Vida Rabani's Letter from Evin: The Gap Between Arrest and Judicial Delivery Can Be Filled with Any Violence

Vida Rabani, a journalist and imprisoned human rights activist, in a letter from Evin Prison published on the Instagram account of Narges Mohammadi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and her fellow inmate, emphasized the importance of respecting the civil rights of prisoners, stating: "The gap between arrest and delivery of the accused to the judiciary is a chasm that can be filled with any violence." In this letter, published on Wednesday, July 31, she informed about the difficult conditions of three women prisoners in Evin, one of whom has received a death sentence and two others face similar dangers. She referred to the death sentence for her fellow inmate, Pakhshan Azizi, and wrote about her torture and abuse: "When Pakhshan's head was smashed against the wall, she was merely a life stripped of dignity and human rights, and the law did not defend her, but that same legal authority now recognizes her as a citizen and deems her deserving of execution." Rabani noted the violence inflicted on female prisoners and the issuance of death sentences for them in court, writing: "Women who have been stripped of their rights are now recognized as citizens so they can be taken to court and the heaviest possible sentence, namely death, can be issued against them." Pakhshan Azizi, a political prisoner previously accused of 'rebellion,' has been sentenced to death by the Islamic Revolutionary Court. Since early July, she has been deprived of visits and contact with her family by the order of Evin Prison authorities. Azizi had previously written a letter titled 'Concealment of Truth and Its Alternative,' published by the Hengaw Human Rights Organization, detailing her arrest and torture by security agencies. She wrote that she was repeatedly subjected to hanging during interrogations, dragged 10 meters to the bottom of the earth, and brought back out, being considered socially defeated and broken. This political prisoner is accused of 'membership in opposition groups,' an accusation she has always denied. In her letter, Rabani also mentioned the imminent execution of two other prisoners, Nasim Simiyari and Varisheh Moradi. Rabani stated: "Nasim Simiyari spent several months in a safe house of the Revolutionary Guards and in a state of abandonment and deprivation of legal rights." According to what Rabani heard, Simiyari spent several months in the Revolutionary Guards' 'safe house' in a state of abandonment and deprivation of legal rights. Rabani mentioned that through conversations with this prisoner, she learned that during this period, under pressure to confess, Simiyari would lose consciousness from pain and weakness. Nasim Gholami Simiyari, born in 1988, was arrested by the Revolutionary Guards' intelligence agents on May 17 last year and transferred to the women's section of Evin Prison. After five months of detention, she was charged with 'conspiracy and collusion, propaganda against the regime, and rebellion.' Recently, 'Hengaw' reported, citing a close friend of Simiyari, that she was subjected to psychological and physical torture during her detention, and forced confessions were obtained in front of a camera; confessions that were dictated to her and forcibly taken verbally by the interrogator. Varisheh Moradi was also arrested by the security forces of the Islamic Republic on July 31 last year in the suburbs of Sanandaj. On December 25 of the same year, after the interrogation process was completed, she was transferred from the Ministry of Intelligence's detention center known as Ward 209 of Evin Prison to the women's section of this prison. An informed source close to this political prisoner told Hengaw that she suffers from multiple illnesses, including joint and back pain, and has difficulty walking. However, she has not received specialized medical attention. According to reports from human rights organizations, the Iranian authorities have intensified the repression of activist women and human rights defenders following the nationwide protests over the death of Mahsa Amini in custody of the morality police in 2022, known as 'Women, Life, Freedom,' and have resorted to harsher methods and heavier sentences to silence dissenters and those with differing opinions. The Islamic Republic's treatment of protesters, including in prisons, has drawn widespread criticism from activists and human rights organizations. In this regard, the Persian section of Voice of America, in investigations conducted over the past few weeks, found evidence of assault, rape, and sexual abuse of several male and female detainees in detention centers and prisons of the Islamic Republic in several northern cities of Iran. Voice of America's exclusive report was published in three parts. Political prisoners in Qezel Hesar emphasized the continuation of 'No to Execution Tuesdays'; eight female prisoners in Rasht joined the hunger strike. The Revolutionary Court prevented Pakhshan Azizi, a political prisoner sentenced to death, from meeting with her lawyers. The deteriorating physical and mental condition of Saman Yasin; he is transferred to the medical facility of Qezel Hesar Prison every day. Narges Mohammadi: Political and ideological female prisoners in Evin will gather in the prison yard until Monday morning. The second session of the trial of eight accused of 'rebellion'; Iran Human Rights Organization: The international community should respond to Pakhshan Azizi's death sentence. Users' reactions to the death sentence for Pakhshan Azizi: They are taking revenge on female activists in the most brutal way. Yasamin Hashedari, a women's rights activist in Gilan province, was summoned and imprisoned without completing medical treatment. The condemnation of the death sentence for Sharifeh Mohammadi; dozens of former political activists and prisoners: The government wants to escape from crises. The UN Special Rapporteur found the threats by interrogators to 'rape and kill' six female prisoners in Iran concerning. Support from 16 political prisoners for Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor activist sentenced to death: The government wants to silence the voice of dissent.