The Father of Sepideh Gholian: They Did Not Show the Arrest Warrant and They Beat Us

A day after the re-arrest of Sepideh Gholian, a civil activist, her father stated that the arrest warrant was not shown and the reason for his daughter's detention, as well as her place of custody, remains unclear. Ms. Gholian and her brother, Mehdi Gholian, were arrested on Sunday morning, January 30, following the broadcast of the program "Burnt Design" on Iranian television. This television program included "confessions" from Sepideh Gholian and Ismail Bakhshi, representatives of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers, regarding the workers' protests at the company. Ms. Gholian, who was arrested on November 27 alongside Ismail Bakhshi during a nearly month-long strike by the Haft Tappeh workers, had stated that she was willing to testify in court about the torture she and Bakhshi experienced during detention. She also considered the broadcast of "Burnt Design" as further evidence of her torture during detention and stated that she would pursue the matter more seriously. In an interview with Radio Farda, Khodarahm Gholian, Sepideh's father, mentioned that during the month Sepideh was imprisoned at the Intelligence Department of Ahvaz, she was severely tortured, resulting in significant weight loss. He noted that in the "Burnt Design" program aired on television, the left side of her body was injured and bruised. He added that upon her release, Sepideh was warned that if she spoke out, they would 'turn her to ashes.' He also mentioned that a letter regarding the torture was written for forensic examination but she was not taken to the forensic office, and although a complaint was filed, no action was taken. The Tasnim news agency described Ms. Gholian as one of the 'agents of infiltration in the labor community' and reported that her brother was also arrested due to 'assault by female judicial agents.' Reports indicated that the number of agents dispatched to arrest Sepideh and Mehdi Gholian was between two to three, but Khodarahm Gholian stated that the number was actually 10 to 12. After his son prevented them from entering their home, they 'attacked him and beat him, and then took him away without shoes and with handcuffs and shackles, throwing him in the trunk of the car.' He recounted that Sepideh was also taken away like his son, beaten, and handcuffed. When asked whether the agents had a judicial warrant, Mr. Gholian replied, 'They showed no judicial warrant. When I asked to see the warrant, they said it was none of your business and beat me and my wife.' Khodarahm Gholian emphasized that his daughter was arrested for her activism on behalf of workers and their wages. He noted that no one has been accountable in any office or organization he has approached, and they all say they have no information. According to Khodarahm Gholian, 'only my son has contacted me and said he does not know where she is being held.' In this context, the Tasnim news agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, referred to Sepideh Gholian as an 'accomplice' of Ismail Bakhshi, stating that the documentary aired against them was 'evidence of their organizational and criminal actions to incite protests and strikes among the labor community.' The film "Burnt Design" was aired in a context where the broadcast of 'confessions' of security and political detainees in Iran has a history, and many of them have stated after their release that they were forced to make 'forced confessions.' Iranian officials have consistently denied the use of torture in prisons, but human rights organizations have rejected their statements.