Jailed Iranian Activists Punished for Announcing Election Boycott

Iranian authorities have taken punitive measures against three prominent political prisoners who had intensified their criticisms of the Islamic Republic ahead of parliamentary elections.

Sociologist Saeed Madani, activist Hossein Razzaq and Mostafa Tajzadeh, a former deputy interior minister under reformist President Mohammad Khatami, have said they would boycott the parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections on March 1.

In retribution the authorities transferred Madani and Razzaq to a different ward of Tehran’s Evin prison, while Tajzadeh was placed in solitary confinement. 

All three were also deprived of their right to make phone calls outside the prison.

In a letter published on his Telegram channel on February 18, Tajzadeh accused Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei of being responsible for the current "flawed structure of the political system in Iran."

Khamenei, who has the last say on all matters in Iran, has withheld “the contributions of capable individuals” and hindered “essential structural reform," said Tajzadeh, a reformist political activist who has been repeatedly arrested since 2009 and subjected to harsh sentences. 

In September 2022, the activist was sentenced to five years in prison on charges including "collusion against national security," "spreading falsehoods" and "propaganda against the Islamic Republic." 

Madani and Razzaq have a history of supporting reformist candidates.