JINA MAHSA AMINI
The face of Iran's protests. Her life, her dreams and her death.
In memory of Jina 'Mahsa' Amini, the cornerstone of the 'Zan. Zendegi. Azadi revolution.
16 February 2023 | By Gino d'Artali
And also
Read all about the assasination of the 22 year young Jina Mahsa Amini (Kurdistan-Iran) and the start of the Zan, Zendegi, Azadi (Women, life, freedom) revolution in Iran  2022
and the latest news about the 'Women Live Freedom' Revolution per month in 2023: October 31 - 16 --  October 15 - 1 -- September 30 - 16 -- September 17 - 1 -- August 31 - 18 -- August 15 - 1-- July 31 - 16 --July 15 -1--June 30 - 15--June 15-1--May 31 -16-- May 15-1--April--March--Feb--Jan  

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When one hurts or kills a women
one hurts or kills hummanity and is an antrocitie.
Gino d'Artali
and: My mother (1931-1997) always said to me <Mi figlio, non esistono notizie <vecchie> perche puoi imparare qualcosa da qualsiasi notizia.> Translated: <My son, there is no such thing as so called 'old' news because you can learn something from any news.>
Gianna d'Artali.

Iranwire - 27 Oct 2023
<<Iran Stages Military Exercises as Regional Tensions Rise
In a display of military preparedness, Iran has started a two-day military exercise led by its ground forces in central Isfahan.
The operation, known as Eqetdar 1402, was officially launched on Friday morning in the Nasrabad area of Isfahan. Karim Cheshak, a senior army commander, said the main goal of the exercises is to <bolster the nation's capacity for deterrence against potential threats.> The exercise will feature participation of various military units, including armored divisions, infantry, mobile offensive units, rapid reaction missile forces, helicopters, drones, and specialized engineering teams, as well as other vital support components, according to Cheshak. Cheshak further emphasized that forces from seven different provinces across the country have been deployed to partake in the drill. It comes amid an increasingly fraught regional situation triggered by an attack by the Hamas terrorist group on Israel on October 7. The United States military said it conducted airstrikes against two facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups. The attacks were in response to a series of attacks on US forces in both Iraq and Syria over the past week, according to the Pentagon.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/news/121954-iran-stages-military-exercises-as-regional-tensions-rise/
Note from Gino d'Artali: Read more, if in solidarity with the Palestinians, about the situation as is in Gaza here:
http://www.cryfreedom.net/WASR-2023-oct-wk-3-4-Palestina.htm 

Jinha - Womens News Agency - 27 Oct 2023
<<Azam Gholami Zahab released from Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad
News Center- 35-year-old Azam Gholami Zahab, was arrested and sentenced to 16 years and four months in prison by the 5th branch of the Revolutionary Court on charges of <gathering and collusion against security> and <propaganda activity against the government> for supporting the <Jin, Jiyan, Azadi> uprising. According to the received report, she has been released from the Vakilabad prison in Mashhad on Friday after being acquitted of all charges against her.>>
Source:
https://jinhaagency.com/en/actual/azam-gholami-zahab-released-from-vakilabad-prison-in-mashhad-34065

Iranwire - 26 Oct 2023
<<Jailed Iranian-Kurdish Activist's Phone Access Cut Mid-Call for Speaking Kurdish
A phone call involving Motaleb Ahmadian, a Kurdish political prisoner incarcerated in Evin Prison, was abruptly terminated on Wednesday, October 25, due to his use of the Kurdish language. Prison authorities have forced Ahmadian to pledge not to speak Kurdish during phone calls in exchange for the reinstatement of telephone access privileges. The incident is the latest in a series of reports detailing the increasing pressure and restrictions placed on political prisoners in Evin, particularly during the tenure of prison official Hedayat Farzadi as its head. Earlier this week, Ahmadian was also denied emergency transfer to hospital despite his grave physical condition. Ahmadian has been held in Evin prison since 2009 and has suffered from a number of health problems, including testicular and bladder infections and a spinal cord ailment, which are believed to have resulted from torture.
In light of Ahmadian's deteriorating health, his family and relatives are concerned about his well-being and have called for his immediate release.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/prisoners/121911-jailed-iranian-kurdish-activists-phone-access-cut-mid-call-for-speaking-kurdish/

