Hundreds of Civil Activists Write to Rouhani: Acid Attackers Are Free While Mahdieh Golroo Is in Prison

On Tuesday, hundreds of civil activists in Iran and abroad wrote a letter to Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, urging him to use all legal means and capacities at his disposal to secure the release of Mahdieh Golroo. Mahdieh Golroo is a student activist and a member of the electoral campaign for Mehdi Karroubi, a candidate in the 2009 presidential election, who is currently a political prisoner in Ward 2-A of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. In recent years, she has been arrested and imprisoned multiple times by Iranian security and judicial authorities. The website Kalemeh reported on Wednesday, December 23, that seven hundred civil activists in their letter to Rouhani stated that as the President and guardian of the Iranian Constitution, he is responsible for the executive apparatus of the country and must utilize his legal capacities for the release of the political-prisoner Mahdieh Golroo. The letter states: 'Acid attackers are free in society while Mahdieh Golroo is detained; this is not fair.' Regarding the writing of this letter and the reason for sending it to the Iranian President, Mostafa Khosravi, one of the signatories and a political activist residing in Italy, told Radio Farda: 'It is natural that Hassan Rouhani, as the President of Iran, has sworn to justice and is obligated to uphold the Constitution and the rights of the people. He represents all the people of Iran and must be held accountable.' Mostafa Khosravi explained why this letter was not addressed to the Iranian judiciary officials, stating: 'If the official security and judicial institutions were accountable and listened to the voices of critics, they would be held responsible for their actions. Mr. Rouhani, as the President, is also responsible for the performance of the Ministry of Intelligence, so this letter is addressed to him, and we expect accountability.' In the letter from the seven hundred civil activists, including political and student activists and Iranian journalists, it is emphasized that they, as friends and companions of Mahdieh Golroo, testify that she has engaged solely in peaceful and legal civil activities in recent years, and even when her right to continue her education was patiently denied by Rouhani's government, she did not step outside this framework. Mahdieh Golroo was a student activist for the right to education at Allameh University, believing that the right to education should be provided for all minorities, including Baha'is. The letter from Iranian civil activists also states that 'more than two months after the serial acid attacks in Isfahan, the perpetrator or perpetrators of this act have not been arrested, yet Mahdieh Golroo, a member of the Women's Citizenship Association and a participant in the protest against this incident, remains in detention.' Mahdieh Golroo was last arrested for participating in a protest against the recent serial acid attacks in Isfahan. She, as a member of the Women's Citizenship Association of Iran, was arrested a few days after the women's movement activists gathered in front of the Islamic Consultative Assembly on October 22, 2014, in protest against the serial acid attacks that occurred in Isfahan, and was transferred back to Evin Prison. Mahdieh Golroo was previously arrested on November 30, 2009, and in April 2010, she was sentenced to two years and four months in prison by the Islamic Revolutionary Court on charges of 'propaganda against the regime and gathering and collusion with the intent to disrupt national security.' This sentence was confirmed in August 2010 by Branch 54 of the Tehran Court of Appeals.