The Nehzate Azadiye Iran (Liberation Front of Iran) is experiencing some of the most difficult days of its existence with 13 of his members behind bars.  The report below discusses the condition of the organization’s detainees, who continue to remain behind bars along with their 78-year-old secretary-general.

The Liberation Front of Iran is among the groups that have faced many difficulties since its founding in 1961, never experiencing freedom in its fullest sense, even after the revolution ¾ perhaps with the exception of the first one or two years.  

With the coming to power of the Ahmadinejad administration, the pressure on the organization increased year after year and after the tenth presidential election last June many of the organization’s members were arrested.  

The organization’s secretary-general, the 78-year-old Dr. Ebrahim Yazdi, was arrested at 3 am on December 27 at his residence.  He suffers from prostate cancer and has been able to contact his family and request his medication only once so far.  The latest reports indicate that, under the pressure of interrogations, Dr. Yazdi was transferred to a private hospital in Iran, but taken from there to an unknown location an hour later despite the opposition of his doctors.  

Mehdi Gholizadeh, member of the organization’s youth division was arrested during the Ashoura Day protests while visiting his relative in Iran (from Sweden, where he studies).  Not much is known of his condition.  

The 26-year-old Leila Tavassoli is the director of the organization’s political division.  She was taken from her father’s house to the Evin Prison on midnight of December 27.

Kayvan Mehregan is a member of the organization and the political editor of Etemad daily.  He was arrested on December 29 at the daily’s office by the intelligence ministry.

Abdoreza Tajik is a prominent Iranian journalist affiliated with the organization.  He was arrested on December 29 by the intelligence ministery at his Etemad daily office.  In his latest phone call to his family, he said that his interrogation has ended and he is kept along with two other prisoners in a cell.  It is also reported that he is not in a good psychological condition.  He was also behind bars for 45 days at Ward 209 of the Evin Prison following the June election.

Seyyed Amir Khorram is among the organization’s senior members.  He was arrested on December 4 after an appearance at the intelligence ministry.

Mohsen Mohagheghi is another senior member of the organization who was arrested on December 4 after an appearance at the intelligence ministry.

Sara Tavassoli is another daughter of Mohammad Tavassoli.  She has no political activism experience.  She was arrested on December 4 after an appearance at the ministry of intelligences.  She has been able to contact her family only twice since her arrest and was not even allowed to speak to her 3-year-old son.  Sara Tavassoli’s husband (Farid Taheri) was arrested a week after her and remains behind bars.  

Mehdi Motamedipour, Mahmoud Naeempour, Khosro Ghasghaie, Farid (Mohammad) Taheri and Ghaffar Farzadi are the remaining members of the organization who are behind bars.