Akbar Lakestani

Akbar Lakestani is a veteran of the Iran-Iraq War. He is also a dual citizen of Iranian-American. He was chairman of the council in one of the West Azarbayjan provinces for a while. Security forces arrested Mr. Lakestani after his return to Iran to visit his old mother

• <coverage-outsourcing id='27037'> Akbar Lakestani was arrested by security forces and released temporarily after a month. Hrana's report states, he has been sentenced to a total of three years imprisonment on charges of insulting authorities and propaganda against the system. Considering the contradiction between the charge and the verdict issued, Atlas presumes that his first charge is about Insulting the Leader or the Founder. In fall 2008, he had been sent to Maku Prison to execute the sentence and discharged after a few months with citing to medical reports. He eventually left the country on 20.06.2009 </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='27038'> He returned to Iran to meet his old and ill mother and was arrested at the Serow border by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence. Years after his release he told IPA that the agents transferred him to the Urmia police intelligence lockup and during the two days that he was in solitary there, he was not allowed to contact his family and had no access to an attorney or his medication such as insulin. Mr. Lakestani emphasized that he was not charged in this lockup and didn't see an arrest warrant. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='42545'> He was transferred to the IRGC Intelligence lockup in Urmia. Years later Mr. Lakestani told IPA that when he entered this lockup, they got him naked and the security agents were abusive. He was kept in solitary here as well and didn't have access to an attorney, his family, or to his necessary medication including insulin. He explained that the interrogators have tried to force him to confess through torture and threats of execution. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='27039'> In a phone call to his family, he said he has been transferred to Urmia prison. Years later he told Atlas (IPA) that he was kept in Urmia prison among other prisoners without crime discrimination, and still didn't have access to his emergency medication like insulin or blood pressure pills. He explained that drug dealing was normal in the prison and said: > I witnessed several times that they would put drugs in the drink of a young new prisoner and at night several of them would rape him. The dangerous crimes prisoners threatened to kill or rape me many times. Prisoners could easily use meth and Heroin and there were daily fights among them. They would make weapons from everyday items and attack each other over issues like drug distribution and such. According to Mr. Lakestani, he was in a cell with a broken window in Urmia winter, and not only did he not have a heater, prisoners usually didn't even get enough blankets. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='27392'> Staged a hunger strike in protest of the lack of medical service in Urmia Prison. Years later Mr. Lakestani told IPA: > I went on a wet hunger strike for 10 days, and after that four days of dry hunger strike. On the 13th day the warden and the prison magistrate threatened me to end my hunger strike. They took me on a wheelchair to an area in the prison yard where executions took place. The execution crane was also there. I asked them why have you brought me here? They said just for fresh air. It was a horrifying moment and I got really scared. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='27393'> <reference source='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCpeGFAmv68'> He was sent to hospital due to physical problems from the hunger strike. Years later he told IPA that in Imam Khomeini hospital they tied his hand and feet to the bed and the security forces pistol whipped him. About his time in the hospital he told IPA: > In this hospital I was attacked and insulted by the security agents and even general population prisoners. The security agents would use sexual insults and would spit at me while I was tied to a bed in a cross position. In a video that Tavaana published on Youtube, the scars from being tied to a bed for a long time is visible on Mr. Lakestani's body. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='42548'> He was moved to the Razi mental hispital in Urmia by the order of judiciary officials. Mr. Lakestani told IPA years later: > In the mental hospital they once again tied me in a cross position on the bed and the other patients were free to beat me up. There was a man there who had drugged and boiled his wife to death. He was free to walk around and I was cuffed and shackled. Even in the toilet I had to wear shackles. They wouldn't let me shower. It has been three years since then and I still have scars on my feet from those shackles. They forced me to take a lot of pills and I was always in a haze or asleep. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='42549'> He was transferred to Urmia Prison. Years later Mr. Lakestani told IPA that some time before his release, his bail was set at three billion rials, but the case investigator would refuse to accept the bail money due to pressure from security organizations. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='27530'> He was released on bail </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='36826'> <reference source='https://iranwire.com/fa/news/tehran/52742'> He returned to the US. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='36827'> <reference source='https://iranwire.com/fa/news/tehran/52742'> IranWire wrote that Akbar Lakestani has brought a lawsuit against the leader of the Islamic Republic Ali Khamenei and the commander of the IRGC Hossein Salami. In an interview with IranWire Mr. Lakestani said the reason for his lawsuit was his illegal arrest by the Islamic Republic, torture, and lack of medical care in prison and attempting to get coerced false confessions. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>