The Anarcho-syndicalist Comrade Soheil Arabi answers some questions

On personal experience What motivated you to continue your fight after your arrest in 2013?

_The motives of struggle arose in me from my childhood and by observing the situation in the society and especially in the face of injustice, but after being imprisoned and sentenced to death, my motives increased.

The prison is like a university where lessons are taught very intensively and quickly.

On the one hand, we see the atrocities of the government more clearly, and on the other hand, we see the efforts and sacrifices of the justice demanders in the prison.

With the support of the people and through awareness raising, prison news broadcasting, protests and hunger strikes, we were able to get some of the prisoners’ rights back.

Although this battle was unequal, but with resistance, effort and sacrifice, we were able to force the oppressors to respect a little of human rights;

These achievements intensify our motivations to continue litigation, although we have a long and difficult road ahead.

How did you experience the transition from prisoner to activist in exile?

_It was much more difficult than I imagined, but I knew that it was a good opportunity to research and understand the difficulties of exile. If I didn’t see exile as an opportunity to research and strengthen myself, I wouldn’t have been able to endure so much hardship.

Torture cannot be weighed with any scale, it cannot be said which type of torture is worse or better, each torture has its own damages.

Prison is a threat and restriction of freedom, in addition to being locked up and deprived of rights, they also harass our family and after a decade of enduring all kinds of torture, we have to face the difficulties of exile.

After being imprisoned for a decade, unemployed and penniless in a deprived city and more than a thousand kilometers away from family, now we have to sleep in the streets and parks for a long time to find work and income.

And in addition to these, we have to go to the police station every day to register our presence at the place of deportation, we have to buy an office ourselves so that the police station officer can record our presence in it, we even have to pay for the purchase of the file folder ourselves.

In the middle of all the hardships of interrogations, threats and arrests, I was arrested and imprisoned twice in the midst of exile.

And every time from exile to prison and from prison to exile means the beginning of new troubles.

To all these hardships, separation from children and other family members, diseases that worsen every day, and the feeling of youth destruction should be added.

However, we must resist in order to win over the oppressors, torture increases our motivations for freedom.

On the human rights situation in Iran What are the main human rights violations you observed in prison?

_In fact, torture begins before arrest and with threats, human rights violations also begin with the same threat, detention without a judicial order, interrogation under torture and reluctance, and unjust sentences, and it is intensified by violating the rights of prisoners and harassment.   Harassment of the prisoner’s family and the repressors’ attempt to force the prisoner’s wife to divorce and torture that continues even after the end of the sentence.

The full description and explanation of the tortures cannot even fit in thousands of pages of the book, but from the point of view of many prisoners, the most severe torture is family abuse, trying to force the prisoner’s spouse to divorce and depriving her of contact with his/her child.

How is the Iranian judicial system used to suppress dissenting voices?

_Three important issues, one:

Reactionary laws/inappropriate for the needs of the new age. The main problem is the laws, punishments such as execution, prison and exile against opponents, critics and dissidents.

Any criticism is an example of propaganda activity against the system/anxiety of the public mind…

Any protest gathering is an example of the crime of community security and collusion/warfare…

But that’s not all!

The same laws are implemented without rules and principles, for example, in the current constitution (Articles 23 and 26) inquisition is prohibited, but inquisition continues from the moment of arrest to interrogation, investigation, court and even in prison.

Interrogation under torture and reluctance has no legal basis, but obtaining a confession has always been accompanied by torture and reluctance…

And the judge issues a verdict regardless of these cases, but the issue does not end here!

A critic, protester or dissident is sentenced to suffer imprisonment, but during the execution of the sentences, tortures beyond what the judge has determined are imposed on him.

In addition to enduring imprisonment, the prisoner also endures the violation of his obvious rights, the few rights that the regulations of the prisons organization have considered for him are also violated.

Such as being deprived of the right to treatment, not having enough space to sleep, not having enough healthy food and drinking water…

Harassment such as inspections that are accompanied by sexual assault, disrespect and obscenity of some prison guards, denial of the right to make phone calls and even gossiping about protesting prisoners and even opening a case against them, and many tortures and violations of rights that the description and explanation of all of them It doesn’t fit in a few books…

What is the situation of death row inmates in Iran?

