There are reports of increasing pressure exerted on political prisoners and new sentences handed out to political and labor activists, as several detained students are still subject to torture at Evin Prison’s infamous ward 209.

In Tehran, P.h.D student and Amir Kabir University professor, Keyvan Ansari is barred from meeting with his family.

Along with Pouya (Abolfazl) Jahandar and Saeed (Kheirollah) Derakhshandi, Ansari was arrested last summer on charges of setting up an illegal organization, training for the occupation of the radio and television headquarters and owning a secret email address. After spending months in prison in solitary confinement and undergoing several interrogations, the three were sentenced from 3 to 5 years imprisonment. The court of appeals has not yet processed the case of these three students.

Another report from Evin Prison indicates that several of the individuals arrested for participating in a gathering in front of union leader Mansour Osanlu’s house are still held in detention. Labor activists Taher Sadeghi is held at a solitary cell in Evin’s war 240, while several members of the busdriver’s union, Ebrahim Madadi, Seyyed Davood Razavi, Yaghob Salimi, Ebrahim Noroozi Gohari, Homayoon Jaberi, are kept at Evin’s ward 209 along with Fatemeh Hajilu.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Intelligence summoned and interrogated Heshmatollah Tabarzadi, director of Iran’s Democratic Front party, about his activities while temporarily released from the Evin Prison. A source close to Tabarzadi told Rooz, “In that interrogation session two officers from the Ministry of Intelligence were present and asked Tabarzadi why he had set up a blog called Payam-e Daneshjoo [“Student’s Message”], and why had had supported the arrested students from Amir Kabir University, and why he has blown the whistle on the Kahrizak cell where several have been tortured.” According to this source, “Tabarzadi was informed that he would have to return to prison if he continues to be politically active.”

A recently released prisoner from Evin reported, “Journalist and human rights activist Saeed Matinpour is under pressure at Evin’s ward 209.”

More than 80 days have passed since the arrest of this human rights activist, but he is still kept in solitary and unable to meet with an attorney.

Another journalist and human rights activists, Mohammad Seddigh Kaboodvand is still in the custody of the Ministry of Intelligence.

Kaboodvand is accused of undermining national security through publishing reports and news, criticizing the constitution, and taking positions against the Islamic penal code (particularly capital punishment and stoning). According to Kaboodvand’s family, he is under severe pressure to renounce and dissolve Kurdistan’s Center for Defense of Human Rights. Otherwise, he was told by interrogators, he will receive a heavy sentence.