Majid Tavakoli is a prominent Iranian student leader, human rights activist and political prisoner. He is a member of the Islamic Students' Association at Tehran's Amirkabir University of Technology, where he studied shipbuilding. He has been arrested at least three times by the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence — most recently on 7 December 2009, during the student protests over the disputed Presidential Election of 2009 — and is currently in prison. In response to allegations that he cross-dressed as a disguise to avoid arrest, a campaign protesting his imprisonment featured men posting photos of themselves wearing hijabs.
Arrests, imprisonment
2006 arrest
In 2006, he was imprisoned for 15 months for insulting religion and the country's leadership in student publications, an accusation he denies.
December 2009 Arrest
Tavakoli was arrested on 7 December 2009 after addressing a crowd at Amir Kabir University of Technology on National Student Day. After his arrest, semi-official new websites including Fars News and Raja News published pictures of Tavakoli dressed in women's clothing or "hijab," taken while he was in custody, claiming Tavakoli attempted to avoid arrest by dressing in "women's clothing". According to human rights activists however, eyewitnesses present at the time of his arrest "have denied all the news published by pro-Ahmadinejad media", and stated he was forced to put on the hijab by security forces to discredit and ridicule him. In their report, Fars News Agency had compared Tavakkoli to Iranian ex-President Abolhassan Banisadr, who according to "an old allegation", dressed as a woman while escaping Iran. In solidarity with Tavakoli, hundreds of Iranian men have posted pictures of themselves in Islamic hijab, on various websites, under the slogan, "Be a man". The campaign calls for an end to mistreatment of Iranian prisoners including Tavakoli. Some of the website's readers also call the campaign a gesture of solidarity with Iranian women, who are compelled by law in Iran to wear the hijab.
Trial and imprisonment
Following a trial which he was reportedly not allowed to attend, Tavakoli was convicted of offenses which included "participating in an illegal gathering", "propaganda against the system", and "insulting officials" and sentenced to eight and a half years in prison. From January to May 2010, he was held primarily in solitary confinement in Evin prison. On 17 May 2010, he began a hunger strike. On 26 May, his mother joined his hunger strike in an attempt to raise awareness of his imprisonment. While on hunger strike, his health deteriorated quickly, and on the fourth day, he suffered from stomach hemorrhage and was unable to speak due to weakness and dehydration. In August 2010, he was moved to Raja'i Shahr prison to be housed with violent offenders. Tavakoli suffers from a respiratory ailment, which reportedly has worsened due to his continued imprisonment. Tavakoli was released from prison on bail for 4 days in October 2013, and again in April 2015, but his prison term was reportedly over as of May 10, 2015, except that he still has to serve a 5-year restriction on political activities and from leaving Iran.
International recognition
In 2009, Tavakoli was awarded Homo Homini Award, annually bestowed by People In Need on people who have contributed significantly to the cause of human rights. Tavakoli was awarded beside Abdollah Momeni, one of the student leaders from 1999 protests, which became the biggest rising since the Islamic revolution. Amnesty International considers Tavakoli to be a prisoner of conscience, and named him a 2011 "priority case." Human Rights Watch has also protested Tavakoli's imprisonment. Tavakoli was awarded the Student Peace Prize in 2013 for September 2012.
