Human Rights Activist's Mother Claims She Will Sue Ministry of Intelligence for 'Torture of Her Son'

The mother of Hooman Taheri, a detained activist in Gilan, protested against the torture of her son during his detention and announced that she would file a complaint against the Ministry of Intelligence and the interrogator responsible for her son's injuries. Zahra Taherkhani stated in an Instagram post on Thursday, September 9, that during a visit with her son, she noticed that 'his right molar was broken, and there were signs of bruising and darkness on the left side of his neck in several spots, and his face was severely swollen.' Recently, some human rights activists and news sources in Gilan reported on the torture and physical abuse of detainees in Gilan, including Sara Jahani and Hooman Taheri. Hooman's mother has called for her son to be referred to forensic medicine and to have the right to file a complaint. This grieving mother also emphasized that the deprivation of contact and visitation for her son in the days following his detention was aimed at preventing him from informing others about his 'torture and mistreatment.' According to some families of detainees in Gilan, judicial and security institutions have put them under severe pressure to prevent any news reporting on this matter. Following the arrest of several women's rights activists and political activists, including Hooman Taheri, in Gilan province on August 16, the families of these individuals reported being uninformed and worried about their children's situation. The Gilan Intelligence Department claimed without providing any evidence that the detainees intended 'subversive actions.' Meanwhile, Hooman Taheri's mother cited the 'thoughts and beliefs' of her son and other imprisoned activists in Gilan as the reason for their imprisonment, previously asserting her son's innocence by stating that he had 'no activities.' As the anniversary of the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini in the custody of the morality police approaches, security pressures, including the summons and arrest of civil and political activists and families of the grieving, have intensified. The pressure on the grieving families has increased ahead of Mahsa Amini's anniversary; Farhad Zareh has also been arrested. Details of the torture and abuse of detained women's rights activists in Gilan: from broken teeth to the abuse of a pharmacist. Hundreds of civil and women's rights activists condemned the recent arrests in a statement. Uncertainty about the situation of detainees in Gilan; Hooman Taheri's mother: 'My son is deprived of contact.'