Nooshabeh Amiri
Ahmad Ghabel is a religious reformist who was released from prison on bail. His brother, Hadi Ghabel, was put behind bars by the Special Court for the Clergy, and faces the same charges “that are brought against all political prisoners.” Below is an excerpt of Ghabel’s exclusive interview with Rooz.
Rooz (R): Let us begin the interview with Mr. Hadi Ghabel’s condition. How is he doing?
Ahmad Ghabel (AG): The Special Court for the Clergy has selected a lawyer for him…
R: How does that work out?
AG: They provide to the defendant a list of attorneys that they have selected and approved, and the defendant has to choose from that list. This attorney visited my brother in Ghom along with his son for 20 minutes. According to his son, my brother’s general condition is good, for example, they do not insult him there. But he is in solitary confinement and there is no one else in the complex where he is being kept. Apparently no one else is kept there, not even in other solitaries, and he is the only detainee. I asked my nephew about my brother, he laughed and said every charge that you have ever heard for a political prisoner has been brought against my father too; all the charges that you have heard about in the press…
R: …Acting against national security, insulting holy beliefs…
AG: Yes, yes. All of those.
R: Do you think it is normal to force a defendant into choosing an attorney from a list?
AG: What is normal in this country anyway? You deal with the same situation in elections too. The Guardian Council approves people that it likes and releases a list. It tells people, you can choose from this list. This court [Special Court for the Clergy] makes its own laws, violating the country’s laws. One of the conditions laid out by this court is that the attorney must be a cleric, he must have legal experience, he must have a law degree, and he must also be approved by the court – and this is a new requirement. So in the court is both the judge and the prosecutor. My brother was arrested because of an official warrant issued by the Qom branch of the Special Court. This is the meaning of justice to these gentlemen! The same person or forum acts as the prosecutor and the judge…. So how can one expect fairness from this system of justice? You can say from the beginning that he is convicted!
R: So you are not waiting for your brother to “confess”?
AG: No. Confessions are good for a time when these gentlemen accuse someone of working secretively. My brother has done no secret work.
