Members of Parliament Request Overturn of Sentence and Re-examination of Narges Mohammadi's Case

A number of Iranian parliament members sent a letter to the head of the judiciary emphasizing that the 16-year prison sentence for Narges Mohammadi raises the 'cost of healthy criticism' and leads to 'stagnation and inertia in society.' According to ILNA news agency, these parliament members, in a letter published on Sunday, October 25, referred to Mohammadi's activities in women's rights and stated that 'issuing such sentences for critics does not result in anything other than increasing the cost of healthy criticism.' The authors of this letter stressed that such sentences 'drive dissenters and critics away from the country and the government' and 'cause stagnation and inertia in society.' They called for the annulment of the sentence issued against Ms. Mohammadi and for her case to be re-examined in a parallel court. The letter also mentioned Ms. Mohammadi's illnesses, including 'pulmonary embolism and muscular paralysis,' stating that 'no effective action has been taken for her treatment so far,' despite repeated recommendations from doctors for her hospitalization, and according to her treating physician, the recurrence of muscular paralysis 'could be dangerous for her.' Signatories of the letter include Ali Motahari, Mahmoud Sadighi, Parvaneh Mafi, Fatemeh Zolghadr, Ahmad Mazani, Alireza Mohajoub, Alireza Rahimi, Nahid Tajeddin, Farideh Olad Qaba, Fatemeh Saeidi, Tayebeh Siawoshi Shah Enayati, Parvaneh Selahshouri, Hajer Chenarani, and Hamideh Rezabadi. Narges Mohammadi was sentenced in May to five years in prison for 'collusion and conspiracy to commit a crime against national security,' one year for 'propaganda against the regime,' and ten years for 'forming and managing an illegal group called Legam.' According to the Human Rights Defenders Center, Branch 36 of the Tehran Court of Appeals confirmed this sentence, stating that under Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, the most severe punishment, which is ten years in prison, will be enforced for Narges Mohammadi. According to Article 134 of the new Islamic Penal Code, if the judge issues independent punishments for each of the crimes, the most severe punishment will be enforced at the execution stage. The Human Rights Defenders Center, on Saturday, October 24, called on 'all free thinkers, organizations, and individuals defending human rights and freedom of expression' to 'spare no effort in global solidarity to help free Narges Mohammadi.' Meanwhile, over 100 former members of the Office for Consolidation of Unity described this sentence as 'unprecedented' and indicative of 'the meaninglessness of the concept of years and months for some officials and institutions.' Ms. Mohammadi has been in Evin Prison since May 2015, while her husband, Taghi Rahmani, stated that she suffers from 'muscular paralysis' and that the prison conditions are 'dangerous' for her. Human Rights Watch, Mark Toner, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, Reporters Without Borders, Amnesty International, and several other human rights organizations condemned the confirmation of Narges Mohammadi's prison sentence and called for her immediate and unconditional release. The European Union also issued a critical statement in October, stating that the confirmation of Narges Mohammadi's prison sentence 'increases concerns about the human rights situation in Iran,' which was described by the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson as 'interventionist.' In July of this year, a group of Twitter users launched a 'Twitter storm' in support of Narges Mohammadi, with thousands of users posting tweets on this issue.