Iranwire - 26 Oct 2023
<<Iranian Activist and Refugee in Turkiye Facing Imminent Deportation
Turkish authorities have arrested Shilan Mirzaei, a human rights activist and Iranian refugee in Turkiye, and have transported her to a deportation camp, IranWire reports. During her detention, Mirzaei learned from camp law enforcement officers that the Iranian embassy had formally requested her extradition back to the country. In two audio files obtained by IranWire, Mirzaei, a civil and human rights advocate, revealed that two individuals employed at the Embassy of the Islamic Republic in the Turkish capital Ankara had previously attempted to <abduct> her and forcibly return her to Iran. She recounted how she was taken into custody by local security police and transferred to the Bandirma deportation camp in northern Turkiye on October 24, where she remained detained. Despite intense pressure to sign deportation and repatriation documents, she had refused to do so.
Mirzaei stressed that the Turkish authorities did not provide any clear grounds for her arrest. However, based on statements made by the arresting officers, it became evident that the Islamic Republic's embassy had instigated the Turkish government's actions. The officers informed her that, at the behest of the central immigration police department in Ankara, the police had been instructed to apprehend her and move her to the Bandirma camp for further investigation. In the audio files, Marzaei has insisted that all her activities were only focused on <human rights advocacy for the Iranian people> and that she had not engaged in any actions against the Turkish government. She was arrested without any legal proceedings initiated against her in the Turkish judicial system and there was no mention of any personal complaints lodged against her. Mirzaei has also reported recent threats against both herself and her family - by the Iranian government. She expressed frustration, stating, <I have lodged complaints with the United Nations and local law enforcement for over a year regarding the two individuals from the Iranian embassy in Türkiye who attempted to abduct me, but my concerns were not taken seriously.> Additionally, she described a recent threat to her child: <Just a week ago, they threatened to harm my child in front of school. I filed a complaint, but the United Nations paid no attention.> The deportation of asylum seekers, refugees, and political and civil activists living in Turkiye to Iran has seen a worrisome surge in recent years. United Nations refugee officials have also reduced their activities and now defer the handling of refugees to the Turkish government. Previously, the Turkish government deported political activist Shahryar Baratinya to Iran, leading to his imprisonment in Evin Prison since August 3, following his deportation.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/news/121910-iranian-activist-and-refugee-in-t%C3%BCrkiye-facing-imminent-deportation/

Iranwire - 26 Oct 2023
<<Iranian Prisons Ignore Declining Health of Jailed Activists
Iran's prison organization has neglected the healthcare of at least three imprisoned labor activists and has stopped them from receiving treatment, a union said. The Free Workers' Union announced the arrest of a labor activist and a former Iran Khodro automaker company employee on October 24.
The union reported that Reza Aghdasi was arrested and sent to prison after being summoned to the third branch of the Evin Prison prosecutor's office in Tehran. According to the union report, Aghdasi is deaf, has other physical disabilities and was receiving medical treatment. The activist had previously been summoned and arrested by security forces, along with his wife, during the peak of last year's nationwide protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini. The HRANA human rights website also reported on the physical difficulties and medical needs of imprisoned labor activist Maziar Seyyednejad. It noted that he suffers from heart disease as he serves his sentence in prison. The report, quoting an informed source, mentioned that this labor activist <requires specialized treatment> but is still in prison, with the prison organization showing no interest in releasing him on bail or granting him medical leave. Seyyednejad was arrested by security forces at his home in Tehran in June 2021 and was released on bail from Evin Prison in August 2021. In January 2021, he was sentenced to two years in prison on suspicion of <membership in communist groups> and one year in prison on the charge of <propaganda activities against the system> in Branch 15 of the Tehran Islamic Revolution Court. IranWire has reported on the poor physical condition of another labor activist, Younes Azadbar, in prison. Sources close to him said that he was denied access to a hospital for continued treatment. Azadbar has been incarcerated in Lakan Prison in Rasht for more than three months, with his relatives stating that he suffers from epilepsy and digestive problems. Despite these issues, prison authorities have so far refused to grant him medical leave. Azadbar was arrested in July this year by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intelligence agents at his home in Sangar city in Gilan province. In the trial, held in September, he was accused of <waging war against God> which carries the death penalty, <propaganda activities against the system> and <membership in anti-system groups.> Azadbar rejected the accusations. The deliberate neglect of prisoners' medical needs in Iran is one of the ways that security forces exert pressure on prisoners and their families. This process has intensified in recent months, especially during nationwide protests in various Iranian prisons. Human rights sources report that a large number of prisoners, especially political prisoners, have been denied proper medical treatment.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/prisoners/121919-iranian-prisons-ignore-declining-health-of-jailed-activists/ 

