Concern has grown over the situation of detained scholar and sociologist Saeed Madani, after his wife revealed that she has only received one phone call from her husband during his 65 days of arrest.
The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reports that Mansoureh Etefagh, Madani’s wife, is concerned because he has only called his family once since his arrest in January and he is reportedly being held in solitary confinement.
Madani’s home was raided and many of his personal belongings confiscated during his arrest.
Etefagh says there has been no clear indication regarding the charges against her husband but she has found out that his arrest warrant has been extended for another month.
Madani was previously arrested in 2000, along with a group of Nationalist-Religious activists, and was charged with “membership in illegal groups, collusion to commit a crime and propaganda against the regime.” He was sentenced to four years in prison but was released on bail after five months in solitary and seven months in jail.
The other activists arrested with Madani in 2000 were handed sentences of four to 11 years and banned from social activity and stripped of their civic rights.
The appellate court, however, kept their files open. Hoda Saber, Taghi Rahmani and Alireza Rejai were arrested in 2010 and sent to Evin Prison to serve out their sentences.
Rahmani was recently released, and Hoda Saber died following a hunger strike and a lack of timely medical attention, topped with a beating in the prison infirmary.
From that original group, Alireza Rejai, Masoud Pedram and Saeed Madani are now in Evin Prison.
