Athena Farghadani's Lawyer: My Client Will Be Released Soon

Mohammad Moqimi, the lawyer of Athena Farghadani, an Iranian cartoonist and painter who is imprisoned for her critical drawings and protests, told the Associated Press that her prison sentence has been reduced from "12 years" to "18 months." According to Mohammad Moqimi, his client will be released soon. On May 6, Mr. Moqimi stated that the sentence had been reviewed, but the exact date of Ms. Farghadani's release is still unclear. Athena Farghadani, a critical designer, was arrested once in September 2014. After her release on bail, she stated in an interview with the "Jarass" website that her interrogations mainly focused on her critical drawings, her relationship with the families of victims of the 2009 protests, and also on the Bahá'ís of Iran. She also reported via a video on social media about the installation of surveillance cameras in the bathrooms and showers of Ward 2A of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Athena Farghadani was transferred to Qarchak Varamin prison after presenting herself to Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court on January 10, 2015. Following a hunger strike, she was sent to Evin Prison in March. International non-governmental organizations had protested against her detention and heavy prison sentence. In the past March, dozens of NGOs and cartoonists from various countries had written a letter to Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, urging him to persuade the judiciary to drop the charges against Farghadani and end her sentence. In this context, Amnesty International stated that the virginity test imposed on Athena Farghadani is a form of torture, and Reporters Without Borders declared that Iran is the largest prison for female media activists. Dozens of NGOs and cartoonists have called for the release of Athena Farghadani.