Iranwire - 26 Oct 2023
<<26 Baha'is in Iran Sentenced to 126 Years in Jail as 13 Arrested-Mostly Women
In what the Baha'i International Community is calling an <escalating pattern of persecution against the Baha'is in Iran,> 39 more incidents targeting the community have been reported in recent days, affecting mostly women. Ten women Baha'is, mostly young, were arrested while 26 additional individuals, 16 of whom were also women, have been sentenced to a total of 126 years in prison. The 10 Baha'i women were arrested in Isfahan, in central Iran, earlier this week. Three other Baha'is were arrested in Yazd and three more have had court hearings and await sentencing. The arrests took place after homes were raided and the personal property of several individuals was confiscated, including electronics, books, cash and gold. More than 10 agents were reported to have raided the home of one of the women during her arrest. <Every one of the Baha'i individuals arrested, and whose homes were raided by the Iranian government, indeed every Baha'i in Iran, has a lifelong story of persecution which has affected every facet of their lives. These stories are a chilling testament to decades of heartless persecution against an entire community, only for their beliefs,> said Simin Fahandej, Representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva. <And as we see women in Iran targeted in general, Baha’i women face even greater persecution, not only as women but also as Baha'is, further demonstrating how, today, all Iranians face persecution and discrimination only for daring to stand up for justice and equality.> <The international community must hold the Iranian government accountable for its human rights violations,> Fahandej said. The 10 women arrested this week have committed no crimes. The dozens sentenced to years in prison are also innocent. All they want is to serve their society. But instead of their contributions being welcomed, they are put behind bars, and the Iranian government deprives its entire society of some of the most capable individuals in its society.> The latest arrests and prison sentences follow more than a year of intensified attacks on Iran’s Baha'i community. Dozens of other Baha'is have been either arrested, tried, summoned to begin prison sentences, barred from higher education or earning a livelihood over recent months. And in August the Baha'i International Community reported that 180 Baha'is had been targeted-including one 90-year-old man, Jamaloddin Khanjani, who was detained and interrogated for two weeks. Two other Baha'i women, Mahvash Sabet and Fariba Kamalabadi-who along with Khanjani and four other Baha'is spent a decade in prison from 2008 to 2018-were re-arrested in July 2022 and are now each serving a second 10-year jail term.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/bahais-of-iran/121929-26-bahais-in-iran-sentenced-to-126-years-in-jail-as-13-arrestedmostly-women/

