Prominent Iranian journalist, Jila Bani-Yaghoub complains to Tehran’s prosecutor about the violation of her husband’s rights in prison.
Jila Bani-Yaghoub, an Iranian journalist sentenced to one year in prison and a 30-year ban from journalism, has written to Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi, complaining that since protesting against her sentence, she has been prevented from visiting her husband, Bahman Ahmadi Amouyi.
Amouyi, also a journalist, was arrested on June 20, 2009, following the disputed re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He has been sentenced to five years in prison and in the past seven months has not been allowed any visits with his wife.
Bani-Yaghoub writes: “In-person visits are not a privilege to be withdrawn; they are the primary and stipulated right of prisoners in the prison regulations.”
“The 30-year ban from journalism that has been issued for me by one of your judges does not even correspond with the legal standards of the Islamic Republic,” Bani-Yaghoub adds. “It is encumbent on you to protest against it yourself.”
Bani-Yaghoub goes on to say that judiciary officials had advised her to cry and beg for them to allow her a visit with her husband.
“I assure you that I will not beg for the release of my husband, let alone a 20-minute visit,” Bani-Yaghoub writes. “But give me the right to ask you one day who fears my expression of love for my husband? And which national security is threatened by this expression of love?”
Bani-Yaghoub points to the prison regulations, which clearly indicate that prisoners may be denied outside visits for a month at most, and asks the Tehran prosecutor why her husband and many other prisoners have been denied visits for months.
