House Detention
Abbas Amir Entezam was born in 1933 in Tehran, Iran. At 22 he initiated contact with the United States embassy in Iran on behalf of the National Liberation Movement. After studying in France and the United States, he returned to Iran to take care of his sick mother. He was not allowed out of the country due to his previous political activities and settled in Iran. In 1979 Entezam became Deputy Prime Minister, and was entrusted with building a relationship between the new government in Iran and the US. Later that year he also became ambassador to Sweden.
When the Shah was overthrown, the US Embassy was seized, and documents were found showing a relationship between Entezam and the Americans The use of the word dear in the opening of a letter addressed to Entezam, was the basis for him being charged with treason. He was also convicted of giving Iranian intelligence to the Americans and sentenced to life in prison, all without a fair trial. Entezam has been fighting for a fair trial since then so that he may present his case. During his time at Evin Prison he has suffered physical and psychological torture. Entezam has developed very serious health problems due to lack of sanitation, including, but not limited to; kidney stones, areas of excess bone in his hip, a severe skin rash, an ulcer, prostate issues, and a punctured ear drum. Despite these injuries he was not allowed to see a doctor for months. When he was briefly released from prison in September of 1998, he gave interviews detailing the atrocities that occur daily in Evin Prison in Iran. As a result, he was charged with insult and defamation of Assadullah Lajevardi, who was the head prison guard, and immediately re-imprisoned, again without a trial. Abbas Amir Entezam is still in prison today, and continues to ask for a fair trial.