More than 200 political and civil activists and journalists signed a statement calling for the release of Keyvan Samimi, freedom of speech and thought advocate, journalist, and political prisoner.
In their statement, they said that the regime’s “inhumane treatment” of Keyvan Samimi was “attempting gradual murder.”
The signatories of the statement, which was released on Tuesday, June 14, condemned the regime for filing a new case brought against Keyvan Samimi, stressing that “The senior judicial, security and political officials of the Islamic Republic will be responsible for any negligence or unfortunate incident for him.”
According to the statement, the state security officials have recently filed a new case against Mr. Samimi “solely for publishing his views on a personal telegram channel.”
Keyvan Samimi who is one of the oldest prisoners of conscience in Iran was arrested at a Labor Day rally in Tehran in 2019 and sentenced to three years in prison for “assembly and collusion against the state.” He began serving his sentence in December 2020.
He was arrested again following a furlough in May 2022 after being summoned to the Evin prison and sent to Semnan Prison.
In a letter from prison, Samimi expressed support for the popular protests that are growing across the country, saying, “Non-violent rallies are aimed at restoring the lost rights of the nation, which will lead to structural change.”
In February, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) expressed concern for the lives of three jailed activists, including Samimi, who it said had been transferred to jails known for “cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, in a practice often used to deliberately break the resistance of the prisoners of conscience.”
Samimi is the editor-in-chief of Iran-e Farda (Tomorrow’s Iran) current affairs magazine, editor-in-chief of the banned daily paper Nameh (Letter), and board member of the Society in Defense of Press Freedom.
