Islamic Republic by deliberate denial of releasing political prisoners has put them in real danger of getting Coronavirus. After the spread of the virus in prisons, 128 political prisoners from 1, 2, 3 and fourth rows of Evin prison in Tehran and also the fourth quarantine hall of the Evin and later political prisoners from Tehran Fashafooye prison complexes have started food strike and protesting since Sunday.
Deprivation from basic human rights and hygiene standards and lack of prevention standards about the Coronavirus, terrible food, increased number of political and homeland security arrests, calling activists to the interrogation and courts increasingly, uncertain future of arrested ppl who been arrested during November and December demonstrations and haven’t had explanation of charge yet, not giving leave permission, neither money-guaranteed leave permission in this difficult times of Coronavirus outbreak, are reasons of their protest.
Despite claims from juridical system representative about releasing prisoners or giving better health standards to them, the only released prisoners are economic criminals and those who have less than 5 yrs of sentence, but not the political prisoners who are the most harmless. People who are in jail and subject of profiling only because of their thoughts against Islamic regime and their writings and assembly. They make it very complicated and nearly impossible by bureaucratic paperworks for political and thoughts prisoners to gain leave permission and their lives are in danger by the Coronavirus. Not only systematically they don’t give leave permission to political prisoners, they also keep calling more political and social activists to the courts and prisons increasingly and shamelessly while the prisons are a source of the virus.
Recently the Islamic regime have sent court notice to four activists of The Call of Women, Nahid Shaqayeqi, Maryam Mohammadi, Asrin Dorkaaleh and Akram Nasirian to show up in the Islamic court for further punishment. Soheil Arabi one of famous political prisoners been moved from 5th row of Fashafooye prison to 3rd row next to common criminal prisoners as a punishment because of he trying enlightening and triggering prisoners to protest.
They have sentenced Fereshteh Didani one of activists against mandatory hijab to 30 yrs of prison!
Fatemeh Kohanzadeh been arrested in funeral of Pouya Bakhtiari who been killed during November protests. She has been sentenced to inhumane sentence of 50 lashes!
In a very unusual, disturbing and inhumane incident they have sentenced some of Nov & Dec protestors to wash the dead corpses for three months! Some of them been sentenced to work for a very unpopular governmental force called Basij, and tens of other inhumane sentences.
Islamic Rep. should be responsible for lives of all these people who are in jail. The juridical system approach (which is only a follower of the intelligence services and isn’t independent at all) is to hide prisoners conditions from the world and threatening and suppressing prisoners worried families to silence them.
The Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran strongly supports political prisoners protests for their rightful demands.
We stand for freeing all prisoners temporarily until the Coronavirus outbreak chills down, because prisons in Iran don’t meet hygiene standards. We again ask all the international human rights organizations to put Islamic Rep. under pressure for terrible situations of prisoners in Iran.
Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran
18 March 2020
