Saman Rasoulpour

Najibeh Salehzadeh is Mahmoud Salehi’s wife. Mahmoud has spent a total of eight years in prison for engaging in union activities. Salehi is still in jail, though he has lost a kidney and his other kidney is in critical condition. In an exclusive interview with Rooz, Najibeh Salehzadeh expresses her hope that international pressure would lead to the release of her husband.

Rooz (R): Mrs. Salehzadeh, what is the latest news from Mr. Salehi’s case?
Najibeh Salehzadeh (NS): Taking into account the defense proceedings and appeals, Mahmoud has been sentenced to year imprisonment and three years of suspended imprisonment. This sentence also forbids him from participating in any public or private gatherings, speaking to any publication inside or outside the country, and accessing the Internet.

R: Why do you think they have forbidden Mr. Salehi from accessing the Internet or contacting others?
NS: Because their aim is to cut off my husband from society and the outside world.

R: How is your husband’s condition right now?
NS: Mahmoud suffers from kidney disease. One of his kidney’s has stopped functioning, and the other one is only twenty percent functional. The last time I was able to speak to him was on Thursday Mordad 18 [August 9] when he told me about his deteriorating physical condition. His blood pressure is up and he is currently being treated at the Towhid Hospital in Sanandaj.

R: Several international organizations have supported Mr. Salehi. Do you think this pressures will have any positive results?
NS: I really hope that these pressures are effective. So far two thousand letters have been written to Mr. Ahmadinejad and Mr. Shahroudi about Mahmoud’s release, but no action has been taken yet, and my husband’s condition has not improved. International union organizations have also supported him very much, and all of this had added to our hope.

R: What do you think is the reason behind the widespread international support for Mr. Salehi?
NS: The fact that Mahmoud was arrested only because of his support for the working class and participating in a gathering on Labor Day. It seriously must be asked, why should a person with health problems be behind bars for demanding his own rights? All of this injustice causes people who care about human rights to stand up and call for his release.

R: Do you have any final words?
NS: I just want to ask our countrymen to support the campaign that the International Labor Organization has set up to pursue the release of Mahmoud Salehi and Osanlou.