Reporters Without Borders Condemns the Prison Sentence of Narges Mohammadi

On Wednesday, October 7, Reporters Without Borders issued a statement strongly condemning the confirmation of Narges Mohammadi's prison sentence by the appeals court and called for her immediate release. Christophe Deloire, the Secretary-General of Reporters Without Borders, stated: "The prison sentence for this brave Iranian woman is unjust, and we demand her immediate release." The statement from Reporters Without Borders noted that Narges Mohammadi was one of four "heroes of freedom of information" who was awarded a medal by the Paris City Hall on May 3, World Press Freedom Day. Concurrently, Shirin Ebadi, a lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2003, also described Narges Mohammadi's sentence as "unjust" and stated: "Narges Mohammadi's only crime is defending human rights in a country that tramples on these rights." Amnesty International also criticized the confirmation of Narges Mohammadi's 16-year prison sentence by the Tehran Appeals Court on Wednesday, calling for her unconditional release. This human rights organization stated that this sentence is "a clear indication of the Iranian authorities' intent to silence human rights defenders at any cost." The Human Rights Defenders Center announced on Wednesday that Narges Mohammadi's 16-year prison sentence was confirmed by Branch 36 of the Tehran Appeals Court. In May, she was sentenced by Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran, presided over by Judge Salavati, 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 Appeals Court confirmed this sentence, stating that under Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, the most severe punishment of ten years will be enforced for Narges Mohammadi. According to Article 134 of the new Islamic Penal Code, if the judge issues independent sentences for each of the crimes, the highest sentence will be executed at the enforcement stage. Narges Mohammadi has been in Evin Prison since May 2015, and according to her husband, Taghi Rahmani, she suffers from "muscular paralysis" and the prison conditions are "dangerous" for her. In this context, Narges Mohammadi stated that solitary confinement is "white torture" and contrary to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.