Saeed Eghbali

Saeed Eghbali is a civil and human rights activist arrested along with Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee after Arash Sadeghi's hunger strike.

The rise in the prices of essential goods and the escalation of the economic crisis harming the livelihoods of millions of Iranians sparked the December 2018's protests, which quickly spread to more than 100 cities across the country. In less than a few days, these demonstrations became the most widespread popular protests since the 1979 revolution in Iran. The protesters’ main and key slogans directly opposed the Islamic Republic and blamed the government’s policies for the economic hardship. Security forces used excessive and unlawful lethal force in confronting large-scale protests; dozens of people were killed, thousands of protesters were arrested, and some were sentenced to prison and execution. Some of the detainees died suspiciously while in custody. <symbol-timeline></symbol-timeline>

• <coverage-outsourcing id='12422'> He was arrested. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='12463'> He was released. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='20914'> In a round-up of political and civil activists Shima Babaei and Darioush Zand in Behbahan, Saeed Eghbali in Kermanshah, Saeed Seyfi Jahan, Nader Afshari, Mahmoud Masoumi and Behnam Mousivand in Tehran were arrested. All of them were transferred to ward 209 of Evin Prison on the following days. They did not have access to a lawyer during their detention. According to reports released later, at least Saeed Eqbali, Behnam Mousivand and Saeed Seyfi Jahan were also deprived of telephone and visits. Nader Afshari and Mahmoud Masoumi also went on hunger strike </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='20973'> The Center for Human Rights in Iran announced in an interview with an informed source that they are being kept in solitary confinement in ward 209. According to this source, Evin's prosecutor's office has charged all of them with "propaganda against the state and the Gathering and Colluding for acting against national security" and that critical activity in social networks and the dissemination of news of political prisoners and nationwide protests are the most important reasons for their detention and interrogation </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='21430'> Sara Merati, the mother of Saeed Eghbali, informed on the intense psychological pressure on her child in an interview with Iranwire. She said that on the last call, her child "has asked her to find a way to rid him from prison while crying." She also said that his kidneys and ears had infected, he has undergone serious shocks and passed out twice during this time, and the prison doctor has prescribed that he must be examined by a specialist </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='21362'> HRANA reports that, despite the frequent visits of Mr. Eghbali's family to Judicial institutions, no information on his status is available and his family is concerned that their child is being pressured to make "false confessions" </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='21532'> He was released on bail </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='26359'> According to IPA, Nader Afshari, Behnam Mousivand, Mozhgan Lali, Shaghayegh Mahaki, Mahmoud Masoumi, Shima Babaei, Saeed Seyfi Jahan, Darioush Abdar and Saeed Eghbali were sentenced to five years in prison on the charge of "assembly and collusion against the national security" and one year in prison on the charge of "propagation against the system" by judge Moghiseh. By implementing article 134, five years in prison can be executed </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='29649'> <reference source='https://ipa.united4iran.org/media/file_evidence/7_ovviXV6.jpg'> According to IPA's report, The sentence of the seven defendants was upheld by the Branch 36 of Tehran Appeal Court. The trial was held without the presence of the defendants and lawyers. An informed source told IPA's reporter that Mr. Afshari has protested against the sentence, but the case has not been given to the appeals court for unknown reasons. Mahmoud Masoumi (another defendant in the case), did not protest against the primary court's decision and his sentence was confirmed </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='30866'> He went to Evin Prison to serve his sentence. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='33226'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2020/hranews/a-27205/'> According to HRANA, Saeed Eghbali is being denied surgery. Mr. Eghbali's right ear has 70 percent tearing and he is suffering from pain and infection because of it. The infirmary has ordered his surgery at a hospital on five occasions, but the prison authorities refuse to send him to the hospital. The ear specialist wrote a letter to the assistant prosecutor supervising political prisoners and told him that Mr. Eghbali's ear infection is moving towards his cerebellum and he needs to be hospitalized immediately. The prison doctor also insisted on his request and said if he isn't sent to the hospital, he might lose his hearing. Mr. Eghbali's ear problem was the result of the severe beating from his arresting agents. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='33686'> <reference source='https://www.instagram.com/p/CH-E97En6lj/'> Golrokh Iraei reported on Instagram: > Saeed Eghbali has 70 percent tearing in his right ear but despite heavy infection and prison doctor's repeated request, he is being denied hospitalization and surgery. It was reported that his ear has lost hearing and the infection has spread toward his cerebellum but the prison infirmary is not doing anything other than prescribing pain medication. Recently he was supposed to be sent to the hospital but for some reason it was canceled again. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='33890'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2020/hranews/a-27970/'> According to HRANA, Saeed Eghbali is still being denied medical treatment despite requests from the infirmary doctor for two months. Yesterday he was taken to the infirmary with severe ear pain but the doctor ignored the cause and said there is no problem. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='35187'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2021/hranews/a-29376/'> He was transferred to Rajai Shahr Prison. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='35189'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2021/hranews/a-29397/'> HRANA reported that in Rajaei Shahr Prison, Saeed Eghbali has been housed with two death row inmates in one cell. Prison authorities told him that he will be transferred to general population. