Bahareh Hedayat Released from Prison After Nearly Seven Years

Bahareh Hedayat, spokesperson for the Central Council of the Office for Strengthening Unity and women's rights activist, was released on Sunday, September 14, after serving over six and a half years in prison, following the 'consolidation of some previous sentences.' Amin Ahmadian, Hedayat's husband, who is also a student activist, announced her release on his Instagram page. The website Kalemeh, which covers news related to Mir Hossein Mousavi and political prisoners, also reported that Hedayat, who had been in prison since December 2009, was released after her complaint was reviewed, with 'the consolidation of some charges and previous sentences.' According to Article 134 of the new Islamic Penal Code, although a judge issues independent sentences for each crime, only the most severe punishment should be enforced during the execution of the sentence. The two-year prison sentence that was communicated to Hedayat in February 2016 stemmed from a ruling issued in 2006 following her arrest during a gathering to support women's rights in Tehran's Haft Tir Square. Hedayat was arrested after the controversial June 2009 elections and was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for three charges: 'insulting the President,' 'insulting the Leader,' and 'acting against national security.' In June of this year, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention expressed concern for Hedayat's health and called for her immediate release. This UN body emphasized that the judicial proceedings against this student activist were 'entirely filled with violations of fair trial processes and international laws.' In September 2015, dozens of professors from prestigious universities around the world sent an open letter to the President and the head of the judiciary in Iran, calling for an end to the 'nightmarish conditions' of prison and 'injustice' against this student activist. Over the years, Hedayat has received several awards from human rights foundations, including the Harald Edelstam Foundation award from Sweden. The United States also raised the case of 20 political and ideological female prisoners worldwide, including Hedayat, in 2015, marking the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration for women's equal rights. That same year, the Human Rights Defenders Center selected this women's rights activist as the winner of its human rights award. After the 2009 presidential elections, many student activists and members of the Office for Strengthening Unity in Iran were arrested and sentenced to long prison terms, including Mahdieh Golroo, Milad Asadi, Majid Tavakoli, Zia Nabavi, Majid Dary, Shabnam Madadzadeh, Mehdi Khodaei, and Emad Bahavar. Some of these students have been released after serving their sentences, while others, like Zia Nabavi, remain imprisoned.