Iran: Incommunicado detention/ fear of torture
or ill-treatment
Amnesty International
30 April 2007
IRAN Hamid Sa’edi (m), 35, Kurdish teacher
Hamid Sa’edi, a teacher, singer and poet from Iran's Kurdish minority, was
reportedly arrested on 22 April by plain clothed officials of the Ministry of
Intelligence, in the city of Sanandaj, in Kurdistan province, northwestern Iran.
He was reportedly summoned by officials to a court, possibly for questioning,
where he was arrested. He is currently held incommunicado in a Ministry of
Intelligence detention facility in Sanandaj. Amnesty International is concerned
that he may be at risk of torture and ill-treatment.
The reasons for Hamid Sa’edi’s arrest are not clear to Amnesty International.
However, Hamid Sa’edi reportedly participated in a peaceful demonstration held
by about 200 teachers in Sanandaj in mid-March, and in a strike by teachers on
17 and 18 March, both of which were calling for higher pay and better working
conditions. It is feared that Hamid Sa’edi may have been detained in connection
with these activities.
Hamid Sa’edi is the brother of Kurdish journalist and human rights defender
Sa’id Sa’edi, who was detained for over two months in 2005 in connection with
his alleged participation in demonstrations (see Amnesty International Appeal
Case, AI Index MDE 13/080/2006, July 2006). Hamid Sa'edi was briefly detained in
late 2005 or early 2006, following his brother’s release. When Hamid Sa'edi was
arrested, security forces personnel confiscated books and two computers from the
home he shares with his parents. He was released on bail, on accusations of
"acting against national security". To date, he has not been charged or tried in
relation to these accusations.