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='35693'> <reference source='https://bit.ly/3u8chW7'> He was transferred to the general population of Rajaei Shahr Prison. He is still being denied medical treatment despite doctor's orders and in recent days his right side has become numb. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='35694'> <reference source='https://bit.ly/3gR4TKT'> In a letter from Rajaei Shahr Prison, Saeed Eghbali described the pressure on him and his family while he was in Evin Prison. He wrote: > On the day of my arrest I was beaten badly and my right ear was damaged. After all this time in prison, my hearing has severely deteriorated and according to the interrogator, two of the people very close to me were arrested and held in solitary for 10 days to a month just so I would accept the pre-written confession. During that time my mother was also summoned and interrogated. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='37235'> He was transferred from Rajai Shahr Prison to Amir Alam Hospital in Tehran. He is in urgent need of ear surgery that has been postponed despite the severe infection. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='37295'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2021/hranews/a-32247/'> HRANA reported that although he was sent to the hospital a week ago and received a prescription, he has been denied the prescribed medication in prison. The doctors have ordered that in order to operate on Mr. Eghbali's ear, he needs to take medication to reduce the infection. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='40139'> <reference source='https://twitter.com/akvanian/status/1537048967527145472?s=20&t=_Bgf5oQHJdd0Her8RrnqLw'> After his letter was published in which he exposed the weekly executions in Rajaei Shahr Prison, he was denied family visit. Human Rights activist Reza Akvanian, reported on Twitter that Saeed Eghbali's mother found out about this after arriving a tthe prison. Mr. Eghbali has been denied family visit in person for three months and in the cabin for one month. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='40167'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2022/hranews/a-35410/'> HRANA reported that the authorities still refuse to send Saeed Eghbali to the hospital despite the 70 percent tear in his right ear and the heavy infection and pain. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='42392'> <reference source='https://t.me/hranews/72809'> He wrote an open letter in support of the national uprising triggered by the murder of Mahsa Amini. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='44758'> <reference source='https://prisonatlas.com/%d8%b3%d8%b9%db%8c%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%82%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%db%8c/'> In an audio file from Rajaei Shahr Prison, Saeed Eghbali warned about the possibility of mass execution of the arrested protesters and said the Islamic Republic might repeat the mass execution of prisoners in the 1980s. In the audio file, he explained that the prison authorities move the death-sentence-prisoners around different wards and solitary, and the psychological pressure on these prisoners is very heavy. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='44759'> <reference source='https://prisonatlas.com/%d8%b3%d8%b9%db%8c%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%82%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%db%8c/'> After being transferred to a solitary cell, Saeed Eghbali went on a hunger strike. He was sent to solitary as punishment for releasing an audio file warning about the possibility of mass executions. His mother Sara Maraati has also gone on hunger strike in support of her son. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='45091'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2022/hranews/a-38654/'> After being transferred to the general population in Rajaei Shahr prison, he ended his hunger stirke. A sourced told HRANA that Saeed Eghbali was threatened with a new case by the prison security because of his letters from prison. During his hunger strike in solitary, he had extremely low blood pressure and was transferred to the infirmary. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='46684'> Saeed Eghbali was arraigned at the 7th branch of the public and revolutionary court of Karaj for propaganda against the state. According to an IPA source, the new case was brought against him after he released an audio file from prison. During the investigation, Saeed Eghbali did not accept the charge and the investigator in the case cursed at him and said he will send the case to court anyway. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='48052'> <reference source='https://twitter.com/Pourinouri91/status/1629526850740400133'> 12 civil rights activists and political prisoners released a joint statement demanding the immediate release of Kasra Nouri. The signatories point out that he must be released in accordance with the general pardon issued by the judiciary, but he hasn't. The signatories also demanded the release of other political prisoners in the same situation, such as Zahra Zehtabchi, Saeed Eghbali, and Younes Alsorkhi. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='49525'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2023/hranews/a-40213/'> He was released from prison. On February 5th, 2023, the Islamic Republic's Judiciary issued a memo that announced the beginning of the process of releasing some of the protesters arrested during the 2022 national uprising. According to the judiciary's Mizan website, and latest comments made by the spokesperson for the judiciary, this "pardon" is in honor of the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution and contingent on the prisoners expressing regret; The pardon is not extended to cases with charges such as "connection to dissident groups", and "destruction of public property". However, many of the released prisoners have posted videos and notes saying they never requested a pardon and never expressed regret. There are even videos of female activists taking off their hijab and chanting against the Islamic Republic in front of the prison moments after their release. The release of prisoners being called a pardon has caused massive reaction online and some activists on social media and human rights organizations consider it a PR stunt to repair some of the damage to Ali Khamenei's image. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>