“I am extremely disappointed. Those imprisoned kids are not getting the attention they deserve, especially the unknown students.”
April 15, 2010
RAHANA – Dr. Mohammad Maleki is the former chancellor of the University of Tehran. He has been a political prisoner before and after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. He was imprisoned for five years after the revolution for opposing the Cultural Revolution, which resulted in the closure of universities across the country. In 2000, Dr. Maleki was arrested again at a meeting held by the National-Religious activists (national-religious is a term used to refer to supporters of the Iranian National Front).
Following the disputed June 2009 election, Maleki, who suffers from cancer, was arrested again. He was taken from his bed to Tehran’s Evin Prison, where he stayed until March 1, 2010 when he was released pending trial.
The following is the English translation of an interview he gave to Radio Zamaneh.
Radio Zamaneh – Regarding the current status of his legal case, Dr. Mohammad Maleki responded:
“Yesterday, I was told by my lawyers that they met with the judge and obtained his consent. [The lawyers] provided documents related to my medical condition which proved the need for my ongoing treatment. Therefore, the judge agreed to postpone the trial and said that we will be informed of the new date.”
Radio Zamaneh – You mean, during the time you were detained, you were not informed of your charges?
Dr. Maleki – No, I did not see the charges. I have been charged with insulting the Leader and acting against national security, but I have not seen the indictment or its contents. The lawyers and the magistrate have stated these are my charges.
Radio Zamaneh – Mr. Maleki, you have said that you will not take part in a closed trial. Are you not worried that this will have a negative effect on the case and will result in a heavier sentence? What are the reasons for your decision?
Dr. Maleki – Attending or not attending will not make a difference. There should come a day when this country at least respects its own constitution. Things cannot remain the same. 30 years after the revolution one of the most important parts of the constitution is still not respected. The constitution says explicitly that political charges should be tried by a jury in open trials with the presence of the media.
Back in 2000, when I was arrested with national-religious activists, I said that I would not take part in the trial because I considered the trial to be illegal. Therefore, I think this matter should be resolved once and for all. We either have to respect the constitution in its entirety or just keep those articles that please us and guarantee the interests of the regime. The constitution has provisions that guarantee the rights of the people and must be respected.
I will not even mention that these rights are not respected during the arrests and interrogations under the usual pretext that political crime has not been defined by the law. Why should this be my problem as the accused?
Since the revolution I have been arrested three times for being anti-revolutionary. Yesterday, a hearing was supposed to be held, but I have no knowledge of the indictment and have not been allowed to read what has been written against me.
Radio Zamaneh – Mr Maleki, when you were arrested you were in bad physical shape; you were ill throughout your detention and were hospitalized for a period of time. How is your condition now?
Dr. Maleki – My physical condition is the same. During the six months I was in detention, I was not able to receive the injections I needed. As a result, I endured burning and pain. Since my release, I have been injected twice and the burning and pain has reduced. I feel, however, that since I have come out, my psychological condition is worse than before.
Radio Zamaneh – Can you tell us why your emotional state is worse now compared to when you were in prison?
Mr. Maleki – Because I keep worrying for those kids. There are so many unknown and anonymous students in prison and no one is thinking about them. No one remembers that they are the children of this country. What crime have they committed? One day this matter must be addressed.
Unfortunately, not only is the regime unconcerned, but I have rarely seen Green movement friends come strongly to their defense. They have a life and studies they need to go back to. Their families continue to wait for them outside of Evin prison. These are the things that hurt me more than cancer.
Radio Zamaneh – Mr. Maleki, you were not active during the election. You had said you did not believe in it and therefore did not participate. Yet, your arrest was related to post-election events. What is your current view of the election?
Dr. Maleki – As you said, I was not at all active during the election because first of all, I was sick, and secondly, I do not believe in an election where you have to vote for a few candidates chosen by the Guardian Council. I was arrested on August 22, 2009, so I was in prison when most of those events happened. I was in solitary confinement for the first three months without access to newspapers or television. Until I was taken to the general ward, I was unaware of what was happening outside prison.
When I was taken there (to the general ward), I got some information, but since my release, I have come to the realization that all the old problems continue to exist.
The insider/outsider divide remains. No one is thinking about these kids. What I noticed about the supporters of the Green or reformist movement is that their behaviour toward others has not changed a lot. They have held on to their outsider/insider culture. They welcome those who are one of their own but others remain outsiders to them.
In the one and half months since my release, I have maybe gone out ten times, mostly to the hospital or to see my doctor. I have tried to have little contact and have not been interested in what is happening. Our people have not fundamentally changed during this time, we are the same people we were before. Our elite have kept their egocentric and selfish culture.
Radio Zamaneh – Dr Maleki, it seems like you are disappointed with the green movement leaders.
Dr. Maleki – I am extremely disappointed. Those imprisoned kids are not getting the attention they deserve, especially the unknown students. I know many of them and saw them in prison, but there is no mention of them on websites. They have been in prison for months and some of them have been handed four or five year prison terms for no reason.
Sometimes they (the Green Movement or reformists) refer to them, but they never defend them strongly. The type of defense Mr. Sahabi – God bless him – demonstrated a few days ago, I really enjoyed. His letter tells the painful story on behalf of all of us. We have some years behind us (a reference to being old) and have suffered both before and after the revolution. We have seen the Shah’s prisons as well as those of the Islamic Republic. These kids are our children. They have not come from another country. They are the children of this country who had something to say and said it. Even if they shouted their words inside or outside universities, this does not warrant the treatment they receive.
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