Saba Azarpeyk, a journalist and civil rights activist who was previously arrested on charges of spreading falsehoods, defamation, and threats, has miscarried her two-month-old fetus in Evin Prison.
According to the Campaign for the Defense of Political and Civil Prisoners, Azarpeyk’s husband, Ataollah Hafezi, announced this news on social media.
Hafezi wrote that his wife’s condition is critical and she urgently needs medical care. He also called on judicial authorities to expedite her release due to her severe physical condition.
Hafezi reported that on June 11, 2024, he submitted a request for his wife’s release “based on Articles 501 and 502 of the Criminal Procedure Code and Clause KH of Article 8 of the Executive Regulations of the Prisons Organization, emphasizing the necessity of immediate medical treatment to prevent potential permanent infertility”.
He stated that Saba Azarpeyk was imprisoned under the orders of Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Speaker of the Parliament, and Mohsen Dehnavi, a member of the 11th Parliament.
Hafezi also mentioned that a new statement has been issued against Azarpeyk due to a complaint from the Tehran Municipality Beautification Organization.
On Sunday, June 9, 2024, the news of Saba Azarpeyk and Yashar Soltani arrest was released.
Mizan News Agency reported that Saba Azarpeyk has seven individual complainants. According to this news agency, Azarpeyk has been sentenced to two years of imprisonment and fines for five counts of spreading falsehoods and is required to publicly apologize to the complainants in an official newspaper. Additionally, she has been fined for five counts of defamation.
Saba Azarpeyk has also been sentenced to one year of imprisonment for “threatening” and banned from social media activities for two years.
New agency “Khane Melat” had previously reported on her case, stating that she was convicted on separate complaints by the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Mohsen Dehnavi, “Zahra Sheikhi” (representatives of Tehran and Isfahan), and two other complainants for “spreading falsehoods, defamation, and threats.”
Azarpeyk’s miscarriage in prison has sparked widespread reactions from human rights activists, social media users, and the media.
Many believe this incident resulted from poor prison conditions and inadequate medical care.
This event has once again highlighted the plight of female prisoners in Iran and human rights violations in the country’s prisons.
It remains unclear whether there will be an investigation into Azarpeyk’s miscarriage.
Additionally, there is no precise information on her current health status or whether she has been transferred to a hospital.