Iranwire - 26 Oct 2023 - by ROGHAYEH REZAEI
<<Jailed Iran Activist Rushed to Hospital
On the night of October 24, Fatemeh Sepehri, 59, a prominent political activist, was rushed to Qaim Hospital in Mashhad due to severe headaches and chest pains. Sepehri, who had recently undergone heart surgery, is now being treated in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit. A day after being discharged after her surgery, on October 20, she had been re-arrested and taken to Vakil Abad Prison in Mashhad. Khosro Alikordi, Sepehri's lawyer, told IranWire in an interview that her client's recent video from the hospital, in which she expressed hope that the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East will lead to the downfall of the Islamic Republic, prompted the latest arrest despite her medical condition. <I emphatically declare that the Iranian nation stands in solidarity with the people of Israel,> she said in the video. <I hope [Hamas's] 'Al-Aqsa Storm' operation [brings an end to] the Islamic Republic.> The outspoken activist emphasized that the people of Iran do not want war or the killing of innocent people. She added that peace has been elusive in the Middle East since the founding of the Islamic Republic in 1979. Sepehri is a political activist and one of the signatories of the <14 People> statement, a 2019 letter in which political and civil activists called for the resignation of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. She has spent much of her time in prison since signing the statement. Many Iranians are familiar with Sepehri and her activism. She has appeared wearing a hijab in her videos and in her interviews on Persian-language television channels outside the country - in which she has criticized the government and Ali Khamenei. Sepehri's husband was a casualty of the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, from 1980 to 1988, and she has the title of being a <family of a martyr> in the Islamic Republic. It was reported that she might receive a pardon from Khamenei due to her status as the wife of a <martyr.> However, upon her temporary release in 2019, she made a resolute statement, saying, <I won't back down, I won't stay silent. I have much to say, and I will continue on this path.> In a voice message during that time, she expressed her disinterest in seeking pardon from Khamenei as she did not recognize his authority. Sepehri pointed out the injustices she had endured due to the war, the loss of her husband, and over 38 years of activism and dissent. Her more recent arrests were also linked to the nationwide protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini. Sepehari was taken into custody on September 21, 2022. In the year and one month since her most recent arrest, she has faced multiple hospitalizations and treatments for various ailments, including heart problems. Her hand has also undergone surgery at least three times to remove growths. But the Iranian judiciary has not allowed her to recuperate outside of prison. This raises serious concerns about her health and the treatment of political activists within the judicial system. Asghar Sepehri, brother of Fatemeh Sepehri, said his sister's condition is dire. Sepehri's mother, during a visit, also witnessed fellow inmates assisting her daughter in returning to her cell, as she was unable to walk unaided, in a recent visit. In a video, Sepehari's mother expressed her distress, saying, <She has back pain, chest pain, and aching arms and legs. She was terribly cold, distressed, and unwell.> She concluded her message by saying, <Have you achieved your goal, Mr. Khamenei?> But Sepehri's critical condition is not only attributed to her physical health. According to information obtained by IranWire and confirmed by her lawyer, Khosro Alikordi, the prison room at Vakil Abad, where she is held, had an open window through which fresh air and natural light entering the room. Prison authorities have now blocked the window - causing profound distress to Sepehri. Sepehri's lawyer added, <Her issues stem from the heart surgery, and the repercussions are potentially life-threatening. Two of her heart vessels were obstructed, leading to an initial angiogram, followed by the heart surgery.> He elaborated further, stating, <The veins utilized in her heart surgery were extracted from her leg, severely limiting her mobility, to the point where even sitting can be challenging.> The high-sodium and fatty meals in the prison, as well as the overall hygiene and nutrition, have had a detrimental impact on Sepehri's health. Alikordi emphasized that the optimal recovery period for a patient after heart surgery ranges from three to six months. Sepehri has undergone heart surgery twice since September 27. The first time, following cardiac angiography, due to a swift transfer to prison and the failure of the angiography, doctors were compelled to conduct heart surgery within a short time to save her life. <We are utilizing all the available legal channels to pursue this matter,> said Alikordi, adding, <I hold strong hope that the provincial medical examiner will confirm that Mrs. Sepehri cannot be incarcerated.> Earlier, it was reported that the Mashhad medical examiner, under pressure from security institutions, hastily voted on Sepehri's capacity to endure imprisonment, under the condition that specific protocols would be established to accommodate her in prison. An informed source emphasized that her history of seizures, severe migraines, and the aftermath of heart surgery would undeniably place her in a life-threatening situation if she remained in prison. Regarding her current condition, the source noted that Sepehri's children are actively striving to have her examined by a neurologist in the hospital. She has been unable to eat anything in prison for the past few days and is experiencing severe blood pressure issues which makes it exceedingly unclear what has transpired with her health.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/prisoners/121920-jailed-iran-activist-rushed-to-hospital/

