Exclusive | Two Weeks of Dry Hunger Strike by Armita Paveer in Tabriz Prison; Qasem Baadi: Her Life is in Real Danger

Qasem Baadi, a lawyer, told Voice of America that the charges brought against Armita Paveer, a student activist, by the Islamic Revolutionary Court, which sentenced her to nearly two years in prison, lack "legal validity" and that the life of this political prisoner is in "real danger" after two weeks of dry hunger strike. Armita Paveer, a student activist in Tabriz, has been sentenced to approximately two years of prison for "insulting the leadership and propaganda against the Islamic Republic" by the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Azarshahr. Baadi stated that Ms. Paveer was tried in absentia by the Islamic Revolutionary Court, without "the right to appoint a lawyer" and "the possibility of legal defense." This lawyer deemed the allegations of "insulting the leadership and officials, leading protests, and propaganda against the regime" against Armita Paveer as "lacking legal validity" and mentioned that this student activist has been deprived of the right to contact and meet her family during her detention and has gone on a hunger strike in protest of the violation of her rights. He pointed out that Ms. Paveer has been on a dry hunger strike for the past two weeks and is in very poor condition. Baadi emphasized that judicial authorities have not allowed her to be transferred to a hospital or to contact and meet her family, and "her life is in real danger." Armita Paveer has been in Tabriz prison since September of this year, and the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Azarshahr has issued a sentence of "22 months and 17 days of imprisonment" for her. According to Baadi, this student activist is "under severe psychological torture and with the most severe restrictions" in prison. Baadi also stressed that the charges against Armita Paveer "lack legal validity" because she "has not insulted anyone in her writings and has raised critical and protest discussions"; "insult and offense have specific meanings in law, and Ms. Paveer's actions do not constitute a crime." This lawyer added that resistance against the Islamic Republic causes the government to "increase pressure and tighten the noose" and that "through psychological and physical torture in prison, it tries to make the prisoner obedient and submissive," but Armita Paveer "has not submitted and has resisted and is now facing such conditions." He also emphasized: "The judicial system serves the ruling power and is for the repression of the people, not for the administration of justice." According to the ruling issued by the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Azarshahr, the charge of insulting the leader was due to "posting a caricature" of Ali Khamenei by this student activist on Instagram, and the charge of "propaganda against the Islamic Republic" is based on the claim of "leading illegal gatherings at the university" and "displaying disturbing and provocative content in the virtual space and on her personal page." According to the ruling, Armita Paveer "considers these actions her legal right and a critique of the performance of the country's officials." The Islamic Revolutionary Court of Azarshahr in East Azerbaijan Province deemed Ms. Paveer's defenses as "unfounded" and emphasized that she "does not express remorse or regret," and for this reason, she has not been granted "pardon by the leader." According to this court's ruling, Armita Paveer has been sentenced to "seven months and 16 days of imprisonment" for the charge of insulting the leader and to "15 months and one day of imprisonment of the sixth degree" for the charge of propaganda against the Islamic Republic, with "only the harsher punishment being applicable considering the time already served in detention." Armita Paveer, 29 years old, was first arrested on November 9, 2022, during nationwide protests and was released on December 8 on a bail of 250 million tomans. This molecular biology student at Tabriz University has been in detention since September 30 of this year and had previously gone on a hunger strike in protest of her uncertainty in prison.