Narges Mohammadi's Account of Dina Ghalibaf's Transfer to Evin Prison 'With Bruised Body': The Authoritarian Government Has Launched a Full-Scale War Against Women in the Streets

Narges Mohammadi, a political prisoner, announced in an audio message from Evin Prison that Dina Ghalibaf, a young woman opposing compulsory hijab, was transferred to the women's section of Evin Prison 'with a bruised body and a story of sexual assault.' This human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate called on 'every single person inside and outside the country' to 'raise their voices against war, assault, rape, and beating of women.' On Sunday, April 21, in an audio message stating 'you hear my voice from the women's section of Evin Prison,' she mentioned that her phone had been 'cut off for nearly five months' and that she used 'Sepideh Gholian's phone card' to send this message. She emphasized: 'An hour ago, another girl from Iran, “Dina Ghalibaf,” entered the women's section of Evin Prison with a bruised body and a story of sexual assault. For years, we have witnessed the accounts of women who have endured assault, abuse, and beatings by government agents; however, today, the authoritarian religious government has dragged a full-scale war against all women into the streets of the country, not from a position of power but out of desperation.' Narges Mohammadi added: 'We women in this relentless war will either stop it with our deaths, or the people of Iran and the world will rise to help us so that we can stop this war with living and peace and force the misogynistic regime to retreat.' This political prisoner addressed the 'aware people of Iran,' saying: 'I ask each of you and all classes, professions, artists, intellectuals, workers, teachers, and students inside and outside the country to raise your voices against war, assault, rape, and beating of women.' The Nobel Peace Prize laureate also called on 'the world and all humanity' to stop 'this relentless savage war that is a grotesque manifestation of gender apartheid.' In another part of her message, addressing 'the proud women of Iran,' she added: 'The ruthless authoritarian government thought that by assaulting, raping, and humiliating women, it would scare us and force us to retreat, but you, you nameless and unknown women from Sistan and Baluchestan to Kurdistan and from Khuzestan to Azerbaijan and Tehran and every point in Iran did not retreat, but rather pushed the government back.' She urged women not to underestimate their own narratives and added: 'These narratives will expose the misogynistic government and strike it down. Send your accounts of detention, assault, abuse, humiliation, beating, and rape to my Instagram page.' Furthermore, reports have emerged of government forces returning to suppress women's optional dress in the streets of Iran, this time under the title 'Noor Plan' instead of the morality police, with multiple reports of harassment of citizens, especially women, and clashes between agents and citizens over compulsory hijab in various cities in the past week.