Eight Female Political Prisoners Demand Accountability from Government Regarding Sara Tabrizi's Death

Eight former cellmates of Sara Tabrizi, a former prisoner who died under suspicious circumstances, have called for the Iranian government to be held accountable for this 'crime.' These eight women, imprisoned in Evin Prison, stated in a statement on Saturday, April 11, that the responsibility for this 'crime' lies with the Islamic Republic, just as it did for previous acts. They promised that the government 'will one day be forced to answer before the people.' The statement, published on the Instagram page attributed to Narges Mohammadi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and imprisoned human rights activist, noted: 'On April 4, Sara received a summons from the Tehran Intelligence Department and was drawn into the jaws of death the following day.' These eight political prisoners, who spent a week alongside Sara Tabrizi, explained the consequences of this 20-year-old girl's solitary confinement and the pressure from interrogators on her, stating: 'If Sara had lived in a free society, without oppression and discrimination, she would not have decided to leave the country nor would she have met such a bitter end.' The Judiciary Media Center on Friday, April 10, denied the claims of Sara Tabrizi's summons by security and judicial authorities before her suspicious death, asserting that she was arrested on January 7, 2023, for 'using fake documents and passports to leave the country' and was released on bail on January 15, with a suspended sentence issued. According to the statement from the eight political prisoners, after her release on bail, Sara faced 'frequent calls from the interrogator' and 'threats of re-arrest and exposure of her private information.' The statement emphasized that 'this death, in whatever form and under any circumstances it occurred, is the responsibility of the government, just like the deaths of thousands who have been hanged, disappeared, and gone missing under the control of governments during decades of fascist dictatorship.' This statement was signed by Narges Mohammadi, Nahid Taghavi, Anisha Asadollahi, Sepideh Ghalean, Reyhaneh Ansari Nejad, Mahbubeh Rezaei, Maryam Haj Hosseini, and Golrokh Iraei. Previously, there have been multiple reports of suspicious deaths of detained protesters and former political prisoners after their release from prison. In the latest case, Alireza Khari, a detainee from the nationwide protests of 2022 in Bandar Gaz, was buried after a 'suspicious death' on March 20, 2023. Ashkan Balouch, Maryam Arvin, Mohsen Jafari Rad, Arash Forouzandeh, Arshia Emamgholizadeh, and Yalda Aghafazli are other detainees from the nationwide protests who died under suspicious circumstances after their release. More details about the suspicious death of Sara Tabrizi, the young woman who died after being summoned to the Intelligence Department, have emerged. Gohar Eshghi reacted to Sara Tabrizi's 'suspicious death,' stating that 'tolerance of oppression will only lead to the continuation of crime.' Alireza Khari, a detained protester, died following 'increased security pressure.' Reactions to the suspicious death of Ashkan Balouch after another summons: 'The Islamic Republic killed him.'