Iranian of the Day

This episode of VOA's Ofogh program today is entirely dedicated to the conditions of Iranian prisons and treatment of Iranian political prisoners.Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, and Hadi Ghaemi, Executive Director of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran are interviewed.

Reza Sharifi Boukani, a political prisoner inside Rajaee Shahr Prison, was able to call from inside the prison to provide testimony about the conditions and treatment of political prisoners inside the Rajaee Shahr facility. His testimony can be heard from 06:50 to 11:17 and from 18:30 to 23:25.



JARAS: Reza Sharifi Boukani was arrested in Tehran on 4 May 2010. On 4 January 2010, Branch One of Karaj Revolutionary Court sentenced Sharifi Boukani to 3.5 years in prison on charges of "membership in the Kurdistan Democratic Party," and "acting against national security." Boukani was denied the right to have a lawyer and he attended his trial sessions by himself. In a separate case, Branch 15 of Tehran Revolutionary Court under Judge Salavati sentenced him to four additional years in prison on charges of "espionage." Sharifi Boukani suffers from acute sciatica and breathing problems and authorities at Rajaee Prison refuse medical treatment for him.