Bruises on Nazila Maroufian's Body; Insider Tells VOA: Don't Let Them Destroy Her

An insider close to Nazila Maroufian's family told VOA's Persian section that the detained journalist has begun a "dry hunger strike" and emphasized that her family is "under pressure," urging media to amplify their voice. The source informed VOA on Sunday, September 3, that the Islamic Republic's judicial authorities have sentenced Nazila Maroufian to "one year in prison and a fine of 15 million tomans" for a previous case. According to the source, on Wednesday, September 6, "seven agents" broke down the door and took the journalist "while she was sleeping" in "the same nightgown" and "beaten her". The insider said, "They want to destroy this girl by any means, but for God's sake, you should make this public and don't let it happen. I hope you will be our voice because we are really under pressure." The source added that Nazila's parents, who traveled from Saqqez to Tehran to follow up on her situation, accidentally saw their imprisoned daughter in court, who, although "mentally well," was in "poor physical condition". The insider stated that intelligence officials contacted the journalist after she had called her family from a bus in Saqqez, saying she was heading to her parents' house, and told her she was not allowed to leave Tehran because "the arrest process" was ongoing. Following this, Nazila Maroufian was arrested again at her home in Tehran on Wednesday, September 6. The source told VOA, "On Wednesday, they stormed her house with seven agents, broke the parking entrance door, and took her out while she was sleeping in her nightgown." The insider emphasized that Nazila's parents have "protested" and even "her mother removed her scarf" and asked, "What has our child done? For a scarf?" He stressed that "anywhere else in the world, this journalist would be encouraged," but unfortunately, "we have reached a point where talented children are imprisoned." The informed source stated that Nazila Maroufian has been on a "dry hunger strike for five days" and her family is "under a lot of pressure," saying that her parents are "confused in Tehran" and stating, "It is very hard for us, and they have pressured us, and we don't know what they want from us." The insider emphasized that "even in the Stone Age, they wouldn't do these things to people," and regarding her condition, he said that she has been subjected to "severe beating," dragged "on the ground, without shoes and clothes," and taken out of the building "on all fours." He also emphasized that Nazila's parents observed in court that "her body has become bruised." According to him, judicial authorities have "pressured her a lot" to "break her hunger strike, but she said, 'I won't break it until I see what the reasons for my arrest are.'" He added, "They cannot charge her with any crime because she has committed no offense," and Nazila's parents asked in court, "What is the charge against her, other than that she has been a voice for society? What has she done that you have arrested her again with insults and defamation?" The insider told VOA that "last week, when she went to the police station with her mother, they treated her the worst and kept her until eleven-thirty at night and then took her to Qarchak prison, which refused to accept her, saying, 'How can we accept a political journalist among drug addicts?' But they said, 'Take her in with a letter from the Evin prosecutor.'" On Wednesday, September 6, the Tasnim news agency, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that this journalist was arrested by the order of the Prosecutor's Office for the charge of "promoting licentiousness." Nazila Maroufian, a journalist, was first arrested after interviewing Amjad Amini following the death of his daughter, Mahsa Amini. Additionally, as the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in the custody of the morality police approaches, pressure on civil activists, journalists, political prisoners, and families seeking justice has increased. Previously, Hossein Salami, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, described the protests in the second half of 2022 as the "strongest struggle" against the Islamic Republic and warned of its recurrence. Furthermore, Prince Reza Pahlavi stated in an interview with VOA's Persian section, "The street is our trench," and "we must hold it until the time for regime change comes." Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, previously responded to a question from a VOA Persian reporter, stating that the Islamic Republic has not learned from recent protests. John Kirby, the National Security Council's strategic communications coordinator at the White House, also stated, "After the death of Mahsa Amini and the public protests, the people of Iran must now be able to make decisions for themselves and choose their own dress."