Two Human Rights Organizations Call for an End to Mistreatment of Narges Mohammadi

Two human rights organizations have described the Iranian government's treatment of Narges Mohammadi, the imprisoned vice president of the Center for Human Rights Defenders, as "cruel" and have called for an end to such behavior. Hadi Ghaemi, the executive director of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, stated on Tuesday, October 20, that "the fact that she has been chained to a hospital bed and denied appropriate medical care is cruel." According to the campaign's website, Ghaemi emphasized that "all those who deal with Iran should explicitly demand the immediate release of Narges Mohammadi." Reports indicate that Narges Mohammadi was transferred to the hospital on Sunday, October 10, after suffering from "seizures" in Evin Prison and was hospitalized with a few days delay in following the "orders of specialist doctors." The Center for Human Rights Defenders reported on Friday, October 15, that they protested the conditions of their imprisoned vice president in the hospital, including her being bound to the bed, and that Ms. Mohammadi had experienced "severe seizures three times" in the hospital. Meanwhile, Taghi Rahmani, Ms. Mohammadi's husband, stated on Tuesday in an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that "one female officer is in the room and two male officers are present 24 hours a day" outside her room. He reported that Ms. Mohammadi is "banned from receiving visitors" and that "only" on Sunday "her sister was allowed to visit her for ten minutes." Reports indicate that Narges Mohammadi has not been allowed to contact her children, who currently live in France with their father, for over 90 days. The Human Rights Defender Support Monitoring Program also condemned the "cruel and inhumane" treatment of Narges Mohammadi in a statement. The program, which is a joint initiative of the International Federation for Human Rights and the World Organization Against Torture, stated that Ms. Mohammadi is being held in "arbitrary detention" by Iranian authorities. Meanwhile, Abdolkarim Lahiji, the president of the International Federation for Human Rights, said: "The inhumane act of chaining Ms. Mohammadi to a hospital bed and the continued judicial harassment and violation of her human rights appears to be solely aimed at punishing her and her family for her human rights activities." Gerald Stabroek, the Secretary-General of the World Organization Against Torture, also emphasized that "Iranian authorities must end their cruel and humiliating treatment of Ms. Mohammadi." He called for the UN working group on arbitrary detention, which has "received a formal complaint regarding Ms. Mohammadi," to provide an opinion on this matter immediately. Previously, the Center for Human Rights Defenders, led by Shirin Ebadi, had pointed out two of Ms. Mohammadi's illnesses, "pulmonary embolism" and "muscular paralysis," stating that these conditions are exacerbated in the prison environment and "can endanger the patient's life." Reports indicate that Narges Mohammadi has suffered from neurological diseases since 2010 after being held in solitary confinement in Ward 209. Ms. Mohammadi was arrested at her home on May 4 of this year, just two days after her court hearing was postponed in Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court. She was also initially sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2011 on charges of "collusion and conspiracy against national security," "propaganda against the regime," and "membership in the Center for Human Rights Defenders," but this sentence was reduced to six years in December of that year. Ms. Mohammadi was transferred to Evin Prison and then to Zanjan Prison to serve her sentence in 2012, but due to illness, she was released on bail of 600 million tomans in August 2012.