Arrest of Alieh Matlabi and Summoning of Atena Daemi to Serve Prison Sentence

Alieh Matlabi, a women's rights activist, was arrested on Saturday after being summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence, and Atena Daemi, a civil and human rights activist, was transferred to Evin Prison to serve her seven-year sentence. Amir Salar Davoodi, Matlabi's lawyer, confirmed her arrest in an interview with Radio Farda, stating that security agents contacted Matlabi on Saturday regarding her confiscated belongings and summoned her to the Ministry of Intelligence. According to Davoodi, security agents had interrogated Matlabi about a month prior and had confiscated some of her personal items. Matlabi's daughter told the Zeytoon website that her mother was summoned to retrieve her confiscated belongings but informed the family of her arrest and transfer to Evin Prison during a phone call at 6 PM. The reason for Matlabi's arrest remains unclear. On the same day, reports indicated that Atena Daemi, a civil and children's rights activist, was arrested by the 'Sepah Tharallah' to serve her seven-year prison sentence. The Zeytoon website quoted Daemi's relatives as saying that prior to her arrest, she had not received any written notification regarding the execution of her sentence. The website reported that Daemi's arrest was 'violent and not carried out by execution agents.' Fatemeh (Atena) Daemi, Omid Alishenas, Asou Rostami, and Ali Noori were arrested by the Revolutionary Guards' intelligence forces in the months of Shahrivar and Mehr in 2014 and were sentenced to prison by Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Mohammad Mogheiseh, on March 10. According to this ruling, Atena Daemi was sentenced to 14 years, Omid Alishenas to 10 years, and Asou Rostami and Ali Noori each to 7 years in prison. The appeals court ruling for these four individuals was issued on Wednesday, October 7, and according to the ruling of Branch 36 of the Tehran Court of Appeals, Fatemeh (Atena) Daemi and Omid Alishenas were sentenced to seven years each for the charges of 'conspiracy and collusion against national security' and 'insulting the leadership.' Asou Rostami and Ali Noori were also sentenced to two years each for similar charges. Reports indicate that activities such as opposing executions, defending the right to education for Baha'is, and condemning mass executions in the 1980s in Iran were among the accusations against these four individuals.