Hossein Ronaghi

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Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki
حسین رونقی ملکی
Hossein Ronaghi.jpg
Hossein Ronaghi
Born (1985-07-04) 4 July 1985 (age 36)
Malekan, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran

Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki is an Iranian and political dissident who was imprisoned in 2009 for his role in the post-election riots that erupted in Iran. He also wrote under the pen name Babak Khorramdin.[1]

2009 Arrest[]

Ronaghi-Maleki was quietly arrested along with his brother Hassan on December 13, 2009 for renewing proxies that allowed journalists and political activists to circumvent the government’s website bans following last year’s contested presidential elections. He was also charged with insulting the leadership for his critical blog posts.

Although Ronaghi-Maleki suffers from heart and kidney problems, during his custody, the prison guards denied him medical treatment. When he went on a hunger strike to protest his maltreatment and torture, he was placed in solitary confinement.[2][3] Though his brother was released, scarred by beatings, Hossein Ronaghi's permanent release was not announced until June 2019.[4] He was under intense pressure to make a televised confession of his alleged wrongdoing. Ronaghi-Maleki was handed a 15-years long prison sentence.[5] Neither his lawyer nor his family were present for the verdict.[6][7][8][9][10]

In prison, Ronaghi developed a kidney disease and underwent at least four operations. More than 100 of Maleki's fellow prisoners wrote a letter to the authorities warning that he would die if not provided with appropriate medical care.[11]

In the summer of 2012, Ronaghi was given a short medical parole which was cut shorter after he was beaten and arrested for joining a group of relief workers who set out to aid the earthquake survivors of Sarand, Azarbaijan. Having been recently operated on, he was specifically kicked in the kidney by security forces.[12] Physical abuse and torture, lack of medical treatment, and the effects of several hunger strikes led to Ronaghi's kidney failure. Consequently, his kidney was removed, and his remaining kidney was extremely damaged, threatening his life while in prison.[13]

Amnesty International designated Ronaghi a prisoner of conscience, stating that he appeared to be "held solely on account of his peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression". The organization called for him to be released immediately and unconditionally.[14]

In January 2016, Ronaghi was reported to be back in Evin prison after a period on medical parole that had been granted in June 2015.[15]

Throughout a ten-year period, Ronaghi spent a total of 6 years in prison, him and his family were under constant pressure, suffered harassment and forced inspections.[16] Finally, in June 2019, his permanent release was signed and Ronaghi's legal case was closed.

Since his release, Ronaghi has been actively advocating against governmental propaganda. Most recently, he published an opinion piece on the Wall Street Journal titled "Western Media Aren't Telling you the Truth About Iran" in which he shared his own experiences and observations as an activist and citizen in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki Returned to Prison before the Completion of His Treatment". 2011-05-10. Retrieved 2011-10-28.
  2. ^ "Hossein Ronaghi Maleki, a 25 Years Old Blogger". Chrr.biz. Retrieved 2011-10-28.
  3. ^ "hossein ronaghi maleki". Iranhumanrights.org. Retrieved 2011-10-28.
  4. ^ "خبرگزاری هرانا | قرار نهایی منع تعقیب حسین رونقی ملکی صادر شد - خبرگزاری هرانا". Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  5. ^ "Hossein Ronaghi Maleki - Human Rights Activism". ipa.united4iran.org. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  6. ^ "The Story of Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki | From Threat of Execution to 15 Years Imprisonment". Rahana.org. Retrieved 2011-10-28.
  7. ^ "Hossein Ronaghi From Hospital Back to Prison". En-hrana.org. 2011-08-30. Retrieved 2011-10-28.
  8. ^ Jillian York, USA (2009-12-22). "Iran: Jailed blogger Hossein Ronaghi in Danger". Global Voices Online. Retrieved 2011-10-28.
  9. ^ "Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki | tracking the status of political prisoners". Rahana.org. Archived from the original on 2012-05-14. Retrieved 2011-10-28.
  10. ^ "They Want To Kill My Son: Father of Jailed Iranian Blogger". Payvand.com. Retrieved 2011-10-28.
  11. ^ Kamali, Saeed (2012-06-06). "Iranian blogger on hunger strike close to death, warn fellow prisoners | World news | guardian.co.uk". Guardian. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
  12. ^ "خبرگزاری هرانا | هرانا؛حسین رونقی ملکی با وجود خونریزی شدید کلیه به قرنطینه زندان تبریز منتقل شد - خبرگزاری هرانا". Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  13. ^ "دستور بستری شدن حسین رونقی ملکی صادر شد". رادیو فردا (in Persian). Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  14. ^ "Iran: Jailed Blogger Denied Medical Leave". Amnesty International. 17 May 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  15. ^ Azarnoush, Shora (2016-01-22). "Iranian blogger Hossein Ronaghi Maleki is back behind bars". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
  16. ^ ""فشار روی زندانی سیاسی برای گرفتن تایید اتهامات کیهان"". رادیو فردا (in Persian). Retrieved 2021-08-28.

External links[]

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