Shabtabnews In this dark night, I have lost my way – Arise from a corner, oh you the star of guidance.
RFL/RE – Iran’s leading reformist coalition has called for the release of prominent reformist politician Mostafa Tajzadeh, who was arrested last month over accusations of undermining national security.
In an open letter to the judiciary, Behzad Nabavi, head of the Reform of Iran coalition, called for Tajzadeh’s case to be “examined in an open court session” by an “impartial” prosecutor. Nabavi urged the judiciary to release Tajzadeh “as soon as possible,” according to the letter published in local media on August 20.
Tajzadeh, 65, “did nothing but express his opinions,” the coalition said, adding that he has been held in “solitary confinement” since his arrest on July 8.
Tajzadeh — who last year made an unsuccessful bid for the presidency as a reformist and “political prisoner for seven years” — reportedly faces several charges, including conspiracy against national security and publishing lies to disturb public opinion.
A former deputy interior minister, Tajzadeh is a staunch critic of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
His trial began last week at a branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Court. Tajzadeh declined to speak in court during the hearing after a request for him to talk one-on-one with his lawyer was rejected, the defense said.
Tajzadeh was arrested in 2009 during mass protests disputing the re-election of then President Mahmud Ahmadinejad that was contested by an opposition supporting reformist candidates Mehdi Karrubi and Mir Hossein Musavi.
In 2010, Tajzadeh was convicted of harming national security and propaganda against the state. He was released in 2016 after serving a seven-year sentence.
Since his release, Tajzadeh has often called on authorities to free Karrubi and Musavi who have been under house arrest for more than a decade.
Tajzadeh served as deputy interior minister under reformist former `president Mohammad Khatami, who held office from 1997 to 2005.
