Wife reveals: Akbar Ganji was tortured in Milad hospital

ReleaseGanji.net: Includes a statement from Ganji's wife

Wednesday October 27, 2005 - After 61 days of no news on Akbar Ganji, his wife, Massoumeh Shafiei, published an open letter revealing some information about the disturbing treatment he had received at the end of his stay in Milad hospital and his subsequent transfer back to Evin prison in Tehran. The letter is published today on a reformist news web site, Emrouz. It reads:

"On Monday Ocober 18, 2005 after 52 days of complete news blackout, I was allowed to visit Akbar Ganji along with his mother and lawyer, Dr. Molaei. I could not recognize him at first look; he was very broken and his hair and beard were long and unattended.

"We all wept and he wept with us. What he told us burdened our souls and upset us all, especially his old mother. This is a recap: READ MORE

"Two or three days after our last visit -- 28 August -- in Milad hospital, the special judicial operations team ask Ganji to denounce in writing his Republican Manifesto and his replies to letters from Ayatollah Montazeri and Dr. Soroush, but he refuses. Next they ask him to denounce the letters and he refuses again. Lastly they ask him to denounce in writing that he would not talk to anyone and does not give interviews if he is granted leave out of prison and he does not accept.

Then, on the 12th floor of Milad hospital's quarantine, they attack him 3 times in one day and severely beat him, so that he bleeds a lot and his hand is badly injured; they bang his head on the bed and while insulting him they tell him: "someone like you, 'must go' himself [this is an allusion to Ganji's demand that Khamenei 'must go' just as Khomeini demanded that the last Shah of Iran 'must go'] We know what to do with you." But this is not the end of it. A few days later, the chief of the same team, who is called "Samavati", tells Akbar Ganji that they want to let him go. Then the same people who had beaten him up come in the room. When Ganji objects, Samavati tells him they have come to apologize. So they take him to a car and when they get to Chamran highway, one of the agents goes to the back seat and ties Ganji's hands diagonally on his back. As a result his shoulder has been badly damaged and dislocated. But they refuse to take him to the hospital despite great pain in his shoulder, or to give him painkillers, let alone treatment. After a while they take the prison doctor to his ward (A 2) to give him physiotherpaic treatment on the shoulder in a few session.

"Most of the visit passed in tears and the time was very limited. I do not know what they have done to him that his weight is down to 51kg and his blood pressure is 7.5 on 5.

"His health is much worse than the time he was in Milad hospital. In our last visit on August 28, he was getting better with better nutrition. The prison is responsible for prisoner's food and health. Why do they not give him proper food, nor allow any visit while he is kept in solitary cell? Why do they refuse to give him his medicine?

"I know you may not be able to do much for Ganji, just like me, but I want you to be informed of the injustice done to us. Those who are responsible for Ganji's situation are those who were on the receiving end of his criticisms.

Regards,
Massoumeh Shafiei,
27 October 2005"