Iranwire - 26 Oct 2023 - by SAMANEH GHADARKHAN
<<Officials Failing Forty-Three Thousand Undocumented Children in Iran
In the picturesque setting of Qeshm Island, home to a majority Sunni Muslim and ethnic Arab population, a unique problem is silently getting worse.
The Persian Gulf island, known for its natural beauty and cultural diversity, is home to a population of unaccounted and undocumented people whose lives, from birth to death, remain unrecorded and unacknowledged. Many of the people living on this island of pristine beaches and vibrant bazaars lack Iranian national identity cards. Their existence within the borders of Iran - but without this basic civic tool - raises questions about identity, citizenship and human rights. Narges, a local lawyer and children's rights activist, whose real name is being withheld for her security, offers critical insights into this issue in an interview with IranWire. She says the matter of identity cards on Qeshm is fraught with complexities and that it transcends bureaucratic hurdles - turning into a security concern. If you attempt to gather statistics regarding the population lacking proper documentation,>Narges says, <he Ministry of Intelligence would respond with a heavy-handed approach.> <Local residents would also regard you with apprehension, fearing potential government repercussions for any involvement in such inquiries,>Narges adds. The official silence surrounding the unrecorded lives of many residents underscores the vulnerability these individuals face in their lives. Identity cards across Iran has also evolved into a security concern. The government has, for instance, stopped issuing birth certificates to citizens in Sistine and Baluchistan province in the wake of repeated and sometimes violent protests after every Friday in the city of Zahedan. Zahedan is the capital of Sistan and Baluchistan province - home to Iran's Sunni Baluch minority of up to 2 million people. The city has seen protest rallies almost every Friday since September 30, 2022, when security forces killed nearly 100 people in the deadliest incident in the nationwide demonstrations sparked by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini. In an interview with Iran's state news agency IRNA last year, Ansieh Khazali, vice president for women and family affairs, addressed the severity of the situation. <In the provinces of Sistan and Baluchistan, Qom, Yazd, and Khorasan, a considerable number of individuals lacking birth certificates have been identified. This has left them unable to access proper education and healthcare,> Khazali said. Khazali's statement confirms that there are some statistics pertaining to women and children without birth certificates. But these statistics are imprecise and have not been verified by official bodies. <Qeshm is one of the places where civil rights activists, including those advocating for children's and women's rights, are notably scarce,> said Narges, the children's rights activist. <There is a distinct lack of interest in pursuing these cases.> <Part of this disinterest can be attributed to the religious differences in the region, and the other part is influenced by the specific security issues in these areas. A similar situation prevails in Sistan and Baluchistan,> Narges added. <Speaking with families about their issues is exceptionally challenging. In these regions, the presence of civil activists and advocates for children's rights is nearly non-existent. Local residents are often cautious of outsiders who venture into their communities to offer assistance,> she said, explaining that they fear it will expose them to the security services. This inherent suspicion and reluctance to engage with civil activists further exacerbates the difficulties faced by those without proper documentation in these regions. And in a stark revelation, the director general of the support affairs and empowerment office at the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare, announced on October 8 that a staggering 43,000 children without birth certificates have been identified in Iran. These children, born to Iranian mothers and non-Iranian fathers, face a challenging existence. A report released by the Iranian parliament's social studies office of the research center, in 2021, disclosed that over 61% of families with undocumented children belong to the poorest three deciles of Iranian society. Fifty percent of these children lack identity documents, including birth certificates, and 46% of children either do not attend school or are forced to leave school early which destroys their future prospects. A mere 3% of these children and their families receive assistance from support institutions like welfare and relief committees. Many Iranian women are meanwhile marrying undocumented foreign nationals, often laborers from Afghanistan or elsewhere, without documents or proper marriage licenses. Narges says she has spoken with village councils, urging them to inform these foreign nationals that only through official marriages can their children obtain birth certificates, to then secure Iranian residency documents. She added that Iranian women are marrying these undocumented laborers out of poverty while the foreigners were hoping to secure residency permits through their marriages. And meanwhile the surge of investment to Qeshm, from major cities like Tehran, with investors seeking to build seaside villas and tourist retreats, has also led to an increase in foreign laborers. The population of undocumented children has therefore risen. According to Narges, individuals lacking identification cards range from children under 18 to adults, some even up to 30 years old. Many of the children from these marriages have attended school without being officially registered, leaving them without any educational certificates, unrecorded in the Ministry of Education's database, and lacking student identification numbers. Narges shares the story of one child from Qeshm who, to receive a birth certificate, needs to navigate a complex web of marriage and parentage proofs in a country where legal framework dictates that citizenship is primarily passed from the father and that fathers holds more rights over a child's life. <The child's father is from Afghanistan and has been missing for 11 years,> Narges says, <And the mother, an Iranian citizen, is burdened with her own struggles, including addiction.> The child, for whom the mother wants to secure an Iranian birth certificate, cannot receive these without the absent father as he retains sole parental authority. The mother has been advised to obtain a divorce in absentia so that she can gain sole custody of the child - which will make her signatures legally valid. The mother even contemplated trying to obtain a false death certificate of the father to be able to then register for child. If a mother aims to alter her child's citizenship status, particularly for someone under 18, she must either secure the father's consent or obtain a divorce along with a custody order from the court. This reality highlights the glaring gender disparities embedded within Iranian laws - underscoring the challenges women face in securing their children's rights.>>Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/features/121918-officials-failing-forty-three-thousand-undocumented-children-in-iran/

