Amnesty International: Growing Concern for Hengameh Shahidi's Health in Evin Solitary Confinement

The human rights organization Amnesty International expressed severe concern for the health of Hengameh Shahidi, a journalist imprisoned in Evin, in a statement released on Friday, April 7. This statement comes on the thirtieth day of Ms. Shahidi's hunger strike. Hengameh Shahidi, a reformist journalist, was arrested on March 9 of last year and has reportedly been on a hunger strike since that day. Ms. Shahidi also suffers from chronic heart problems, which heightens concerns about her health in solitary confinement at Evin prison. The London-based Amnesty International's statement notes that "the arbitrary arrest and detention" of Hengameh Shahidi is further evidence of human rights violations in Iran. The organization has called for her "immediate and unconditional" release from prison. A few days prior to Amnesty International's statement, another human rights organization also expressed concern for Hengameh Shahidi's health and called for her release. Reporters Without Borders issued a statement on Tuesday, April 4, warning that Hengameh Shahidi's life is at risk. Reza Moieni, head of the Iran and Afghanistan office at Reporters Without Borders, stated that they hold Sadeq Amoli Larijani, head of the judiciary, Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi, Tehran's prosecutor, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, the Minister of Justice, and Mahmoud Alavi, the Minister of Intelligence, responsible for Hengameh Shahidi's life. Previously, Nahid Kermanshahi, the mother of this journalist, reported that on April 1, during a phone call from Evin prison in the presence of her interrogator, Ms. Shahidi stated that "she can no longer walk and drags herself on the ground." According to Ms. Kermanshahi, this imprisoned journalist declared that "if anything happens to me, the President, the Ministry of Intelligence, the prosecutor's office, and the judiciary are responsible for my death." In March of last year, managers of several Telegram channels and a number of journalists, including Morad Saghafi, Ehsan Mazandarani, and Hengameh Shahidi, were arrested. No official authority in Iran has taken responsibility for these arrests, and no court has been held for the detainees. Meanwhile, Hassan Rouhani's government refers to these arrests, which occurred close to the presidential elections, as "suspicious" detentions, and several officials from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the judiciary have requested the release of these individuals. For several months, security officials and the judiciary of the Islamic Republic have reported on "monitoring the virtual space" and other measures to combat "electoral crimes" and potential unrest.