Jaras Denies Membership of Sedigheh Vasmaghi in Its Policy-Making and Editorial Council

On Sunday, November 7, the policy-making council of the Jaras website denied the membership of Sedigheh Vasmaghi, a former city council member, poet, Islamic scholar, and political and social analyst, in this media outlet. According to the Kalameh website, close to Mir Hossein Mousavi, Ms. Vasmaghi was arrested and sent to Evin Prison after a 15-minute court session last week. In this regard, the Zeytoon website, affiliated with national-religious forces, reported that a bail of one billion tomans had been set for Ms. Vasmaghi, but due to its non-fulfillment, she was arrested and transferred to Evin Prison. Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai, Sedigheh Vasmaghi's defense lawyer, stated in an interview with the Iran Human Rights Campaign website that his client was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of 'membership in the Committee for the Support of Victims of the 2009 Events and membership in the Jaras website (Green Movement).' He added that Ms. Vasmaghi denied having any role in managing the Jaras website and stated that her membership in the Committee for the Support of Victims of the 2009 Events was established by the conservative city council and was not a crime. Mr. Alizadeh Tabatabai mentioned that his client's sentence is subject to appeal. He also noted that the only evidence presented regarding his client's charges was a 'report from judicial agents.' Ms. Vasmaghi, who was the spokesperson for the first Tehran City Council and a visiting professor at the University of Göttingen in Germany, recently returned to Iran and was arrested and transferred to Evin Prison on October 30 after visiting the Revolutionary Court. In this context, the Jaras policy-making council stated in its announcement that Sedigheh Vasmaghi has 'never at any time been a member of any part of the Jaras website (Green Movement), including the policy-making council and the editorial board.' Mohsen Kadivar, a member of the Jaras policy-making council, told Radio Farda that 'many works of esteemed compatriots, including university professors, writers, and poets, have been published in Jaras, including those of Dr. Vasmaghi. Truly, how many people in the country possess the knowledge and talent of Ms. Vasmaghi? It is a tragedy for a country where its intellectuals are imprisoned for peaceful criticism. Imprisoning Vasmaghi sends a clear message of constitutional violation, lack of freedom of expression, and encouragement of brain drain.' The Jaras policy-making council also stated that Ms. Vasmaghi's articles and poems 'like many compatriots have been published on this website, and the inclusion of works by individuals does not indicate membership in this online publication. Therefore, the evidence presented by judicial agents regarding Jaras is entirely false.' The Jaras website began operating on July 19, 2009, after the Iranian presidential election and the onset of protests against its results, and continued until April 2015. On Saturday, the Swedish PEN Association also issued a statement condemning the arrest of Sedigheh Vasmaghi and called for her unconditional release. The statement from the Swedish PEN Association emphasized that 'Vasmaghi's voice must not be silenced; she must be able to continue her important work as a defender of women's rights.'