Siamak Pourzand, Iran
The journalist and film critic Siamak Pourzand was abducted by Iranian intelligence on November 24, 2001 and held without charge at an undisclosed location for more than three months. After a secret trial which began in March 2002, Pourzand was given an 11-year prison sentence on April 13, for “undermining state security through his links with monarchists and counter-revolutionaries.” The sentence was confirmed on May 21, 2002, following an appeal by his court-appointed lawyers. Pourzand's arrest appears to be connected to his position as manager of the Majmue-ye Farrhangi-ye Honari-ye Tehran, a cultural centre for writers, artists, and intellectuals. He reportedly admitted to the nine charges against him, and confessed to working for the Shah’s secret service before the revolution and to subsequently making contact with people close to the Shah’s son. It is widely believed that his confessions were made under duress. After a conditional release in December 2002, Pourzand was re-arrested on March 30, 2003 and jailed after being summoned by the Adareh Amaken, a police unit usually responsible for investigating “moral” offences. Following a series of hospitalisations in 2004, Pourzand was released from prison on medical grounds. However he has reportedly been denied permission to travel abroad for necessary medical treatment and to visit his family members who live in the US.

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