Concerns of International Organizations Following the Beating of Narges Mohammadi and Other Female Prisoners in Evin

One day after reports emerged about the beating of Narges Mohammadi, a human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and several other female prisoners in Evin, concerns regarding the security of these political prisoners have increased. Reporters Without Borders, based in Paris, stated in a release referencing reports of physical assault on Ms. Mohammadi in Evin: 'We are deeply concerned about her deteriorating health and again call for her immediate release.' While the judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic have cut off Ms. Mohammadi's communication with her family for ten months, Reporters Without Borders also demanded 'complete and timely information be provided to her family.' On Thursday, August 9, members of Narges Mohammadi's family reported the beating of female political prisoners in the women's ward of Evin prison following their protest against the execution of Reza Rasayi. This attack occurred on the evening of Tuesday, August 7, when security forces stormed the female prisoners, cutting off their ward's phones. The statement from Ms. Mohammadi's family indicated that the beating was severe enough that several female prisoners sustained physical injuries and some suffered from panic attacks. Female political prisoners in Evin prison, alongside political prisoners in other prisons, have recently joined a campaign against executions in Iran called 'No to Executions on Tuesdays.' With the initiation of this campaign, which has spread to several prisons, government pressure on these political prisoners has significantly increased. The Islamic Republic carries out the highest number of death sentences in the world relative to its population and, according to human rights activists, uses executions as a tool to maintain its political power. The American PEN Association also expressed concern for the safety of Ms. Mohammadi and other female prisoners in Iran on Friday, August 11. This association recalled that about ten days earlier, due to delays in medical tests for Narges Mohammadi, it had called for urgent attention to this political prisoner's health status. The Iranian Prison Organization, affiliated with the judiciary, claimed on Friday in response to Ms. Mohammadi's family's statement that security forces had 'no entry into the ward or conflict' with female prisoners. This organization claimed that only 'two prisoners experienced palpitations and stress due to the noise and commotion from their fellow inmates,' stating that 'the general condition of both prisoners is satisfactory.' Shirin Ebadi, a human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate living outside Iran, reacted to the beating of Narges Mohammadi by stating: 'The lives of Narges Mohammadi, Sarvnaz Ahmadi, and all political prisoners in various prisons are at risk. They are paying the price for the insatiable totalitarianism of the Islamic Republic. How long must this continue?' She added: 'I am deeply concerned about the health of Narges and her fellow inmates and urge the media, political and civil activists, and international organizations to turn their attention from the illusory changes that the new Iranian government intends to create towards those who are seeking real change.' The American PEN Association noted that the Press Freedom Index for the past year indicates that Iran remains the second-largest prison for writers in the world after China, with Iranian authorities having detained at least 49 writers that year.