Hoda Saber’s Wife: “Nobody Is Accountable”

The wife of Hoda Saber, journalist and a Nationalist-Religious activist told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that she has no knowledge about the reasons for her husband’s recent arrest. “I want my husband’s unconditional release, because his imprisonment was unjust and without any specific reason. My husband has not done any political work in the past two years, and did not take any political stance towards the [2009 Presidential] election results. I was somewhat ill, so he was taking care of me. But he was arrested on the street in July of this year and has been in prison ever since. Three weeks before his arrest, they contacted me by phone and told me that Mr. Saber must surrender himself to start serving his prison term. When Mr. Saber heard of this, he immediately called them back and said that the order must be in writing, served to him and his lawyer. But, three weeks later, three cars abducted him on the street. I had no news of him for ten days, until he called and said that he was in solitary confinement inside Ward 2-A of Evin Prison,” she told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. “I hope beside talking, human rights organizations actually do something, too, and that their efforts are not focused on just a few people like Ms. Sotoudeh. They must also help the rest of the prisoners,” Hoda Saber’s wife said about her expectations from human rights organizations. “They have told my husband that he is serving his prison term for his 2000 court case ruling. He was in prison and solitary confinement for nearly two years. If the reason for his arrest is for him to serve his sentence from the case in 2000, he must now be freed, as he has actually served his prison sentence. But, the most important thing is that the 2000 sentence was issued for fifteen arrested members of the Nationalist-Religious members, and the lawyers say that only one person from the fifteen must serve the term,” Farideh Saber, wife of the prisoner of conscience said. “Mr. Saber suffers from heart disease and high cholesterol, diseases he developed during the multiple times he has been imprisoned over the past ten years. He must be released, so that we can take care of his physical ailments. I don’t know on what charges he is in prison now,” said Farideh Saber, stressing that Mr. Saber is serving a prison term about which neither himself, nor his lawyer and family have been informed. “I wrote the Prosecutor many times, asking for furlough for my husband or in-person visitation with him. I also requested several times to meet with the Prosecutor himself, but I never received a response. Nobody is accountable. Maybe the Prosecutor has no responsibility in this case; I would like to ask the Head of the Judiciary and other authorities to release Mr. Saber soon, because he has not had any political activities during the past two years,” Hoda Saber’s wife told the Campaign. Hoda Saber, a journalist, translator, and Nationalist-Religious activist and one of the principles in the banned publication Iran-e Farda, was first arrested in February 2000. He was released a month later on bail of $130,000. A lower court sentenced him to ten years in prison and ten years’ ban on social activities, and he appealed the ruling. So far, the appeals court has not yet convened.