on Wednesday, January 3rd. In October Firoozi was arrested and detained for 48 hours. Deutsche Welle radio conducted an interview with Mahta Bordbar, Firoozi’s wife, regarding the manner of her husband’s arrest and charges. Here is a translation of an excerpt of the interview:

Q: Ms. Bordbar, please explain what happened that today in branch 14, interrogation division, Dr. Firoozi was arrested.

MB: On Wednesday, my husband once again received a citation; we thought that it is better for him to appear and we though that there would be no problems. Today, he appeared in branch 14 of the intelligence and security ministry. There were 2 judges and they took my husband into a room, not allowing me to accompany him but I could hear the voices from behind the door. In the short time I had to talk to my husband again, I asked him what happened; he said he was explained the charges and one of the accusations is that I have protected a certain person and have given mt commitment to provide this certain person medical treatment and that certain person is Ahmad Batebi.

Q: What does giving protection mean exactly? Does that mean that he treated [Ahmad Batebi] in his office?

MB: Yes, Mr. Batebi visited my husband in his office; due to problems such as ruptured discs and other problems, Batebi stayed at our house for the duration of one week, to get total rest and constant care. In any case, the judge told my husband that he should not have done that and my husband said I am physician and have taken an oath to treat my patients without discrimination and what their crime is and what kind of personality they have is irrelevant, I must provide them with medical treatment anyhow. For this reason, they sent my husband of to Evin prison’s ward 209.

Q: How much bail did they ask of you?

MB: Because my husband said from the beginning that he refuses to post bail and he does not own anything to post anyhow, they did not specify how much they wanted. So they said great! You have no collateral, better for us and they took my husband away.

Q: Did they tell you how long it will take to get the case organized?

MB: No…they clarified nothing.

Q: Did your husband mention that he would have also been charged with “taking action against national security”?

MB: One of the charges that they brought against him 2 months ago was exactly that, “taking action against national security”. They told him that he had done a lot of things and that he had a “heavy” file. What they call giving protection to a runaway prisoner or political prisoner - for which they have no justification anyhow – probably amounts to taking action against national security.

Q: Other than treating Ahmad Batebi and conducting several media interviews to explain Batebi’s medical condition, has your husband ever taken any other actions that can be construed as either human rights related or political activity?

MB: Definitely human rights activities. But no political activities.

Q: Now have they told you when you can go to visit Dr. Firoozi?

MB: They made no commitment. They just took him away and one of the prison agents told me not to be worried; Mr. Karimi-Rastakh, one of the 2 judges who was present is a logical fellow and that I can follow up from there later on. It is Mr. Hadad, the other judge who treated him harshly.

Q: Do you have any hope that like last time, he would be detained for 2, 3 days and then released?

MB: I don’t know. There is no real law in place here where one can evoke, to follow up. Nothing is foreseeable here. I don’t know whether there will be a trial…if they’ll detain him, release him…I simply don’t know.

Q: Does Dr. Firoozi have a lawyer?

MB: Yes. Mr. Khalil Bahramian.