Amnesty International Calls for the Unconditional Release of Atena Daemi

On Tuesday, December 14, Amnesty International issued a statement calling for the unconditional release of Atena Daemi, an activist against the death penalty. The organization accuses Iranian security forces of severe violence against her, citing a letter Daemi published from prison, which claims that during her arrest, she was beaten, pepper-sprayed in the face, and her younger sister was punched in the chest. Atena Daemi was sent to Evin Prison on December 6 to serve a seven-year sentence. In a letter published on December 11, she stated that on the way to prison, she was threatened by IRGC agents with being framed and was told, 'We will cook a dish for you that will make you forget about getting out of prison.' Amnesty International emphasizes that Daemi was sentenced to seven years in prison due to her activities opposing the death penalty. The statement notes, 'Atena Daemi has criticized officials regarding the record of executions in Iran through Facebook posts, painted murals criticizing executions, distributed pamphlets about the death penalty, participated in peaceful protests against the execution of Reyhaneh Jabbari, visited the graves of those killed in the 2009 elections, and informed human rights groups abroad about the accusations against political prisoners.' In a court presided over by Judge Moghiseh in March 2015, Daemi was sentenced to seven years for 'collusion and conspiracy and propaganda against the state,' three years for 'insulting sanctities and leadership,' and four years for 'concealing evidence of a crime,' which was later reduced to seven years in the appeals court. In another part of the statement, Amnesty International published the full text of Atena Daemi's letter from Evin Prison and urged everyone to write letters to Sadegh Larijani, head of the judiciary, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, Tehran's prosecutor, and Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, demanding her unconditional release.