Dozens of Student Organizations Demand 'Unconditional Freedom' for Narges Mohammadi

Forty-two student organizations issued a statement demanding the 'unconditional freedom' of Narges Mohammadi, emphasizing that the ruling against the vice president of the Human Rights Defenders Center does not align with her 'noble motives' and 'adverse conditions.' In this statement, published on Friday, December 3, on several websites including Ensaf News and Kalemeh, these organizations questioned how Mohammadi's sentence is 'heavier' than that of those who allow themselves to trample the lives of young people who merely advocate for freedom, justice, and equality. The authors of the statement also asked, 'How can the punishment of Narges Mohammadi be more painful than that of those who plunder the wealth and assets of society and exacerbate the suffering of their people?' They further questioned whether this ruling was issued in the shadow of justice and in the light of truth. According to the authors, Narges Mohammadi has 'never been an opponent' and has no intention other than to uphold the rights of the oppressed and vulnerable in society, and 'harbors no dream other than peace and knows no meaning for enmity.' The student organizations pointed out that under Article 38 of the Islamic Penal Code, 'the existence of illness' and 'noble motives' in committing a crime lead to a reduction in punishment, stressing that the ruling against Narges Mohammadi does not correspond with her 'adverse conditions.' In May, Narges Mohammadi was sentenced to five years in prison for 'gathering and colluding with the intent to commit a crime against national security,' one year for 'propaganda against the regime,' and ten years for 'forming and managing an illegal group called Legam.' According to the Human Rights Defenders Center, the 36th branch of the Tehran Court of Appeals confirmed this ruling, stating that under Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, the most severe punishment, which is ten years of imprisonment, will be enforced for Narges Mohammadi. Article 134 of the new Islamic Penal Code states that if a judge issues independent punishments for each of the crimes, the highest punishment determined will be executed at the time of enforcement. A number of Iranian parliament representatives sent a letter to the head of the judiciary on Sunday, October 17, referring to the errors in the ruling against Narges Mohammadi, the imprisoned vice president of the Human Rights Defenders Center, and citing Article 477 of the Criminal Procedure Code, requested the annulment of Mohammadi's sentence and a re-examination of her case in a parallel branch. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the first deputy of the judiciary, responded to this request by stating that Islamic clemency 'does not make sense' in this case and that the representatives of parliament 'do not have the authority' for this request according to the law. Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the Attorney General of the country, also reacted to this letter by calling 'foreign claimants and human rights activists and their supporting officials' two sides of a 'sinister triangle,' stating that the third side of this triangle is the JCPOA. In response to these remarks, 17 parliament representatives sent another letter, this time to the Attorney General, requesting explanations from the judiciary regarding Narges Mohammadi's 16-year sentence. Narges Mohammadi also requested on November 25 in a letter to the Attorney General to publish her indictment and defense. She emphasized, 'I am ready for every page of my indictment and defense and every moment of my life to be revealed so that we all can be judged by public opinion, and whoever deserves to be rejected should be rejected.' Narges Mohammadi also, in another letter to parliament representatives, thanked them for their follow-ups regarding her case and requested her case to be addressed in the Parliament's Article 90 Commission.