Hoda Saber
Encyclopedia
Hoda Reza Zadeh Saber was an Iranian journalist, translator and political activist. He served several prison terms since 2000, and died while on a hunger strike
in prison protesting the death of Haleh Sahabi
. Saber played a leading role in the magazine Iran-e Farda (Iran of Tomorrow), which was published from 1992 to 2000.Saber was devoted to social justice. In recent years he had been working in Sistan
and Baluchestan, both major drug-trafficking routes from neighbouring Pakistan
and Afghanistan
. Saber’s employability-training programme, aimed to help over a thousand underprivileged young people escape the poverty of their drug infested surroundings.
journalist Muhammad Sahimi
, the organization in question had been registered with the Ministry of Interior. Saber was arrested again on 23 July 2010 to complete the serving of his old sentence of ten years. According to Sahimi, this was "despite the fact that his appeal had never been taken up and so much time had passed since the original verdict that, according to the law, the case should have been closed."
at the time. According to Muhammad Sahimi, eyewitnesses have said that during the six hours between the time he first complained of chest pain early Friday morning and when he was finally taken for medical treatment, Saber was screaming loudly in agony, but prison staff paid no attention to him. According to Melli Mazhabi, Saber's cellmates announced their readiness to testify in any court as to how his condition and cries were ignored.
Saber died of a heart attack at Tehran's Modarres Hospital on 10 June 2011, aged 52. He was brought to the hospital for surgery to open up his clogged arteries, but the hunger strike had damaged his heart and prevented a successful surgery. Hours after his death his sister, Firouzeh Saber, complained to Radio Farda
of three concerns: "First of all, why was he in prison? He had been in prison without having been sentenced. Second, why did a tragedy such as [Sahabi's] death happen, leading [Saber] to go on hunger strike? And third, why were [authorities] so careless that it took them several hours to take him to the hospital" after he complained of chest pains.
On 12 June 2011, Reporters Without Borders
issued a statement accusing the government of the Islamic Republic of responsibility for the death of Hoda Saber by neglecting his medical needs and by arbitrarily arresting him in the first place.
Iran's Fars news agency
denied the family's allegations and said Saber had received medical care before his death. It accused the opposition of politicising his death.
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
in prison protesting the death of Haleh Sahabi
Haleh Sahabi
Haleh Sahabi was an Iranian humanitarian and democracy activist. She was the daughter of former Iranian MP and veteran opposition figure Ezzatollah Sahabi, and the granddaughter of Yadollah Sahabi...
. Saber played a leading role in the magazine Iran-e Farda (Iran of Tomorrow), which was published from 1992 to 2000.Saber was devoted to social justice. In recent years he had been working in Sistan
Sistan
Sīstān is a border region in eastern Iran , southwestern Afghanistan and northern tip of Southwestern Pakistan .-Etymology:...
and Baluchestan, both major drug-trafficking routes from neighbouring Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. Saber’s employability-training programme, aimed to help over a thousand underprivileged young people escape the poverty of their drug infested surroundings.
Arrests
Saber was arrested several times, often with two other nationalist-religious journalist/activists, Reza Alijani and Taghi Rahmani. He was first arrested on 28 January 2000, and released a month and a half later after posting bail. On 12 April 2003, Saber was sentenced to ten years of imprisonment and banned from any "social activity" for ten years. After being released on appeal, Saber (along with Alijani and Rahmani) was arrested again in June 2003 and spent three months in solitary confinement. On 14 October 2003, the judiciary spokesman, announced that Saber, Alijani and Rahmani had begun serving their sentences. In August 2006, an appeals court sentenced Rahmani and Saber to eight months in jail for "helping to found an illegal NGO", though, according to Tehran BureauTehran Bureau
Tehran Bureau is an online news magazine covering politics, foreign affairs, culture and society in Iran and the Iranian Diaspora. It was founded by Iranian-born journalist Kelly Golnoush Niknejad in February 2008, initially as a blog...
journalist Muhammad Sahimi
Muhammad Sahimi
Muhammad Sahimi is a Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, and holds the NIOC Chair in petroleum engineering at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He is also active in journalism, writing frequently on Iranian politics.-Career:Sahimi received his B.S...
, the organization in question had been registered with the Ministry of Interior. Saber was arrested again on 23 July 2010 to complete the serving of his old sentence of ten years. According to Sahimi, this was "despite the fact that his appeal had never been taken up and so much time had passed since the original verdict that, according to the law, the case should have been closed."
Hunger Strike and Death
On 2 June 2011, Saber and another nationalist-religious figure, Amir Khosrow Dalirsani, stopped eating food and later stopped drinking water to protest "the conditions that led to the death of Haleh Sahabi", and the government's crackdown against protesters. Saber was in imprisoned in Ward 350 of Evin PrisonEvin Prison
Evin House of Detention is a prison in Iran, located in Evin, northwestern Tehran. It is noted for its political prisoners' wing, where prisoners have been held both before and after the 1979 Iranian Revolution...
at the time. According to Muhammad Sahimi, eyewitnesses have said that during the six hours between the time he first complained of chest pain early Friday morning and when he was finally taken for medical treatment, Saber was screaming loudly in agony, but prison staff paid no attention to him. According to Melli Mazhabi, Saber's cellmates announced their readiness to testify in any court as to how his condition and cries were ignored.
Saber died of a heart attack at Tehran's Modarres Hospital on 10 June 2011, aged 52. He was brought to the hospital for surgery to open up his clogged arteries, but the hunger strike had damaged his heart and prevented a successful surgery. Hours after his death his sister, Firouzeh Saber, complained to Radio Farda
Radio Farda
Radio Farda is the Iranian Branch of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's broadcast services. It broadcasts 24 hours a day in the Persian language from its headquarters Prague, Czech Republic. Radio Farda first aired December 2002. Radio Farda broadcasts political, cultural, social, and art news...
of three concerns: "First of all, why was he in prison? He had been in prison without having been sentenced. Second, why did a tragedy such as [Sahabi's] death happen, leading [Saber] to go on hunger strike? And third, why were [authorities] so careless that it took them several hours to take him to the hospital" after he complained of chest pains.
On 12 June 2011, Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
issued a statement accusing the government of the Islamic Republic of responsibility for the death of Hoda Saber by neglecting his medical needs and by arbitrarily arresting him in the first place.
Iran's Fars news agency
Fars News Agency
Fars News Agency is a news agency in Iran. While it describes itself as "Iran's leading independent news agency", news organizations such as CNN and Reuters describe it as a "semi-official" news agency with ties to the government...
denied the family's allegations and said Saber had received medical care before his death. It accused the opposition of politicising his death.