A UN Body Calls for Immediate Release of Bahareh Hedayat

The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has expressed concern for the health of Bahareh Hedayat, a women's rights activist in Iran, and has called for her immediate release. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, an organization based in New York, stated on Wednesday that the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has reviewed Bahareh Hedayat's case in response to a request from this campaign and issued a detailed ruling on the matter. According to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, the UN body announced: "Bahareh Hedayat's detention since 2009 has been arbitrary and in violation of international law and Iran's commitments." The report indicates that the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has also shared its concerns regarding Bahareh Hedayat's situation with the Iranian government, but the Islamic Republic has not responded. The UN body emphasized that the judicial proceedings against Bahareh Hedayat have been "entirely fraught with violations of fair trial procedures and international laws." Bahareh Hedayat was arrested in 2009 and sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for three charges: "insulting the president," "insulting the leadership," and "acting against national security." Hedayat was supposed to be released last year, but judicial authorities imposed a suspended sentence from several years ago, sentencing her to an additional two years in prison. The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has stated, "We express our serious concern regarding the deterioration of Ms. Hedayat's health since her imprisonment in December 2009, particularly regarding reports of inadequate medical care for Bahareh Hedayat in prison, which may cause irreparable harm to her health and lead to permanent infertility." The UN body, noting the risk of irreversible damage to Ms. Hedayat's health, has called for her immediate release. In this context, an open letter from dozens of professors to Rouhani and Larijani has been issued in defense of Bahareh Hedayat. The 20th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration: Bahareh Hedayat is on the list of twenty female political prisoners. The continued imprisonment of Bahareh Hedayat and Rasoul Badaghi; Keyvan Mehrgan has gone to prison. Bahareh Hedayat is the winner of the annual award from the Human Rights Defenders Center.