Ahmad Batebi (Persian: احمد باطبی; born July 25, 1977) is an Iranian activist who was designated a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.

During his studies at the University of Tehran he gained international fame for his appearance on the July 17, 1999, cover of The Economist magazine, holding up a shirt splattered with the blood of a fellow protester.

Following its publishing, Batebi was arrested, tried in closed-door proceedings, found guilty of "creating street unrest",[1] and sentenced to death.

[1][2] Less well-known are persistent reports of torture and ill-treatment of Batebi in prison and his resulting poor physical and mental health.

[1][3] While temporarily released from prison to receive medical attention, Batebi was assisted by the KDPI, to flee Iran for Iraq.

[5] The student protests of 1999 began on July 7 with peaceful demonstrations in Tehran against the closure of the reformist newspaper, Salam.

[9] Batebi describes the trial as follows: "[The judge] said, 'You have defaced the face of the Islamic Republic that represents God on earth.

[11] Batebi, in an open letter addressed to the judiciary, wrote that he had been beaten in his "testicles, legs, and abdominal area.

"[10] Following an outcry from Iranians and international human rights groups,[2] his death sentence was commuted to a 15-year prison term by Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei.

[11] During a hunger strike in August 2006, "his doctor wrote an open letter to the prison authorities" stating that Batebi "required specialist care", and that "there was a risk he could die if he was not released."

According to a press report, Dr Hesam Firouzi, Ahmad Batebi's doctor, wrote to the authorities on 6 August stating that his patient was at risk of paralysis or heart attack, and needed to receive specialist treatment outside prison.

[3]Psychological abuse is reported to include denying Batebi "the opportunity to see daylight", forcing him "to wear a blindfold during exercise sessions in the prison yard.

"[11] While being temporarily released from Evin Prison to receive medical attention, Batebi fled the country into Iraq.

Batebi's escape from Iran and eventual transfer to the United States began when he contacted internationally recognized immigration and human rights, lawyer and activist Lily Mazahery, on March 13, 2008, on the then-existing Yahoo 360 social media site.

[13] Batebi's lawyer, Lily Mazahery,[4] reported his critical situation in Arbil to the United States government, which provided Humanitarian Parole for his entrance to the U.S.