Abolfazl Abedini, an Iranian political prisoner who was exiled to Ahvaz Prison last week, has reportedly been returned to Evin Prison.
Abedini, who has testified regarding signs of torture on the body of Sattar Beheshti in an investigation into the death of the jailed blogger while in custody of cyber police, had been removed from Evin Prison and transferred to Ahvaz Prison in Southwest Iran.
His transfer was immediately reported and challenged by 41 of his cellmates, who published a letter expressing concern for his well-being.
The Kaleme opposition website reports that Abedini was returned to Evin Prison Friday night by the order of the Tehran Prosecutor. The report also indicates that Ahavaz Prison authorities had refused to accept Abedini.
The 41 political prisoners who reported his removal from Evin Prison stressed that he was the most knowledgeable person with regard to the case of Sattar Beheshti, the Iranian blogger who was arrested on October 30 for his personal blog posts and Facebook entries. Beheshti was pronounced dead in prison a week after his arrest, and his cellmates have reportedly said that he bore signs of torture and was concerned that his interrogators would torture him to death.
Parliament has begun a probe into Beheshti’s death, and the coroner has confirmed the presence of bruises on the body of the deceased. A number of officials have been put under investigation.
