Support from Some 'Justice Seekers' and Political Activists for Sepideh Roshno; PEN America Calls Her Imprisonment 'Unjust'

After Sepideh Roshno announced her introduction to Evin Prison on Friday, several families of justice seekers and political prisoners expressed their support for her, and PEN America also described her imprisonment as 'unjust.' Hamid Ismailioun, a member of the Families of Flight PS752 Justice Association, considered Roshno's summons to prison and the death sentences for Sharifeh Mohammadi and Pakhshan Azizi as a continuation of the Islamic Republic's all-out war against women, writing on social media: 'Women are at the forefront of the fight against discrimination and inequality. The wall of fear has collapsed, and the tyrannical and cowardly rulings of the government of ignorance and crime only drive another nail into the coffin of this corpse.' He also emphasized: 'Civil, political, and ideological prisoners in Iran must be released unconditionally. The free women of Iran are not afraid of you.' Sahar Beheshti, sister of Sattar Beheshti who was killed in 2012 'for blogging,' wrote a post on social media on Friday evening addressing Sepideh Roshno: 'In the heart of this darkness and corruption, where our bodies, individuality, and lives have become crimes, your voice has shone like fire in a furnace of darkness. The tree of your name, with its deep roots and endless resilience, is a sign of resistance against the tyrannical laws that seek to chain freedom and human dignity.' Sahar Beheshti added in a post on her mother Gohar Eshghi's accounts: 'Sepideh, whose voice, courage, and steadfastness express that we should not remain under the dominion of laws that seek to undermine human dignity, as my mother Gohar always expresses, speaks of resistance and perseverance in the struggle for salvation and freedom. This oppression, which has penetrated deep into our lives, must come to an end; we will bring it to an end and prove that we will never surrender to tyranny.' Atena Daemi, a former political prisoner and human rights activist who has migrated to Canada, also wrote in a post on social media X: 'This evil must come to an end sooner. In this evil, we are all guilty in turn.' She also wrote: 'Unfortunately, neither in civil rights, nor in custom and law, nor for our freedoms, but only at the time of gunfire and the issuance of punishment, are we neither weak nor half-human.' Mahsa Pirayi (daughter of Minou Majidi, who was killed during the nationwide protests in Iran on September 20, 2022) also shared a photo of Sepideh Roshno on X, writing: 'Sharia has penetrated our lives so much that our bodies, individuality, and lives are crimes. This evil must end as soon as possible. Sepideh is the end of this darkness.' PEN America also published a text from Sepideh Roshno, calling on writers and supporters worldwide to share Sepideh's words on social media and protest her 'unjust' imprisonment and the imprisonment of dozens of writers arrested by the Islamic Republic for 'expressing opinions and speech.' Sepideh Roshno, a civil activist sentenced to imprisonment, criticized her punishment for opposing compulsory hijab in a video message and urged 'every single person' to 'stand for their individuality and personal life.' On Friday, August 5, one day before the start of her three years and seven months of imprisonment in Evin Prison, she emphasized: 'I have done nothing to be considered a criminal, to be erased from the city and street, to be deprived of education, and even to be imprisoned. But the hands and feet of evil have penetrated our lives so much that our bodies and individuality and lives are crimes.' She called for the end of 'this evil' as soon as possible and noted that 'in this evil, we are all guilty, and we are only recognized as criminals in turn.'