Iranwire - 25 Oct 2023
<<Iranian Entrepreneur and Activist Sentenced to Suspended Prison Term
The Revolutionary Court of central Arak city has sentenced Hamidreza Najafi, an entrepreneur and civil activist, to over four years of a suspended prison sentence, IranWire reports. Najafi, who was apprehended in Arak on September 17, coinciding with the anniversary of nationwide protests in Iran, was released on bail pending the issuance of the verdict. He faced charges in the Revolutionary Court of Arak for <propaganda activities against the system and incitement of people to war.> As a result, he has been sentenced to three and a half years of imprisonment. Additionally, he has received a 15-month prison sentence in another case heard in the Arak Criminal Court. In this instance, the charge against him is <publishing falsehoods,> which appears to be related to videos and posts published by Najafi wherein he criticized the general policies of the Islamic Republic over the past year. Hamidreza Najafi, who has operated a car design company since 2010, has been summoned to the prosecutor's office several times in recent months. According to an informed source who spoke to IranWire, security agencies are targeting Najafi because of his critical videos on social media, in which he has criticized the government's economic and social policies. In one video, Najafi spoke about the power outage crisis that has affected industrial centers in Iran. He said that the <government's lack of understanding of productivity has led to the crisis.> The source said that the interrogator in the case asked Najafi to commit to not using social media so that a new case would not be filed against him.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/news/121879-iranian-entrepreneur-and-activist-sentenced-to-suspended-prison-term/

Iranwire - 25 Oct 2023
<<Students Sentenced to Prison for Protesting Schoolgirl Poisonings
Two students from Allameh Tabatabai University in Teheran, Zia Nabawi and Hasti Amiri, have had their one-year prison sentences upheld in an appeals court. The sentences were imposed following their involvement in protests against a series of chemical attacks in schools across Iran.
The initial court proceedings, which led to these sentences, took place at the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Teheran. The two students had been engaged in protests against the poisoning of female students, and their cases are related to their participation in a student gathering at Allameh Tabatabai University on March 7. In the aftermath of this gathering, both Nabawi and Amiri, along with Fereshteh Tousi, were summoned to the Evin Security Prosecutor's Office for questioning. According to reports from the United Students Telegram Channel, the fallout from the March 7 rally also resulted in at least 30 protesting students from Allameh University being banned from entering the campus. Nabawi, a student of social sciences at Allameh University, has faced numerous challenges in his academic journey, because of his activism, including academic suspension and educational deprivation. He had previously been arrested during the 2009 protests, spending nearly eight years in prison. Despite these hardships, he remains dedicated to his political activism.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/news/121889-students-sentenced-to-prison-for-protesting-schoolgirl-poisonings/

