Six More Civil Society Activists from Gilan Sent to Lakan Prison

Human rights media report that Farugh Samiinia, Jalwa Jahvari, Negin Rezaei, Shiva Shahsiah, and Azadeh Chavoshian, women’s rights activists in Gilan, have been sent to Lakan Prison in Rasht to serve their sentences. The media outlet 'Bidar Zani' reported on Saturday, July 23, that these civil activists went to the Revolutionary Court in Rasht accompanied by a large number of activists and family members to execute the sentence. The media also announced that Matin Yazdani, a women’s rights activist, also headed to Lakan Prison on Saturday morning to serve his sentence. Security agents of the Islamic Republic arrested 12 women’s rights activists and civil society activists in Gilan province, including these six activists, on August 25 of last year in the cities of Rasht, Fuman, Anzali, and Lahijan. These activists have been sentenced to a total of 'over 60 years in prison,' a ruling that was confirmed in the Gilan Provincial Court of Appeals on June 8 of this year. According to these rulings, Zahra Dadras was sentenced to 9 years and 6 months in prison for 'forming a group aimed at undermining national security' and 'gathering and colluding'; a Telegram group that the detainees referred to as a 'friendly group.' Farugh Samiinia, Sara Jahani, Yasamin Hashedari, Shiva Shahsiah, Negin Rezaei, Matin Yazdani, Azadeh Chavoshian, and Zahra Dadras were each sentenced to 6 years, 3 months, and 17 days in prison for 'gathering and colluding' and 'membership in a group.' Jalwa Jahvari and Hooman Taheri were also sentenced to one year in prison for 'propaganda against the Islamic Republic.' In this same case, Zahra Dadras was arrested on Friday, July 20, to serve her prison sentence, and Zahra Dadras, who had gone to the judiciary to follow up on her sister's situation, was also arrested and transferred to Lakan Prison in Rasht. During their initial detention, Zahra and Zahra Dadras were not allowed to meet each other by the order of the case investigator, Mohsen Soltani, and like their other friends, they faced violent behavior during detention. Security agents of the Ministry of Intelligence stormed Zahra Dadras's home on August 25 with 'a pistol' and 'an AK-47.' The beating and threats to shoot were due to the security forces wanting her mobile phone password from the very first moments of her arrest; a similar incident occurred with other members of the case. Previously, sources close to these activists told Radio Farda that most of them were subjected to heavy interrogation pressures, beatings, sexual assault, threats of death, and artificial executions during their detention. According to information received by Radio Farda, most of the physical and psychological violence during the interrogation and imprisonment of these activists and detainees after the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement in Gilan was carried out with the knowledge and direct order of 'Investigator Soltani' in Branch 10 of the Rasht Criminal Court. However, despite the details of these violences and tortures being published by other sources during and after detention, Mohsen Soltani, the case investigator, not only did not follow up on this matter but when Farugh Samiinia complained about the violent treatment during detention and interrogation to the case investigator, he told her, 'I said it myself.' Meanwhile, previously, over 350 civil activists and women’s rights activists had issued a statement calling for the unconditional release of 11 women’s rights activists in Gilan province. The spokesperson for the U.S. State Department also stated on Thursday, April 9, that the issuance of 'heavy' sentences for women’s rights activists in Gilan province was an action by the Iranian government to 'intimidate and silence the voices of civil activists.'