Beating and Hunger Strike of Sohila Hejaab in Kermanshah Women’s Prison
Hrana News Agency – Sohila Hejaab, a political prisoner held in the women’s ward of Kermanshah Reformatory and Rehabilitation Center, announced her hunger strike in a letter. This political prisoner was also beaten by prison guards on Monday, March 29, 2021, and was prevented from meeting with her family.
According to Hrana News Agency, the news organ of the Iranian Human Rights Activists Network, Sohila Hejaab, a political prisoner in the women’s ward of Kermanshah Reformatory and Rehabilitation Center, announced her hunger strike in a letter.
In part of her letter, she stated the reasons for her hunger strike as the influence of security agencies, prevention of her furlough, and lack of medical attention, saying “I have no choice but to resume my hunger strike.”
According to a source close to Ms. Hejaab’s family, on Monday, March 29, she was severely beaten by prison guards and, despite her family’s presence, was denied visitation rights.
The full text of Sohila Hejaab’s letter, which was provided to Hrana for publication, follows:
“All of us are in need of justice, at every age, period, and in every position. Have you ever heard anyone say that a country does not need justice? Justice is a concept that humanity has struggled to establish since the beginning of civilization, and one of the subjects for establishing laws in human social relations is the judiciary, which as an essential part of the country’s constitutional heritage, has a direct connection to the social and civil rights of the people.
The peace and psychological security of a society can be measured by assessing justice in the country’s judicial system. No human can be deemed guilty before a fair trial, and no country’s judicial system can deprive an accused of violating the social covenant of universal protection. We who were unjustly tried.
In accordance with Articles 38 and 39 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, two axes are emphasized. The prohibition of torture in obtaining confessions, testimony, or oaths is the second axis prohibiting degradation of the condemned and the accused. What is necessary is respect for individuals’ freedom in expressing their views. Resorting to coercion by any possible means is wrong and will cause irreparable damage to individuals’ mental and physical health.
Article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights also refers to the protection of privacy and family life. Article 18 of the Islamic Declaration of Human Rights in a statement which the Islamic government commits itself to, emphasizes this matter. But all these issues that have been addressed are all writing on paper. Because the country’s judicial system lacks independence, and interrogators of the IRGC’s intelligence and security agencies to whom the term judicial officer is applied, play a significant role both in suppressing the people and in issuing tyrannical sentences and tolerating illogical and vulnerable statements.
In Iran’s judicial system, judicial officers have absolute authority, resulting in the deprivation of citizens’ freedom and gross violations of human rights, and no standardization has been formed to regulate the conduct of judicial officers. This does not prevent arbitrary interference and the complicated and dark negligence of the interrogator. To date, I have met with 17 senior judicial officials in prison. I have had many conversations with Ansieh Khazaeli, advisor to Ibrahim Raisi on women’s affairs, and Mr. Moghadesi Far, advisor to the head of the judiciary on political and security prisoners, and with the prosecutor and head of Tehran’s judiciary and the secretary of the judiciary’s human rights office. In this regard, I have repeatedly spoken about reducing the pressures of intelligence and security agencies, and the common ground among all the above personalities was that I am a peace-loving person. However, the security pressures continued, and I have gone on hunger strikes many times, as a result of which these hunger strikes have caused serious damage to the health of my internal organs, and every time I have gone on a hunger strike, I have ended it due to many promises from numerous officials.
Again, I request that the judicial opinion of the head of the judiciary, which you published in September 2021 in the media regarding reducing the interference and influence of judicial officers, be pursued. The interference and intervention of interrogators from intelligence and security agencies, pressures, threats, and file-making against members of my family have led to the collapse of the family institution and the private lives of people and family members, and have caused irreparable damage to my family. I emphasize that the physical and mental health of my mother, especially her eyes, is in complete danger of blindness. All of the above matters, according to the opinion of the forensic medicine and specialists in neurology, cardiology, and ophthalmology, require treatment outside prison, but due to the influence of intelligence agencies, I have been prevented from receiving medical furlough. Therefore, I have no choice but to resume my hunger strike.”
Sohila Hejaab was arrested by security forces in June 2019 and was released from Evin Prison on March 15, 2020, upon posting a 3 billion tomans bail pending the completion of legal proceedings.
Branch 28 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Mohammad Moghisseh, convicted her of charges including “propaganda against the system, assembly and conspiracy, disturbing public peace with intent to riot, and forming an illegal group.” With the application of Article 134, the most severe punishment of 5 years imprisonment is applicable to her. Ms. Hejaab was arrested on June 24, 2020, after her sentence was confirmed by Branch 36 of Tehran Province’s Court of Appeals and was transferred to Qarchak Prison in Varamin to serve her sentence. She was later transferred from Qarchak Prison to Sanandaj Prison and on January 7, 2022, was transferred to Kermanshah Reformatory and Rehabilitation Center.
Hrana previously reported on the beating of Sohila Hejaab by the prison’s security chief and threats of file-making and her re-exile. Sohila Hejaab was summoned to Branch 2 of the Kerman Prosecutor’s Investigation Office on February 5, 2022, regarding a file opened against her recently during her imprisonment. Ms. Hejaab refused to appear at the investigation session due to failure to observe the legal time interval between the date of notification and the date of summons and lack of access to a lawyer.
Source: Hrana
