Hamid Babaei Starts His 3rd Of Imprisonment In Rajai Shahr Prison

HRANA News Agency – This is more than two years of detention and imprisonment of Hamid Babaei, former PhD student of economics at the University of Liege in Belgium, and he has been deprived of close visits during the last one year and is experiencing difficult conditions in Rajai Shahr prison, in Karaj.

According to Human Rights Activists News Agency in Iran (HRANA), Hamid Babaei is facing many problems at the beginning of the third year of his imprisonment, and due to the illegal treatment of the authorities based on their personal manner; he has been deprived of close visits.

A friend of this prisoner told HRANA: “Hamid has been exiled, illegally and by personal manner, to ward 1 of Rajai Shahr prison, where is one of the most dangerous wards of this prison. They are not going to transfer him to Evin prison, also during the last year they did not let him to have a close visit with his family, just because of the judicial authorities’ grudge against him and regarding the permission for a leave, his family has been told that ‘do not even think about it’, and even they have not agreed with his medical leave.”

According to this source, even the most basic needs of prisoners in this ward face many obstacles, in addition to the poor state of the prison food, the store in the prison declines even to purchase and deliver the basic goods, which causes prisoners’ malnutrition, and the authorities refuse to deliver the licensed books, that are published in Iran and also for some unknown reasons, Hamid Babaei’s store card has been blocked for long time.

“Hamid Babaei” after a highly critical writing to Khodabakhshi, assistant supervisor to Evin Prison, in response to insulting behavior towards his wife, on the orders of deputy prosecutor, was transferred first, to ward 8 of Evin Prison, and then was transferred to solitary confinement in Evin prison. After this decision, by deporting this prisoner, Khodabakhshi transferred Hamid Babaei to ward 1 of Rajai shahr prison.”

Ward 1 of Rajai Shahr prison, where is the ward of dangerous prisoners, is the most populous ward in Rajai Shahr where skin diseases, digestive diseases or HIV, hepatitis and other infectious diseases can be seen obviously.

Hamid Babaei, is married and was born on 11th December 1983 in the city of Takab, in West Azerbaijan province. He was graduated in mathematics from Sharif University in 2006, and the same year to follow a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering Science was accepted in Technology University of Iran. He managed to graduate with “A” grade in 2008 from that University and was recognized as a distinguished Alumnus at master’s degree.

Babai was summoned, and then detained by the Ministry of Intelligence on 13th August 2013, shortly after arriving in Iran, to visit his family. He was tried in 10 minutes by judge Salvati and sentenced to 6 years imprisonment and 4 years suspended imprisonment, on charges of spying and communication with enemy countries, and this sentence was confirmed by the Branch 54 of the Appeals Court.

The relatives of Hamid Babaei have said that he has not have any political activity during his stay abroad and only because of rejecting the request of Ministry of Intelligence upon cooperating with them, he has been arrested.
Immediately after his arrest, he was transferred to solitary confinement in Evin Prison. Babai was held in the solitary confinement of ward 240 for 20 days and then was transferred to ward 209 and finally, after enduring 35 days in solitary confinement, he was transferred to ward 350 of Evin prison on 18th September, and then in early 2013 he was deported to Rajai Shahr prison.

This imprisoned student has been denied to have a solicitor since his detention till now. According to him, the public defender, not only was not his defender, but also, he appeared in the role of his interrogator.

Detention and conviction of Hamid Babaei to imprisonment, has been facing massive student protests and human rights activists in Belgium. Amnesty International, the Students of Azad University in Brussels and resident Iranian of Belgium, during a protest in front of the Iranian embassy, ​​demanded the freedom of Hamid Babaei from the prison of Islamic Republic of Iran.

Earlier, two universities in Belgium, in a statement, called for the retrial and immediate release of this Iranian student of the University of Liege, Belgium.