New Case Filed Against Narges Mohammadi Following Complaints from Prison Officers

Narges Mohammadi, the imprisoned vice president of the Human Rights Defenders Center, protested in a letter to the Tehran prosecutor about a new case filed against her based on complaints from the officers who transferred her to the hospital, their behavior towards her, and her deprivation of phone contact with her children. Meanwhile, Taghi Rahmani, Narges Mohammadi's husband, announced in an interview with Radio Farda that a new case has been opened against her for 'insulting' the officers who transferred her to the hospital. According to Rahmani, the officers accompany Narges Mohammadi to the hospital in handcuffs and sometimes 'even stand in front of the doctor,' and when she needs to 'change her clothes' for an examination, they do not leave the examination room. He added, 'In this context, verbal confrontations arise between Ms. Mohammadi and the officers, which form the basis of the complaint.' The timing of Ms. Mohammadi's letter to Abbas Jafari Dolat Abadi, the Tehran prosecutor, is unclear, but it was published on the Human Rights Defenders Center's website on Saturday, December 28. It seems that this letter, which describes the incidents that occurred during her transfer to the doctors' building for lung treatment, was written more than a week ago, as she specifies in part of the letter that after being summoned to the second branch of the Evin prosecutor's office, she did not attend the hearing due to not having a lawyer, and the next interrogation session will be held on December 23 (less than a week ago). Narges Mohammadi wrote in her letter to the Tehran prosecutor that the officers 'did not even remove her handcuffs after entering the doctor's office' to fill out a form. According to Ms. Mohammadi, when the doctor asked her to take off her jacket, 'it was impossible to do so with her hands tied,' and she told the officers, 'Don't you think you should remove the handcuffs?' The accompanying officer reportedly replied, 'The decision is up to the officers; if we want, we will remove them; if not, we won't.' This political prisoner wrote that after these events, 'discussions' occurred in the street and at the prison guard's post between her and the officers, which 'led to an increase in her blood pressure and her transfer' to the medical unit. Ms. Mohammadi reported in this letter that she was 'suddenly' summoned to the second branch of the prosecutor's office located in Evin prison a few days ago, and military officials, in her presence and 'even without any concealment,' provided 'necessary orders' to the judge to file a complaint against her. According to Ms. Mohammadi, the soldier accompanying her also received a 'reward' from the judge for attending the court. Narges Mohammadi was arrested at her home on May 15 of this year, just two days after her court session was postponed in the 15th branch of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. In her letter, she also referred to her six-year prison sentence, stating that this is the third case against her, and she will be tried on January 19 based on 'case fabrication' by the Ministry of Intelligence in the 15th branch of the Revolutionary Court. She also mentioned that her children left the country on July 26 and that she has not been allowed 'any phone contact' with them for the past five months. According to Ms. Mohammadi, even prison officials prevented her from receiving photos of her children brought by her family, stating in response to her request that 'it has been ordered that you be treated this way.' Narges Mohammadi was transferred to Evin prison to serve her six-year sentence in 2012 and later moved to Zanjan prison, but due to illness, she was released on bail of 600 million tomans in August 2012. Meanwhile, Taghi Rahmani stated in an interview with Radio Farda that the duration of her leave should have been counted as part of Ms. Mohammadi's sentence, but there is 'a conflict' within the judiciary, and security officers impose their views on the judiciary. Mr. Rahmani accused the Ministry of Intelligence of 'obstructing' his wife's treatment. He noted that Ms. Mohammadi's illness is managed with medication in prison, while using medication for her 'will not have good side effects in the future.' According to reports, Narges Mohammadi was transferred to the hospital on October 19 after suffering from 'seizures' in Evin prison and with several days of delay in executing 'the orders of specialist doctors,' but she was returned to prison on November 6. Reports indicate that she has suffered from neurological diseases since 2009 after being held in solitary confinement in Ward 209. Previously, the Human Rights Defenders Center, led by Shirin Ebadi, had pointed out two diseases, 'pulmonary embolism' and 'muscular paralysis,' stating that these conditions are 'exacerbated' in the prison environment and 'can endanger the patient's life.' In this context, two human rights organizations have called for an end to the mistreatment of Narges Mohammadi.