Update on Akbar Ganji - A letter from his wife

Iran Press News: Translation by Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzzi.

Akbar Ganji's wife, Massoumeh Shafii, in an open letter, which described her husbands' gaunt body, pallor and ice-cold hands. Shafii calls this the heights of the rapaciousness of the power elite and the iron-fist of the Mullahs. She writes: "Go and see the political prisoners of the Islamic Republic and the physical and psychological state they're in; there's nothing left of them but skin and bones." READ MORE

Advaar News, the news source from the office of Fostering of Unity distributed the letter that reads as such:

"On Sunday, January 1st, 44 days after the last contact or news from my husband, Akbar Ganji, we were able to visit him in Evin Prison. This was second such visit that my husband was able to have with our children and me in the last 130 days. Dr. Mowlaii, attorney, was also present. Akbar Ganji is currently in a high security prison, held in solitary 2A and his condition is much like before: his food and medical situation is very limited and he weighs in at 50 Kilograms. His blood pressure is 7/5 over 5/5 and no positive changes have been made in his care. In fact he still suffers from the very illnesses as before and the lack of treatment and if that wasn't enough he is now also complains of some kind of digestive problems as well. One must ask the authorities about how they can legally justify holding Akbar in solitary rather than a public ward? If he is supposedly under the supervision of the Organization of Superintendency, then why is it that he is not being treated according to the rules of the prison systems? Why is he deprived of receiving proper nourishment, medically treated, having telephone privileges, regular visits with his family and attorneys, occasional furloughs...(according to the prison system regulations)?

Mr. Ahmadinejad, the President, has relinquished the judgment and assessment of a series of scientific discussions between Islamic and European thinkers, where human rights is concerned and the preparation of the report on freedom of speech, press and the topic of prisoners, to world opinion. I, as a citizen, commend this concept and recommend that the gleaning of information for this [human rights] report begin from the A2 solitary ward of "Guantanamo at Evin"; in view of the justice and kindness of the representative himself and in the presence of independent and objective photographers and journalists of course, the "exceptional" conditions of the prisoners and prisons of the Islamic regime that leaves nothing but skin and bones on it captives can be recorded and delivered for the perusal of the public for their opinions on how prisoners are being shackled simply for the expression of their thoughts and the press. Mr. Ahmadinejad, if you are sincere about your claim and are unafraid of the repercussions of this report heed this: actions speak louder than words (and speeches).

Where this situation is concerned you will certainly not be able to hide facts by giving the walls of the prison a couple of fresh coats of paint, sweeping and mopping the wards and issuing new prison uniform, a few days before the [media] inspection. All this as the sight of his gaunt body, his pallor and the touch of his ice-cold hands depicts, more than ever before, the height of rapaciousness of the power elite and the iron-fist of the Mullahs vis a vis their critical arbiters."