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Iranwire – The life of Ali Rezaei, a 39-year-old yoga instructor and teacher of Turkish language, took a devastating turn on December 11, 2022, when security forces stormed his home in Mianeh in the north-western province of East Azarbaijan, seized his electronic devices and other personal belongings, and took him to custody.
Blindfolded and handcuffed, Rezaei was transferred to Tehran’s Evin Prison. During his transfer, he was subjected to verbal abuse that included explicit threats of sexual assault, a source told IranWire.
In Evin’s Ward 209, Rezaei endured days of solitary confinement during which the interrogators extracted self-incriminating confessions from the detainee.
Rezaei was forced to sign over 3,000 pages predominantly consisting of printed copies of his social media posts and stories from recent years.
“For an entire week, Ali endured grueling sessions, was forced to sign the printouts from eight in the morning until five in the afternoon. These printed materials filled three voluminous files each containing 500 to 600 pages,” the source said.
Following the interrogation process, Rezaei was transferred to Greater Tehran Prison, where he held Turkish language classes for fellow detainees.
“Ali is a teacher and yoga instructor who, prior to his imprisonment, assisted patients with multiple sclerosis,” IranWire’s source said.
After some time, Judge Abolqasem Salavati ordered Rezaei to be sent back to Evin Prison for further interrogation. There, Rezaei endured 10 days of intensive questioning during which the interrogator focused on his trips to Azerbaijan and Turkey.
Rezaei was then sent to Greater Tehran Prison again and to Evin Prison, where he has remained to this day.
In Evin, Rezaei continued to teach Turkish to prisoners and helped them to alleviate the stress of their imprisonment.
According to information obtained by IranWire, a first instance court presided over by Judge Abulqasem Salvati sentenced Rezaei to five years in prison on charges of “gathering and collusion with the intention of committing a crime against national security” and an additional year for “propaganda against the regime.”
“It is important to note that he had never admitted to participating in street rallies or planning them, and no evidence was presented to support these allegations,” the source said.
Rezaei was deprived of the right to legal representation during the judicial process.
Additionally, Judge Salvati warned his relatives that they would be incarcerated if they pursued legal action.
