Narges Mohammadi, a journalist, as well as vice-president and spokesman for the Iranian Human Rights Center who had been sitting in Evin Prison’s Women’s Prison Office with several political prisoners since Saturday, December 21st, 2019, was taken to Zanjan Prison by force through beatings.
Narges Mohammadi and several female political prisoners held a sit-in protest in Evin Prison for the occasion of the 40th day anniversary of the November protesters’ death.
Monireh Arabshahi, Narges Mohammadi, Athena Daemi, Saba Kurd Afshari, Yasmin Ariani, Mojgan Keshavarz, Samaneh Noroozi Moradi, and Soheila Hijab were eight detained women who announced their sit-in protest in prison for the 40th day anniversary of the protesters’ death and in sympathy with their family. They began their sit-in on Saturday, December 21st, 2019, and announced that they would continue their sit-in until December 26th, 2019.
An informed source told the campaign, “They took Ms. Mohammadi from her cell with the excuse of meeting her lawyer, and then security forces transferred her to Zanjan Prison under the order of the prison authorities.”
Taqi Rahmani, Narges Mohammadi’s husband, also wrote in a note on Thursday, December 26th, 2019, “Yesterday, Narges Mohammadi was sent to Zanjan Prison by force through beatings. Even the head of Evin prison repeatedly smashed Narges Mohammadi’s head against the wall. During the clash, Narges’s hands were bruised and bleeding. This was not a transfer but instead an exile with beatings.”
Several women detained in the women’s ward of Evin Prison wrote a letter of condolences to the families of those killed in the November protests in Iran, saying: “We are staging a sit-in protest for the 40th day anniversary of the protesters’ death in solidarity with their grieving families.”
Following the release of the letter, three other prisoners, Mojgan Keshavarz, Samaneh Noroozi Moradi, and Soheila Hijab, supported the sit-in protest and joined the five other prisoners.
The female prisoners said, “We will start a sit-in protest at Evin Prison Political Bureau from 9 am on Saturday, December 21st, 2019. This year and this night we will not only sit at the Yalda’s table but will commemorate the deceased loved ones at the prison office.”
Narges Mohammadi was arrested at her home in Tehran on May 5th, 2015, and has been in prison ever since.
Sakharov prize-winner, Narges Mohammadi was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment by the Revolutionary Court of Tehran on May 2016. Ten years of this sentence was solely due to her activity in the Step-by-Step Campaign for the Abolition of the Death Penalty. The court called her cooperation with the peaceful campaign as “creating a society aimed at undermining the security of the country”. Narges Mohammadi stated that during the trial, the judge had an offensive and hostile attitude toward her, and both clearly and openly defended the charges brought against her by the officials of the Ministry of Intelligence. The human rights activist repeatedly argued that the judge has accused her of trying to change divine rules through her activities against the death penalty.
The other 6 years of Narges Mohammadi’s sentence was for “gathering and colluding against national security” and “using propaganda against the regime”, which was also the basis of her peaceful human rights activities.
Branch 36 of the Tehran Court of Appeals upheld Narges Mohammadi’s verdict of 16-year prison sentence in October 2016. In May 2017, the request to reinstate her trial was rejected by the Supreme Court.
According to Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, 10 years of Ms. Mohammadi’s sentencing is executable.
Narges Mohammadi is subject to parole, but so far, her temporary release has been denied.