Evin prison officials denied imprisoned writer and journalist Khosro Sadeghi Boroujeni the right to make telephone calls in prison as he was serving time for celebrating Nowruz. This punitive measure was taken in violation of prison rules, which could be referred to the Prison Disciplinary Council.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the Evin prison officials denied Khosro Sadeghi Boroujeni of making telephone calls in violation of prison rules and as a punishment for celebrating Nowruz.

According to an informed source, since last Tuesday, March 22, he was denied his rights on the pretext of participating in and making a speech at a Nowruz celebration held by the prisoners.

HRANA has been informed that Hamzeh Darvish, the Sunni prisoner in Lakan Prison, has also been denied the right to make phone calls.

Khosro Sadeghi Boroujeni was arrested and interrogated after he was summoned to the Branch 2 of Evin’s prosecutor’s office on May 8, 2019. He was later temporarily released from Evin Prison on a bail amount of 300 million tomans.

Boroujeni’s trial was on July 28, 2019. According to the verdict ordered by the Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, which was presided over by judge Mohammad Moghiseh, Boroujeni was sentenced to five years imprisonment on a charge of “assembly and collusion with an intention to commit a crime against the national security”, one year imprisonment for the charge of “propaganda against the regime”,  and two years imprisonment on a charge of “insulting the founder of the Islamic Republic”, adding up to a total of eight years. This sentence was later reduced to seven years after the charge of “propaganda against the regime” was dropped upon appeal.

Boroujeni has been conducting research on neoliberalism and the political economy of Iran and has written several articles on these subjects in recent years. His essay “Critique of Neoliberalism” was published by H&S Media Publishing Company in the UK. His other book, “Globalization and Inequality”, was published by Porsesh Publishing Company in 2011.