Maryam Arvin's Mother, a Lawyer Who Died After Release, Claims Cause of Death Was 'IV Connection' in Prison

The mother of Maryam Arvin, a lawyer who died shortly after being released from prison, stated that her daughter's death was due to events that occurred during her detention and the 'IV connection' in prison. Tayebe Nazari wrote on Instagram on Tuesday, June 8, that her daughter, who was arrested for defending a client, was 'destroyed' by being 'hooked up to an IV' under the pretext of sedatives and painkillers in prison. She mentioned that a prison doctor had confirmed the injuries sustained by Maryam Arvin in a letter. Tayebe Nazari also emphasized that a week after her daughter's death, the 103rd Criminal Court issued a default ruling of '15 months in prison, a fine of one million [tomans], and 40 lashes' against her, which was later suspended. Maryam Arvin's mother described the violence during the arrest, stating that a female officer named 'Zahra Alizadeh,' known as 'Mobina,' along with an officer from the police intelligence named 'Hamid Zeydabadi,' handcuffed her and 'dragged her to the ground' in the courthouse hallway. According to her mother, 29-year-old Maryam Arvin was a volunteer lawyer for 'underprivileged cases' and 'children in welfare and child labor' who had been married for just over two months. Ms. Arvin was a member of the Kerman Bar Association. She was arrested on December 9, 2022, while defending her clients who were detained protesters in Kerman, in the Sirjan courthouse. Judicial authorities also arrested her mother, Tayebe Nazari, who had gone there to follow up on her daughter's case. Maryam Arvin was released on bail on December 21 and was supposed to receive the court's verdict in the following days, but she suspiciously passed away. In recent months, several detainees from the nationwide protests have suspiciously died after their release, with their deaths being reported as 'suicides.' The deaths of several prisoners after their release, such as Mohsen Jafari Rad, Arshia Imam Qoli Zadeh, Yalda Aghafazli, and Hasti Hossein Panahi, have raised many questions about how the Islamic Republic authorities treat prisoners. Additionally, pressure on lawyers in Iran has intensified since the onset of nationwide protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, with dozens of legal professionals being arrested or summoned to judicial authorities. Previously, Behnam Darayizadeh, a lawyer, told Voice of America that the pressures on lawyers in recent months have been 'unprecedented' in the past three decades.