ABBAS AMIR ENTEZAM BACK TO PRISON
TEHRAN, 28 Apr. (IPS) Mr. Abbas Amir Entezam, 70, the Iranian longest
political prisoner, returned to jail Sunday on order from the Iranian Judiciary,
informed sources told Iran Press Service.
A
former Deputy Prime Minister under the late Mehdi Bazargan, the first provisory Premier of the Islamic Republic, Mr. Amir Entezam was allowed a temporary leave from prison on health problem, but the sources said he has been sent back to jail after calling for a referendum on the country's political system."Amir-Entezam was freed temporarily from jail last year, on a bail of 37,500 US dollars, for urgent medical check up and
care as recommended by doctors", said his wife, Elaheh Amir-Entezam.Mr.
Amir-Entezam was arrested in 1980 on charges of espionage for the United States when he was the new regime’s ambassador to Scandinavian nations, has spent most of the last 24 years in jail after, several years in solitary confinement and badly tortured, both physically and psychologically.But so far, the courts have not been able to prove the charges and for his part, Mr. Amir Entezam says he would not leave prison before he had been accorded a fair and free trial with the presence of international observers, press and jurists.
In two consecutive letters to the Iranian nation, Mr. Amir Entezam joined other Iranian personalities of the "Third Force" to call for a UN-controlled referendum allowing Iranians to freely choose their future political regime, stating, "no Constitution is eternal".
In a
recent speech at a Tehran university, Mr. Amir Entezam called for a referendum on whether Iran should remain under religious rule. ENDS AMIR ENTEZAM JAILED 28403