The family of Narges Mohammadi went to visit her in hospital on Sunday, August 4. But upon their arrival, she was no longer in her bed. Just two hours before they had arrived, although she was semi-conscious at the time, the Iranian authorities had transferred her back to Evin Prison.
Narges Mohammadi is the deputy director and spokesperson for the Center for the Defenders of Human Rights, an organization that was founded by human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi in 2001 and that offers pro-bono legal services to political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, supporting their families and reporting regularly on the human rights situation in Iran.
“Narges Mohammaidi was taken to hospital on Saturday evening because of muscular paralysis. After her preliminary examination, doctors advised her to see a specialist,” reported the Human Rights Activists Association (HRAA).
But despite this advice, she was taken back her to Evin prison before a specialist had examined her. According to the report by HRAA, “Without proper treatment her life will be in danger.”
Neurologists believe that prison aggravates the condition of such patients, ultimately leading to their permanent paralysis without timely proper treatment. Mohammadi also suffers from pulmonary embolism.
Mohammadi was first arrested on the morning of Tuesday, May 5 and detained at the women’s ward at Evin Prison. On Wednesday, May 6, human rights activists gathered outside the prison to voice their opposition to her incarceration.
Fellow human rights activist Mohammad Nourizad, who arrived at Mohammadi's house an hour after the raid began, said she was meeting with Gohar Eshghi, the mother of Sattar Beheshti, the blogger who died in prison in 2012, at the time of her arrest. About 10 security agents carried out the raid, he said.
The prominent human rights defender was initially sentenced to 11 years in prison in September 2011 on charges of “activity against national security, membership to the Human Rights Activists Association and propaganda against the regime." However, the Court of Appeal reduced her sentence to four years.
Activists gathered a second time outside of Mohammadi’s house on May 20 to protest against her arrest. Supporters of the Women Citizenship Center (WCC) and other groups, including anti-death penalty campaign group Karzar Legam, attended the rally, along with Mohammad Nourizad and Gohar Eshghi.
Her husband, Taghi Rahmani, who himself spent over 14 years in prison, told IranWire that although she was granted medical leave initially, she was placed in prison after “she met with Catherine Ashton [the EU’s former foreign policy chief] and emphasized the need for civil institutions in Iran. Judge Salavati opened a new case against her, which repeated the same old charges.”
However on Tuesday, August 6, when her medical condition deteriorated further, her family was given permission to take her to see a neurologist. But for unknown reasons, the legal authorities refused to allow her to leave prison.
“The security organizations and judiciary have her medical file and they know how dangerous her condition is,” says her husband. “The fact that they refuse to release her from prison can only be interpreted as absolute negligence.”
Read the original article in Persian
Related articles:
Security Forces Arrest Narges Mohammadi
Activists Demand Release of Narges Mohammadi
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