Nasser Zarafshan
Encyclopedia
Nasser Zarafshan is an Iran
ian novelist, translator, and attorney. He is most famous internationally for having been arrested while acting as the legal envoy of two of the families of dissident Iranian writers who were assassinated in November 1998 in what came to be known in Iran as the "Chain Murders
" or "serial murders" case. The arrest was widely condemned by human rights groups. It is reported that Zarafshan had been tremendously critical of the shortcomings in the official examination into these killings. In 2002 he was sentenced to five years' imprisonment and was released from prison in March 2007.
The murdered journalists included Majid Sharif
, an editorialist with the monthly Iran é Farda , writer-journalists Mohamad Mokhtari and Mohammad Jafar Pouyandeh
, and a couple, Dariush
and Parvaneh Forouhar, who were freedom of expression activists.
in which he stated that the intelligence services had murdered five Iranian intellectuals in 1998 in Tehran
.
He was initially charged with publishing information about the assassinations, imprisoned in December 2000, and was released after a month pending trial. In February 2002 he was tried in a military court behind closed doors with his lawyer present; the presiding judge was a prosecutor with the JOAF. While in detention, Zarafshan's office was reportedly searched, and weapons and alcohol were allegedly found.
He was sentenced on March 19, 2002 to five years' imprisonment (2 years for disseminating state secrets, 3 years for the possession of firearms) and 70 lashes for the possession of alcohol. Zarafshan denies the firearms and alcohol charges and claims these were planted in his office by the authorities.
Zarafshan was awarded the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award
in 2004, the Kurt Tucholsky Award of the Swedish PEN
section in 2006 and the Human Rights Award of the German Association of Judges
in 2007.
Zarafshan has reportedly appealed to the Supreme Court and is currently awaiting a decision, which, according to information as of October 2002. During his imprisonment he was not only denied medical care for an urgent kidney disease for a period of time, but also was held in a cell with prisoners of violent crimes. On June 7, 2005 Zarafshan started a hunger strike to protest the absence of medical treatment. After a significant deterioration in his health, he ended his hunger strike and was hospitalized for an operation on his kidney in July 2005.
On March 16, 2007 after serving his sentence, Zarafshan was released from prison and told reporters, "I will now do the same things I did before."
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian novelist, translator, and attorney. He is most famous internationally for having been arrested while acting as the legal envoy of two of the families of dissident Iranian writers who were assassinated in November 1998 in what came to be known in Iran as the "Chain Murders
Chain murders of Iran
The Chain Murders of Iran , or Serial Murders, were a series of murders and disappearances from 1988-1998 by Iranian government operatives of Iranian dissident intellectuals who had been critical of the Islamic Republic system in some way.The victims included more than 80 writers, translators,...
" or "serial murders" case. The arrest was widely condemned by human rights groups. It is reported that Zarafshan had been tremendously critical of the shortcomings in the official examination into these killings. In 2002 he was sentenced to five years' imprisonment and was released from prison in March 2007.
Before his arrest
As a member of the Iranian Writers' Association Kanoon and a notable member of the Iranian Bar Association, Zarafshan's translations and articles have appeared in important periodicals in Iran.The murdered journalists included Majid Sharif
Majid Sharif
Majid Sharif was an Iranian translator and journalist who was one of the victims of the Chain murders of Iran. He was a follower of the late Islamist modernist leftist theoretician Ali Shariati...
, an editorialist with the monthly Iran é Farda , writer-journalists Mohamad Mokhtari and Mohammad Jafar Pouyandeh
Mohammad Jafar Pouyandeh
Mohammad Jafar Pouyandeh, was an Iranian author and "one of the active translators of the country" who is most famous for being one of the victims of the Chain murders of Iran....
, and a couple, Dariush
Dariush Forouhar
Dariush Forouhar was a founder and leader of the Hezb-e Mellat-e Iran , a pan-Iranist opposition party in Iran and served as Minister of Labor in the Provisional Revolutionary Government of Mehdi Bazargan in 1979...
and Parvaneh Forouhar, who were freedom of expression activists.
Case history
Zarafshan was arrested by members of the Judicial Organization of Armed Forces (JOAF) in October 2000 after giving a speech in the city of ShirazShiraz, Iran
Shiraz is the sixth most populous city in Iran and is the capital of Fars Province, the city's 2009 population was 1,455,073. Shiraz is located in the southwest of Iran on the Roodkhaneye Khoshk seasonal river...
in which he stated that the intelligence services had murdered five Iranian intellectuals in 1998 in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
.
He was initially charged with publishing information about the assassinations, imprisoned in December 2000, and was released after a month pending trial. In February 2002 he was tried in a military court behind closed doors with his lawyer present; the presiding judge was a prosecutor with the JOAF. While in detention, Zarafshan's office was reportedly searched, and weapons and alcohol were allegedly found.
He was sentenced on March 19, 2002 to five years' imprisonment (2 years for disseminating state secrets, 3 years for the possession of firearms) and 70 lashes for the possession of alcohol. Zarafshan denies the firearms and alcohol charges and claims these were planted in his office by the authorities.
Zarafshan was awarded the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award
PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award
The PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award honours writers anywhere in the world who have fought courageously in the face of adversity for the right to freedom of expression....
in 2004, the Kurt Tucholsky Award of the Swedish PEN
International PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
section in 2006 and the Human Rights Award of the German Association of Judges
German Association of Judges
The German Association of Judges is the largest professional organization of judges and public prosecutors in Germany. It was founded in 1909...
in 2007.
Imprisonment
Iranian judicial organizations have so far failed to explain why Zarafshan, a civilian, was brought before the JOAF, the purpose of which is to try members of the armed forces and Revolutionary Guards for violations of the military code. It is reported that the Chair of the Iranian Parliamentary Committee for Human Rights has protested against the use of a military court in these circumstances, branding it "unconstitutional."Zarafshan has reportedly appealed to the Supreme Court and is currently awaiting a decision, which, according to information as of October 2002. During his imprisonment he was not only denied medical care for an urgent kidney disease for a period of time, but also was held in a cell with prisoners of violent crimes. On June 7, 2005 Zarafshan started a hunger strike to protest the absence of medical treatment. After a significant deterioration in his health, he ended his hunger strike and was hospitalized for an operation on his kidney in July 2005.
On March 16, 2007 after serving his sentence, Zarafshan was released from prison and told reporters, "I will now do the same things I did before."
See also
- Human rights in Islamic Republic of IranHuman rights in Islamic Republic of IranThe state of human rights in Iran has been criticized both by Iranians and international human right activists, writers, and NGOs. The United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Commission have condemned prior and ongoing abuses in Iran in published critiques and several resolutions.The...
- Mohammad MokhtariMohammad MokhtariMohammad Mokhtari was an Iranian writer who was murdered on the outskirts of Tehran in the course of the Chain Murders of Iran. He left his residence at five o'clock in the afternoon of December 2 1998, reportedly to buy light bulbs on Jordan Boulevard in north Tehran...
- Mohammad-Ja'far Pouyandeh