The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has obtained a copy of a letter by an imprisoned student, sentenced to 15 years, which demonstrates the utter lack of evidence against him as well as the arbitrary nature of the show trial convicting him. The letter, by Seyed Zia  Nabavi, is written to the head of Judiciary, Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani from inside Evin prison’s ward 350, demanding a fair appeals hearing.

“This document provides significant evidence of how Iranian Judiciary doles out lengthy and unjust prison sentences for young people, without any evidence against them,” said Hadi Ghaemi, the Campaign’s spokesperson.

Nabavi details his background, arrest, interrogations, and prosecution. He is a Chemical Engineering graduate of Noushirvan University of Babol, who was banned from continuing his graduate studies in 2006 and is one of the estimated 80 “starred” students, similarly banned from continuing their education on political grounds. Since then, he had been actively advocating with the authorities to end arbitrary and unjust denials of right to education.

Nabavi reveals that he and seven other active members of the “starred” students group are in detention and being coerced to admit that the group was initiated by the opposition group Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO), which has a history of armed struggle against the Iranian government.

“ I was arrested on the evening of 15 June 2009, at the home of my relatives. I was held at Evin prison’s ward 209 (under the authority of the Intelligence Ministry) for 100 days and then moved to the public section of ward 350,” he writes. “After the passage of seven months in prison, I have yet to see a document authorizing my arrest and stating the reason.”

Nabavi describes his treatment as the following: “During the interrogations I only said the truth. Although I was put under tremendous psychological pressures, as well as sometimes physical ill-treated (forced to do sit-ups, beatings, insults and intimidations,…), I did not admit to a single charge. Whatever I have done has been transparent and in relation to my advocacy on behalf of students banned from education.”

He states the charges against him and the subsequent sentence as the following:

1. Assembly with intent of  conspiracy against the national security, three years imprisonment;
2. Propaganda against the State, one year imprisonment;
3. Disturbing public order, one year imprisonment;
4. Disturbing public opinion, 74 lashes;
5. Communication and cooperation with Monafeqin organization (government term for MKO, literally meaning “The Hypocrites”), 10 years imprisonment in exile, to be served in city of Izeh.