AHMAD (BATEBI) IS BACK IN PRISON, HIS FATHER SAYS

PARIS 3 Oct. (IPS)    Contrary to earlier information that Mr. Ahmad Batebi had fled Iran to Sweden, his father was quoted as having said that he had returned to prison last night.

"We didn't knew about his temporary, one month conditional freedom granted by the judiciary authorities and didn't asked them to extend it. That's why Ahmad decided to return to his prison last night", Mr. Batebi's father told the Persian service of Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty on Thursday.

"This was his decision", the father added, saying that he was condemned to death, commuted to 15 years, despite the lack of any evidence.

the Los Angeles-based Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy in Iran that has branches inside Iran had reported that Mr. Batebi, profiting from the occasion, had left Iran for Sweden.

Iranian sources in Stockholm that usually helps Iranian political dissident get out of the country had first confirmed the arrival of Mr. Batebi, but they retracted later, telling Iran Press Service that the whole information was a fabrication.

“We know that he arrived two days ago, but, apparently, he is under police custody, for fear of being abducted by Iranian agents”, one source had told IPS on condition of anonymity.

"Probably the authorities fooled the SMCCDI in order to discredit the organisation", he said after being informed of the Prague-based RFE-RL's report. 

"The Swedish authorities have delivered 17 visas for Iranian in the past weeks, non of them on name of Mr. Batebi", the source added. 

The young, Jesus Christ-looking Iranian studen was condemned to death for being photographed with the blood stained T-shirt of a fellow student who was shot dead by security guards during the students uprising of July.

The Iranian Islamic authorities had condemned him after his decorated the cover of the prestigious British magazine “The Economist”.

But his death sentence was commuted to 15 years imprisonment under heavy pressures from national and international rights groups. The British National Union of Students made him a Honorary Member.

          In a dramatic “public letter” written while in prison, Mr. Batebi depicted the gloomy situation of Iranian political prisoners; the tortures they are subjected by the Islamic authorities and the ill treatments the prisoners suffer, including their mixing with criminals.

The letter, that shocked the international public opinion, was translated and distributed by Sources in Stockholm involved in getting Iranian political prisoners out of Iran confirmed that Mr. Batebi was in Sweden, but said they don’t know about his whereabouts.

Mr. Batebi had been granted a one-month conditional leave, enough for him and friend to work out his escape from Iran. ENDS BATEBI CONFUSION 31002