_It was very difficult to provide information and clarification about the prison situation when I was a prisoner myself, for more than five years out of the eight years that I was a prisoner, I was not able to make a phone call, a phone call is only possible with the permission of the interrogator and under the supervision of the jailer, during the interrogation period less than  I was allowed to call on the phone four times, and the interrogator or the jailer were always by my side and emphasized that only for a short greeting, the interrogator would say just say I’m fine and they treat me very well here.

In Ward 350 and in solitary confinement cells, we did not have the right to make phone calls. When I was transferred to Ward 7, I was surprised that the prisoners here had the right to make phone calls. Although the number of prisoners was large and the phones were few, I tried to inform them in the little time I had.  This caused a new case to be opened against me with accusations of propaganda activity against the regime, and I was transferred to paragraph A-1 for re-interrogation.

Every time I used the smallest opportunities to inform, and more than ten cases were brought against me with heavy sentences, including imprisonment, exile, and fines.

But these informations were very effective and useful.

With the efforts of the prisoners to inform and support the people, the situation slowly changed, and the prison staff and so-called security institutions have been forced to respect the rights of the prisoners, although the situation is still terrible.

But informing/presenting a correct and accurate picture of the prison situation and of course the widespread and continuous support of the people and the media definitely had a great impact on changing the situation and reducing torture.

On his impact and commitment How have you managed to raise awareness of the conditions of prisoners from prison?

What role does international recognition, such as the press freedom award, play in your struggle?

_My only goal in my activities has been to end the tragedies and destroy every torture place and torturer, to end executions, repressions and tortures and organize our lives. I have never sought awards and rewards for myself, but I hope this is an opportunity.  May I be able to bring the voice of the voiceless in prison to the awakened consciences anywhere in the world.

Certainly, international support has had a significant impact in the fight against execution and torture, and this is a common pain for every free and honorable human being; Truly, no one is free until every free and honorable human being; Truly, no one is free until everyone is free.

On the future and international support What concrete actions can the international community take to help prisoners in Iran?

_International organizations and human rights defenders must force governments to respect human rights.

The media has been very effective in the process of improving the conditions of prisoners and reducing the number of executions and killings through awareness raising. People’s support even to the extent of posting a hashtag and demanding an end to torture and executions is effective, but it is not enough!

In addition to media activities (enlightenment and support), we should also plan for gatherings and street protests, for this important artists, lawyers and sociologists can help a lot in raising awareness.

In addition to the epistemological reasons and the awakening of consciences, we must also address the social and economic reasons and the pathology of execution and torture; It is important to understand that the whole human society is harmed by the execution or torture of any human being.

Do you see any signs of hope for the improvement of human rights in Iran?

_I hope for the improvement of the #human_rights situation.

Thanks to the Internet, satellites (advancement of technology) and especially social medias, it is easier to spread awareness and our awareness of human rights and duties has improved, and the first step of democratization is this awareness and efforts to save people from execution and torture and ending repression and  It is suffocation.

Less than two decades have passed since the dark days when many gathered with pleasure to watch public executions, and during this short period today, we see that many people have opposed executions and torture, and this improvement in perspective is a promise of better days.

We continue to try to save people from the harm of torture and cancel executions, as well as try to raise society’s awareness of #human_rights_and_duties.

#Soheil_Arabi

October 2024

https://freecyb.org/@/Soheil_Arabi645

www.instagram.com/soheil_arabi645?igsh=YzljYTk1ODg3Zg==

@Soheyl_Arabi

www.facebook.com/soheyl.Arabi645?mibextid=ZbWKwL

www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/profile/soheil-arabi

All Questions and Answers in English and Persian

https://freecyb.org/~/%D8%B3%D9%87%DB%8C%D9%84-%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A8%DB%8C/%D9%82%DB%8C%D8%A7%D9%85%20%D8%B9%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%87%20%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%85%20%D9%88%20%D8%B2%D9%86%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86