Details of Torture and Abuse of Women's Rights Activists Detained in Gilan: From Broken Teeth to Abuse of a Pharmacist

Human rights activists and some news sources in Gilan report that individuals recently detained by the Gilan Intelligence Department under the pretext of 'forming a group for sabotage' are being subjected to torture and abuse by agents. One of these detainees is Sara Jahani, a pharmacist who worked at the Burn Trauma Hospital in Rasht. Dr. Jahani was assaulted during her arrest because she refused to give her phone password to the agents. Sources close to the families of these detainees have reported similar accounts regarding others. Two weeks ago, news sources in Gilan reported that Jalveh Javaheri, Forough Sami'nia, Matin Yazdani, Yasamin Hashedari, Negin Rezaei, Zahra Dadras, Zohreh Dadras, Vahid Khushsirat, Shiva Shahsiah, Sara Jahani, and Azadeh Chavoshian, along with Hooman Taheri, were arrested in the cities of Rasht, Lahijan, Fuman, and Bandar Anzali. No information has been released about the identity of the thirteenth person. According to reports from sources close to Hooman Taheri's family, he has also recently been subjected to torture and abuse by agents. One of his teeth was broken, and bruises are visible on his neck. Some families have obtained limited information about their children through soldiers and other detainees. One family member stated that they are under severe pressure from the judicial and security apparatus not to report any news about these detainees. Zahra Taherkhani, Hooman Taheri's mother, previously expressed her concerns about her son's situation in an Instagram post, highlighting his deprivation of contact and visitation. She also emphasized her son's innocence, stating that he has had 'no activities.' One family of the detainees mentioned that to pressure these young people, they were told that the case investigator has gone on leave for ten days, and their case will remain unresolved until his return. The Gilan Intelligence Department has claimed without providing any evidence that the detainees intended 'sabotage actions.' Recently, Gohar Bayat, the mother of Jalveh Javaheri, a women's rights activist and one of the detainees, criticized the lack of information regarding her child's situation, including the charges against her, the place of detention, and the detaining authority, in an interview with the Shargh network. Gohar Bayat stated that aside from one phone call, she has no information about her daughter's condition. According to the Bidarzeni website, the failure to deliver necessary medications for Jalveh Javaheri, who suffers from severe arthritis, and Forough Sami'nia, who has diabetes, has increased their families' concerns. Bidarzeni described this action by judicial officials as 'deliberate procrastination' and emphasized that the Prison Organization uses this deprivation as a 'security pressure tool' against the detainees and their families. As the anniversary of the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini in the custody of the morality police approaches, security pressures, including the summons and arrest of civil and political activists and families seeking justice, have intensified. The narrative of Hooman Taheri's mother regarding his arrest in Rasht and the lack of accountability from officials, the warning from the Iranian Writers' Association: the purging of the universities of the 60s is repeating, Sara Siyahpour was expelled from education after a six-year prison sentence, hundreds of civil and women's rights activists condemned the recent arrests in a statement, lack of information about the situation of detainees in Gilan; Hooman Taheri's mother: my child is deprived of contact, a joint statement from families seeking justice, simultaneous with summons and pressures: you cannot make us stateless, the continued detention of 12 civil activists in Gilan; 'night interrogations' continue, the possibility of bail being issued for 10 of the detainees in Gilan; the continuation of detentions in Iran, the number of detainees in Gilan cities has increased to thirteen, protests by retired telecommunications workers in 12 provinces of Iran; metro workers' gathering in Tehran.