Statement from 36 Political Prisoners in Evin: Narges Mohammadi's Trial Should Be 'Public' with 'Witnesses' Present

Thirty-six political prisoners in Evin prison issued a statement on Tuesday, June 4, requesting that the trial of Narges Mohammadi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and political prisoner, be held on June 8 'publicly and with the presence of witnesses and narrators of sexual harassment and assault, as well as independent media.' This trial is set to address the charge of 'propaganda against the regime,' previously scheduled for May 19, due to Mohammadi's protests and accounts of sexual assault against female prisoners and detainees, and will take place in Branch 29 of the Revolutionary Court. The names of the political prisoners in Evin and several signatories of this statement include Nahid Taghavi, Hasti Amiri, Vida Rabani, Golrokh Iraee, Maryam Yahyavi, Joanna (Varisheh) Moradi, Sanaz Yekta, Rezvaneh Khan Beigi, Mahbubeh Rezaei, Sarina Jahani, Sahar Mokhtari, Nasim Simiyari, Samira Najatian, Veys Mahalouji, Sekineh Parvaneh, Shakila Monfared, Sepideh Ghaliyan, Parvin Mir Asa, and Anisha Asadollahi. Previously, Narges Mohammadi, a detained human rights activist, announced that she is to face another trial on charges of 'propaganda against the regime' and 'due to her protests against sexual assaults on women,' addressing the judiciary of the Islamic Republic, stating: 'You are obligated to hold a public trial with the presence of independent journalists and women and human rights activists and my lawyers.' According to the Narges Mohammadi Foundation, Ms. Mohammadi also demanded that she be tried 'with the accompaniment of witnesses and narrators of the religious authoritarian regime's sexual assaults on women in court' and that 'witnesses be able to attend with their lawyers and recount their experiences of assault publicly and openly, with guarantees of their personal, psychological, and legal safety.' She added: 'For the fourth time in the past four years, I am being brought to the table of unjust and sham trials due to my protests and disclosures of sexual assaults by men of the religious regime against women.' In her message, Mohammadi noted: 'The first time, I protested the shameless assault by government men against me on December 24, 2010, in the Evin courtyard, and although I was the complainant, I was placed in the defendant's seat. The second time was due to holding a room on sexual harassment in Clubhouse and narrating the assault, and the third time was for writing a statement and testifying in the Woman, Life, Freedom movement regarding the assaults against my fellow inmates, for which I was sentenced to prison and lashes.' She emphasized that 'this time, the trial is due to my protest against the bruises on my body and the narration of the assault against Dina Ghalibaf,' adding: 'This case was formed one day after I sent my voice message, and it was quickly brought to trial.' Narges Mohammadi, an honorary recipient of the 'Freedom of Expression' award from the American PEN Association, remains behind bars despite international calls for her release. She continues her human rights activities in prison, emphasizing her opposition to the death penalty and her fight against human rights violations by the Islamic Republic both inside and outside of prison. Over the past three decades, Narges Mohammadi has been arrested and imprisoned multiple times, and in her latest legal case, she was sentenced to 10 years in prison for 'propaganda against the regime' and is currently in Evin prison in Tehran. Farough Kananian stated: 'The Islamic Republic lacks the capacity and will to hold a public trial for Narges Mohammadi.' Narges Mohammadi remarked: 'Raisi's commemoration at the United Nations is a tribute to the gallows and mass killings against the people of Iran.' The report from the organization 'Front Line Defenders' indicates that the harassment of human rights defenders by the Islamic Republic continues.