Hila Sedighi's Account of Arrest: I Was Transported in a Cage

Hila Sedighi, an Iranian poet who was released from prison on bail on Saturday, January 8, has provided details about the behavior of the authorities towards her and the conditions of her two-day detention. In a post on her Facebook page on Sunday, January 20, she explained how she was arrested on Thursday night while returning to Tehran at Imam Airport. Hila Sedighi stated that her arrest was related to a new case that had been opened against her, and the court had issued a ruling in her absence for this case. The Iranian poet wrote: "I spent the first night in solitary confinement at the airport detention center and the second night in the Shapur detention center, known as the darkest prison for dangerous inmates, in a 4-meter cell alongside 8 dangerous prisoners (though this is the common term, to me, those individuals are human beings with their own rights and values, and I still worry about their fate) with the worst and most heinous human behavior, while initially, even the Shapur authorities refused to accept me there." Hila Sedighi added: "My transport in the city was done in a cage, and the surveillance was at the level of monitoring a criminal." Ms. Sedighi has called on the officials of the Culture and Media Prosecutor's Office, ministries, and other cultural organizations, as well as all artists and social and civil activists, to defend the "basic and human rights of artists and cultural figures during detention or judicial inspections, appropriate to their dignity and status" by the police and judicial authorities. "I do not want to be a political activist," Hila Sedighi clarified in another part of her post, although the political arena in Iran has expanded so much that "it accommodates all social activists and even artists." She added: "I have never been a member of any political party or movement, although I have shown my inclination towards a movement that I saw closer to my path during my electoral activities and in many political elections, but I have never had a commitment or loyalty to any political figure or group forever." Hila Sedighi supported Mir Hossein Mousavi in the 2009 elections. However, this Iranian poet states that she is now only committed to the "prosperity and freedom of the land" and the "human rights of all people." Ms. Sedighi has also stated that she is not regretful about her electoral activities, her choices, and her association with the reformist movement.