Iranian of the Day

rahana: Mehdi Khodaei is the former Secretary of Azad University Islamic Association in Shahr-e Rey, and a human rights activist who was a member of the Committee of Human Rights Reporters. He was an electrical engineering student at the time of his arrest. Khodaei was arrested on 2 March 2010, five days after receiving a sentence of four years in prison on the charge of "acting against national security through organizing gatherings." Previously, he had spent 38 days in detention in the summer of 2008.

After his arrest on 2 March 2010, he was transferred to IRGC's Ward 2-A inside Evin Prison, where he spent ten months in solitary or two-person cells. Khodaei's family had no information about him for months after his arrest. During his detention inside Ward 2-A, he was subjected to repeated interrogations and severe physical and psychological pressure to make forced confessions against himself.

Khodaei was tried on 21 August 2010 in Branch 28 of Tehran Revolutionary Court, with Judge Moghisseh presiding. On 12 October 2010, Khodaei was sentenced to an additional three years in prison on charges of "acting against national security through organizing gatherings," and "propagating against the regime."

Separately, in December 2010, his earlier four-year prison sentence was upheld by a Tehran appeals court. Therefore, with his three-year prison term also upheld, Khodaei is currently serving his seven year prison term. In late December 2010, Khodaei was transferred to Evin Prison's General Ward 350. Despite his long prison term, he has not been allowed furlough since his detention. Khodaei remains defiant and active in prison and has participated in several protest hunger strikes and has signed several group letters in prison.

Video: Khodaei's speech at Azad University, Shahr-e Rey, just before his arrest on 2 March 2010: