Reports received from prisons in Iran clearly indicate a significant escalation of pressure on political prisoners languishing in detention across the country. According to a report published through Iranian social activist networks, eight female political prisoners in the women’s ward of the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran – Shiva Esmaeili,  Golrokh Iraee, Sakineh Parvaneh, Forough Taghipour, Zahra Safaei, Marzieh Farsi, Elaheh Fouladi, and Varisheh Moradi – have been deprived of the right to visitation from their families and legal counsel. This measure follows a massive intensification of the security atmosphere in Iran as well as the taking of punitive and retributive measures against those prisoners who have participated in protests in solidarity with the Iranian people and/or put their name to joint letters or collective actions within the prisons. Other newly-arrived female political prisoners have also faced serious threats from prison guards and regime security forces due to their participation in these gatherings and collective actions while under incarceration. In another report, it was announced that Varisheh Moradi was sentenced to an additional six months of definitive imprisonment [without ameliorating conditions, privileges, or leave] on charges of issuing “propaganda against the state” for the offense of “writing a letter of protest.”

Meanwhile, Narges Mohammadi has also been deliberately placed among felons convicted of serious violent crimes, with prison authorities seemingly refusing to observe and uphold the long-established principle in Iran of separating prisoners according to their classification. Furthermore, despite Ms. Mohammadi’s well-known poor physical health, she has been continuously denied access to proper medical care. Following a suspected heart attack in March, the authorities issued an order suspending her prison sentence so as to allow her transfer to hospital and receiving of medical treatment thereafter. She was subsequently discharged from Zanjan Hospital, in northwest Iran, and transferred via ambulance to the Pars Hospital in Tehran. Three days later, she was moved to the operating room for an urgent angiography procedure to precisely evaluate and determine her cardiovascular condition. There remain grave concerns for her health.

The arrests of student activists at various university campuses across Iran also continue unabated. Ali Alirezaei (a student at Sharif University), Amir-Mohammad Karimi (a polymer engineering student at the University of Tehran), Vahid Rostami (a statistics student at the University of Tehran), Amir-Hossein Rezaei (a political science student at the University of Tehran and former journalist for ‘Donya-e-Eqtesad’), and Yasin Hasanzadeh (an industrial engineering student at the University of Tehran) are among the students who have been detained by the regime in recent weeks.

Furthermore, according to reports received by ‘Daneshjouyan-e Mottahed’ (‘United Students’), a recognised student representative body in Iran, the disciplinary committee of the University of Tehran has summoned at least 10 to 15 students from this university by telephone, requesting the submission of their defense statements via email in order to convene an in-absentia disciplinary committee meeting.

All of these reports and news updates demonstrate that political prisoners are subjected to continually mounting pressure and deteriorating conditions, and that widespread arrests are ongoing. 

Based on consultations with campaigners for human and democratic rights inside Iran, CODIR is urgently calling for a concerted and united effort to uphold an effective, principled, and sustained campaign to draw the spotlight upon, and thereby bring pressure to bear and halt, this organised state repression against political prisoners and extensive wave of arrests across the country.

CODIR calls on trade unions and labour movement to urgently  undertake the following action:

•  Write a message of protest to Seyed Ali Mousavi, the Iranian Ambassador in London (iranemb.lon@mfa.gov.ir), urging him to convey your appeal to the Iranian President for the release of all political prisoners immediately and for Iran’s adherence to and compliance with the terms of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which Iran is a signatory country.     

Postal address for letters: Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 16 Prince’s Gate, Knightsbridge, London, SW7 1PT, United Kingdom

•  Send similar messages of protest to the Embassy of Iran in Brussels ( secretariat@iranembassy.be) which acts not only as the bilateral embassy to Belgium and Luxembourg, but also as the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the European Union (iranemb.bru@mfa.gov.ir).

The Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Belgium and Luxembourg, as well as the Permanent Mission to the European Union, is Seyed Mohammad Ali Robatjazi.  

Please inform CODIR of any action you decide to take, as well as a copy of any message you send and response received.

Looking forward to hearing the news of your solidarity action.