Homa Hoodfar, Iranian-Canadian Professor, Transferred from Evin Prison to Hospital

Canadian media reported on Tuesday, September 9, that Homa Hoodfar, an Iranian-Canadian professor imprisoned in Iran, has been hospitalized due to physical distress. According to the Canadian newspaper 'Toronto Star', Ms. Hoodfar's family expressed concern for her health, stating that the university professor suffers from 'severe muscle weakness'. The statement noted that Ms. Hoodfar's three-month solitary confinement has led to a 'deterioration of her physical condition' to the point where she can now hardly speak or walk. According to the Canadian news network 'CBC', Amanda Khahramani, Homa Hoodfar's niece, stated that Ms. Hoodfar has not committed any actions against Iranian laws and that judicial authorities do not allow her to contact her defense lawyer and relatives. She added, 'It is clear that Iranian judicial authorities do not respect Homa Hoodfar's rights to a trial under Iranian laws.' Amanda Khahramani further stated that Iranian judicial authorities have asked them not to speak to the media about this matter so that Homa Hoodfar's case can proceed through the judicial process. Homa Hoodfar's family claims she is under pressure to confess to 'fabricated charges'. Homa Hoodfar, a 65-year-old professor of anthropology at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, was arrested by the intelligence agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps while on a 'research trip' to Iran. Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the public and revolutionary prosecutor of Tehran, stated in early July that she has 'engaged in feminism and security crimes, and her case is under investigation in Tehran's prosecutor's office.' On July 7, Homa Hoodfar's family issued a statement rejecting the accusations made by the Tehran prosecutor and some media against her. In another statement released on June 9, they announced that on March 19, 2016, just two days before her departure from Iran, the IRGC's intelligence protection forces raided Homa Hoodfar's home and confiscated all her personal belongings, including her laptop, identification documents, research papers, phone, passports, and some of her personal books. According to her family, this university professor was released on bail after some time, but interrogation sessions continued until she was summoned to the security prosecutor's office and arrested on Tuesday, June 7, and has since been in Evin prison. The Canadian government has emphasized that it will take all necessary actions for Homa Hoodfar's release. Amnesty International, on June 20, issued a statement calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Homa Hoodfar, stating that her detention is linked to her 'peaceful activities'. More than 170 prominent humanities professors from various universities in Europe and the United States also called for her immediate release and permission for her return to Canada last month. Iran does not recognize dual citizenship and states that it arrests and prosecutes individuals based on their Iranian nationality.