“Chekameh Chaman-Mah”: Since My Return to the Homeland, I Haven’t Had a Single Day of Peace
Chekameh Chaman-Mah posted a message stating: “Since the moment I returned to my homeland, I haven’t had a single day of peaceful life.”
Chekameh Chaman-Mah, a theater and cinema actress, returned to Iran from Turkey in July of this year. However, according to her statements, since her entry into Iran, she has been subjected to harassment and mistreatment by intelligence agencies.
On Tuesday, March 5, she published an image of a court summons on her Instagram page, which indicated her summons to Branch 9 of the Interrogation Department of the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office for Culture and Media, without any mention of charges. According to the summons, she must appear at the prosecutor’s office accompanied by a lawyer, and in case of non-appearance, she will be arrested.
She wrote in a message: “My love for my homeland and longing for my country prompted me to return to Iran. While government officials constantly speak about the return of Iranians living abroad, since the moment I returned to my homeland, I haven’t been allowed to live even a single day in peace. Upon my arrival, they confiscated my passport at Tehran airport and announced that I am banned from leaving the country. After that, intelligence agencies have repeatedly interrogated me without any court order. On several occasions, I even faced mistreatment and insulting behavior.”
She had previously announced that she would not attend any session without a court order being presented. Chekameh Chaman-Mah stated: “I am confident that I have committed no crime, but despite no charges being mentioned in the summons, I will appear at the Culture and Media Prosecutor’s Office accompanied by my lawyer.”
Chekameh Chaman-Mah’s summons to the prosecutor’s office and her statements regarding harassment by intelligence agencies come at a time when Islamic Republic officials have repeatedly encouraged artists abroad to return to Iran. However, previously, another artist who had been active outside of Iran and later returned was subjected to harassment, mistreatment, and detention.
