Protest Against Years of Systematic Abuse; An Excuse for the Arrest of an Artist

Athena Farghadani's lawyer states that this critical artist has been subjected to harassment by security agencies since her release in 2016, with her phone constantly tapped. Now, her protest against this harassment has become an excuse to file charges of disturbing public order and her subsequent arrest. Mohammad Maghimi, in an exclusive interview with Voice of America, emphasized that "Athena Farghadani is currently imprisoned in Qarchak, a facility housing criminals and drug-related offenders." He noted that Athena was in good health during her transfer to prison and added, "The responsibility for my client's life lies with every official of the Islamic Republic, from the bottom to the top." According to Farghadani's lawyer, the indictment against her has been transferred to a public court, and a bail of 200 million tomans has been issued, which Ms. Farghadani has refused to pay, insisting on her innocence and rejecting the charges against her. On June 21, the American PEN Association issued a statement condemning the arrest of Athena Farghadani, an Iranian cartoonist, and called for her immediate and unconditional release. The statement read: "Athena Farghadani's arbitrary arrest reflects the increasing attacks by Iranian authorities on artists, journalists, and democracy activists, highlighting their relentless efforts to target and intimidate artists into silence." Organizations such as "Cartoonists Rights Network" and "Cartooning for Peace from Paris" and the "Cartoonists for Freedom Foundation based in Geneva" also condemned Farghadani's arrest on June 12, calling for her immediate release. Athena Farghadani, a graduate of painting from Alzahra University, was banned from continuing her master's studies due to her critical drawings. In September 2014, after drawing a caricature of the then-members of parliament, she was arrested and sentenced to 12 years and 9 months in prison, which was later reduced to 18 months on appeal. This critical artist stated in the summer of 2016, after her release from prison, that she would not leave the country and intended to stay in Iran to continue her work, as her works have the greatest impact in Iran.