While the spread of Coronavirus is putting all prisoners lives in danger, Islamic Republic of Iran is trying to profile Atena Daemi again. She is a human rights, women and children rights activist. This time they have put more charges on her because of her 3 days sit-down strike in the prison. Her strike was in defence of thousands (at least 1500) protestors deaths by government in December of 2019.
The riot police broke up the sit-down strike in the prison and took Atena to Evin prison under intelligence service and Sepah (the Islamic revolution guard) control. She spent 2 weeks in solitary confinement and heavy interrogations.
It is while Atena has several illnesses because of all these years of imprisonment, mistreatment and torture. Atena suffers from MS too and also needed to remove her gallbladder while in the prison. She deals with all sorts of health issues.
Now that the Coronavirus outbreak is getting out of control rapidly, prisons and prisoners could be very vulnerable. So many of them live in over populated cells. (And as you already know, the sings of infection would appear after couple of days, when the victim has already passed it to others around him or herself.)
The Juridical System has made another complain on Atena after the 3 days strike. And has pushed it urgently, without normal process and the new case has already started in the branch no. 3 of Evin's court. Its while she doesn't have access to her lawyer! Her most basic right. After being interrogated couple of times and explanation of the charge, she has been told to show up at Evin's court. Atena refused to show up in the court because beside not having access to her lawyer her health condition is terrible too.
She told to the prison guards about how her sickness has got to crucial stage, and her general health is worrisome, she has a fever and her body is weak.
By these conditions the risk of she getting infected with Coronavirus is high and should not go to crowded public places like the court. Her risk of getting Coronavirus is high and it also could endanger other prisoners who live with her as well.
Her mother and father are so worry about Atena's health and has sent a video message through the internet to all political prisoners human rights organizations asking for help.
Despite of spread of the Coronavirus in the prisons, Islamic Rep. has freed only a few political prisoners temporarily, while their nonsense profiling and setting up documentation has increased. Putting anyone who is not fit with their Islamic ideology in jail or sentencing them to death by charges such as traitor and spy of enemies or acting against homeland security, insulting holiness, sinner on the earth or hostile for people who has done nothing but writing or talking about human rights and social issues.
Political prisoners are not in sight of most of the international society. It's wont be far from reality if one say Islamic Republic actually would be happy if the political prisoners get the virus and die in silence.
Recently 3 members of Writers Association of Iran have been summoned to the prison. Islamic Republic raise its police-state behavioral instead of saving people's lives (both inside and outside prison) They try to silence any truth-telling voice. Islamic Rep. should be responsible for lives of prisoners or a catastrophe can happen in the prisons of Iran. We strongly ask international assemblies to act before it's too late in any way they can to save and free all prisoners in Iran specially political prisoners. They are in prison by backward laws of Islamic Republic and are in danger of the virus because of nonstandard prison conditions. The danger is real.
Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran
13 March 2020
