Amir-Abbas Fakhravar - Imprisonment

Imprisonment

According to leaked State Department cables on Wikileaks, prior to fleeing Iran in 2005, Fakhavar had been arrested 18 times. It is unclear what those arrests were for and how many resulted in imprisonment. Fakhavar is most known for his arrest in 2002, wherein he was sentenced to 8 years imprisonment on defamation charges because of his book "This Place is Not a Ditch" in which he criticized Iran's Supreme Leader He spent time in Evin prison and Qasr prison where, according to Amnesty International, Fakhavar was subject to torture and solitary confinement, including white torture. In February 2003, he and imprisoned student demonstrator Ahmad Batebi signed an open letter which criticized the Iranian authorities. The letter stated, "We wish to openly and overtly express our dedication to all universal covenants. We want to show our respect for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, universal peace, non-violence, environmental protection, permanent progress" and added that "violence has absolutely no place in our struggle, neither in our words nor in our deeds." Shortly afterwards, he was reportedly beaten in front of judges in the court room where his appeal was being heard.

During the course of Fakharvar's imprisonment he was granted occasional prison leave. While on prison leave jun June 2005, Fakhavar fled Iran to Dubai where he met with Richard Perle and received a US visa to speak about Iran at the invitation of the American Enterprise Institute.