Sabaa Azarpeik's Husband Reports Her 'Miscarriage' After Hours-Long Court Session

Ataollah Hafezi, the husband of imprisoned journalist Sabaa Azarpeik, stated that she lost her two-month-old fetus after a nine-hour court session. On Wednesday, June 13, he announced on the social media platform 'X' that 'my wife was transferred from prison to the hospital due to severe bleeding and lost her pregnancy this month.' He added, 'After the nine-hour court session, our two-month-old fetus was miscarried.' Hafezi further noted that Sabaa Azarpeik is imprisoned due to a complaint from the parliament at the order of Qalibaf, Mehdi Ahmadi, brother-in-law of Elias Qalibaf, and Dehnoei, Qalibaf's deputy. In another post, he wrote: 'While on the day of her arrest, it was communicated to the head of the prosecutor's office that my wife should not be placed in a stressful environment, despite a one-day opportunity for the execution of the sentence, she was violently and physically harmed in the prosecutor's office (bruising on both arms) and transferred to prison.' Ataollah Hafezi added: 'At 6 AM yesterday, Tuesday, she faced severe bleeding in prison, and thanks to the prison officials, she was quickly transferred to the hospital. Unfortunately, based on the ultrasound report at the hospital, the fetus was not viable, and the pregnancy was declared terminated.' He mentioned that his wife had been pregnant once before and had experienced a six-hour court session on January 17 of the previous year, which put pressure on her, and on February 27, the two-month-old fetus was miscarried according to the report from Baqiyatallah Hospital. Hafezi addressed Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, stating: 'My wife has lost the opportunity to become a mother twice.' He called on Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the head of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic, to inquire about the mental health status of his wife. He emphasized: 'A responsible citizen's right, who has fought against corruption for a lifetime, is not this.' Meanwhile, Sabaa Azarpeik's husband reported that after this incident on Tuesday, June 13, 'a request for review and issuance of a release order for my wife was registered with the judge; based on Articles 501 and 502 of the Criminal Procedure Code and Clause K of Article 8 of the Executive Regulations of the Prisons Organization, for the urgent necessity to continue treatment due to the possibility of permanent infertility.' Earlier, media outlets reported that Sabaa Azarpeik, along with Yashar Soltani, another journalist, was transferred to prison to serve their 'prison sentences.' According to this report, Ms. Azarpeik was sentenced to three years in prison and a fine for 'spreading falsehoods' and 'threatening,' while Mr. Soltani was sentenced to one year and two months in prison for 'spreading falsehoods with the intent to disturb public opinion.' These two journalists have a history of arrest and imprisonment due to their activities and revelations regarding the financial corruption of several officials of the Islamic Republic. Reporters Without Borders has assessed the Islamic Republic as 'one of the most repressive governments in the world' in terms of media freedom, ranking Iran 177th out of 180 countries in terms of freedom of expression. The International Federation of Journalists also reported that since the onset of widespread protests in 2022 until the end of 2023, at least seven publications and news outlets have been suspended, closed, or had their licenses revoked for reasons including 'pressure from security agencies or judicial orders.' Sabaa Azarpeik's husband also announced in another post on X that a new notification had been issued for her following a complaint from the Tehran Beautification Organization.