Nahid Taghavi, Iranian-German Citizen, Released from Iranian Custody

Nahid Taghavi, an Iranian-German citizen who had been imprisoned in Iran since October 2020, has been released and returned to Germany. Maryam Klaren, Taghavi's daughter, announced her mother's release and return to Germany on Instagram with a photo alongside her mother. She arrived in Germany on Sunday. Amnesty International, in a statement on this occasion, quoted Maryam Klaren as saying, "My mother has finally returned home." Amnesty International reported that Taghavi's health condition deteriorated severely during her imprisonment in Evin Prison in Tehran. According to the organization, Taghavi spent a total of seven months in solitary confinement, a period during which she had to sleep on the floor. During her imprisonment, she went on medical leave three times. According to a report by Agence France-Presse, Klaren expressed happiness over her mother's release, stating, "Words cannot describe our joy." She added, "At the same time, we mourn for the four years that were taken from us and the terror she endured in Evin Prison." Nahid Taghavi, a 69-year-old Iranian-German citizen, was arrested on October 16, 2020, by security forces at her home in Tehran. After her arrest, she was subjected to pressure during 80 interrogation sessions that lasted a total of 1,000 hours. This dual-national prisoner was repeatedly transferred for various reasons from the women's section of Evin Prison to the IRGC's detention center, known as Ward 2-A, and was kept indefinitely in solitary cells. In total, she spent 200 days of her imprisonment in solitary confinement. Ultimately, Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari, sentenced Nahid Taghavi to 10 years and 8 months of prison for "participating in the management of an illegal group" and "propaganda against the regime." She had already served half of her sentence. This release comes at a time when the cases of dual-national prisoners in Iran have always attracted international attention. The United States and European countries accuse the Islamic Republic of "hostage-taking" by detaining dual nationals and foreigners to exchange them for their prisoners in other countries. In one of the latest examples, Cecilia Sala, an Italian journalist who was in Iran on a press visa, was arrested by the Islamic Republic three days after the detention of Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi on December 15 at Milan Airport, who was accused by U.S. security agencies of violating sanctions. Last Wednesday, Cecilia Sala was released and returned to Italy. A report was also published yesterday indicating that Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi was released from prison in Italy, confirming previous speculations about the Islamic Republic's hostage-taking for a deal involving Sala and Abedini, despite denials from Iranian officials. In 2015, coinciding with the nuclear agreement, the Islamic Republic exchanged five foreign and dual-national prisoners for Iranian prisoners in the U.S. Senior French, British, and German diplomats are set to meet with their Iranian counterparts in Geneva on Monday, January 13, to discuss bilateral issues and the future of nuclear negotiations. Diplomatic sources say that about 20 European citizens from 10 countries have been detained and effectively taken hostage by the Islamic Republic. Calls from several political and civil activists for Nahid Taghavi's release from prison in Iran. Nahid Taghavi's daughter: There is no difference between Mohsen Rezaei and Ebrahim Raisi, and we have no hope for change. Is the return of Abedini from Italy to Iran acceptable to Trump? Responses from Navid Mohibi and Shahin Modarres. Summoning the Islamic Republic's ambassador; the German Foreign Ministry condemned the return of Nahid Taghavi to prison. Olivier Grondin, a French "hostage" of the Islamic Republic: I am innocent.