Planning to leave Iran to attend a training course in Geneva, Hassan Asadi Zeidabadi was served travel ban orders a few hours before his trip. His appearance at the Prosecutor’s Office to find out the reasons proved fruitless. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has confirmed that in the Prosecutor’s orders sent to Asadi Zeidabadi, “an open case” has been cited as the reason for his travel ban. In the served order, it is written that he is able to object to the ruling within the next 20 days by appearing at Evin Prison Special Courts. However, authorities refused to answer Mr. Zeidabadi’s questions about the order. In an interview with Advar News about his travel ban, Asadi Zeidabadi said: “I was planning on traveling to Geneva for a short academic training course on organizations that provide oversight to UN international human rights covenants. A few hours before my trip I was served the travel ban orders.” Asadi Zeidabadi, who is a member of Advar-e Tahkim-e Vahdat alumni organization also added: “Travel bans are issued as an added measure of assurance [against a suspect’s flight] under exceptional cases. When a prisoner is released on bail or guardianship orders, there is no justification for this added measure. I view this action as completely illegal, and a clear example of the violation of an individual’s rights, the same way as depriving him from the right to an education or the right to free commute.” Asadi Zeidabadi, wwho is the Human Rights Secretary to Advar-e Tahkim organization, criticized the travel ban, saying: “This kind of behavior demonstrates that Iran’s rulers oppose human rights in all its dimensions. Perhaps they believe that one of my crimes is that I was educated in this country, using national resources, to study human rights. If this is the case, they should face the academic community more honestly, and officially close down the Graduate Program for Human Rights, which is a program established during the reform years.”