Iranwire - 25 Oct 2023 - by ROGHAYEH REZAEI
<<Jailed Student Activist in Iran Starts Hunger Strike to Reject Baseless Charges
Three days before the September 16 anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, police officers arrested Armita Pavir, a final-year student at Tabriz Madani University's microbiology department, on September 13. The officers had a warrant related to an unresolved financial case in which Pavir was allegedly involved. However, sources told IranWire that Pavir had been in the custody of the Tabriz Intelligence Department from the beginning, for interrogation and in an effort to obtain a forced (and televised) confession from her that would implicate herself and her friends. Pavir, a student activist who was detained by Iranian authorities during the Woman, Life, Freedom protests in Tabriz, started a hunger strike on October 17, in protest against these coercive measures. Information obtained by IranWire indicates that her health is deteriorating, and if the hunger strike persists, her life may be in jeopardy. Pavir, 29, is a final-year student who has faced disruptions to her education altering being suspended then banned university because of her student activism. She was first detained on October 31 last year. On November 9, the country's student union councils reported that, although it had been announced that this young woman had been transferred to Tabriz prison, when her family and relatives visited the prison, authorities claimed no such individual was in their custody. Later, it was revealed that prison authorities had falsely conveyed this information to the families of several women arrested during nationwide protests in Tabriz, likely as an intimidation tactic. Pavir was eventually released from Tabriz prison on December 8 on bail. In February, she was contacted to sign a commitment letter as part of a widespread <amnesty> offered to detained protesters by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The student also posted on her social media account, saying, <I went to court, and they asked me to admit guilt, write a statement of remorse, and a commitment letter. According to the [amnesty] directive, they promised to close my case. I refused to accept the pardon, and today or tomorrow, my final sentence will be announced.> However, according to IranWire's source, Pavir's case remains unresolved, with no formal sentence issued. The source also shed light on the charges against her, citing them <as the usual clichéd allegations: disturbing public order and propaganda activities against the system, stemming from her online activities.> When Pavir was arrested again, this time under the guise of an unresolved financial case, her ordeal took another disturbing turn. Information obtained by IranWire reveals that Armita spent several hours in detention and faced further rounds of questioning in June. A well-informed source who spoke to IranWire explained that this arrest was part of an ongoing case against her. Security agents had taken possession of her mobile phone and electronic devices and tried to force her to sign a letter of remorse. Pavir refused to sign and, on the contrary, protested via her Telegram channel. Previously, in a tweet protesting against the pressure and summons from her interrogators to secure a commitment, she wrote, <I will not accept amnesty, express remorse, and write a commitment letter [in exchange] for freedom.> Information obtained by IranWire indicates that the Tabriz Intelligence Department is using the claims of financial impropriety as a way to minimize the consequences of arresting the student activist. In 2019, according to a source who spoke with IranWire, Pavir had signed a contract with the Madani University canteen to operate with some friends a coffee shop or similar venture. The aim was to cover a portion of their living and educational expenses. Pavir and her partners were to pay various fees to the university in exchange. However, a few months after the contract was signed, the outbreak of the coronavirus in Iran resulted in the closure of the university with the implementation of quarantine measures. With the university's closure, Pavir and her friends found themselves unable to fulfil their financial obligations to the university. The university refused to cancel the contract. Subsequently, after a garnishment order was issued for the guarantee checks, which, according to IranWire's source, Pavir and her relatives believe was instigated by the Tabriz Intelligence Department, she was compelled to pay the fees. However, on September 13, authorities entered the student activist's house, arresting her and detaining her under a warrant related to the same unresolved financial case, which remained open despite the fulfilment of the guarantee payment. Pavir has been behind bars since that arrest. The source said: <While it's true that she is in the financial prisoners' ward, intelligence agents arrive daily with cameras, pressuring her to confess on camera. They demand that she express remorse for her actions, claim she was deceived by enemy groups, and confess, promising her release in return.> The source, whose identity remains anonymous for security reasons, further said that <Armita's condition is deteriorating rapidly, and as someone who doesn't easily relinquish her convictions and principles, her fate remains uncertain.> The gravity of her situation has deepened, as her hunger strike, which she started last week, has resulted in her being denied visitation rights. Her family is profoundly concerned about her well-being and her longer-term fate hangs in the balance. Pavir, as described by her friends, possesses a deep passion for art and writing. She has a Telegram channel which, despite not having a large number of followers, she uses as a platform to express her emotions, and experiences, and to resist the discriminatory laws in Iran. On this channel, she declared that on the day of her arrest in November, she was wearing a T-shirt with the message: <It is better to die standing than to live on your knees.> In another post, she shared a video of herself working with her father in a jewelry workshop, alongside which she wrote: <I told my interrogators that if I am not released by my birthday, I will have my birthday and my death day on the same date,> referring to the possibility of taking her own life. <But I am not begging anyone for freedom.> >>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/prisoners/121884-jailed-student-activist-in-iran-starts-hunger-strike-to-reject-baseless-charges/

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