Daughter of Nahid Taghavi, dual national prisoner in Iran, says her mother has contracted coronavirus

Following reports of a recent outbreak of coronavirus in the women’s ward of Evin Prison, Maryam Claren, the daughter of Nahid Taghavi, a dual national prisoner in Iran, sent a text message to Voice of America stating that her mother has contracted the coronavirus.

Maryam Claren, daughter of Nahid Taghavi, an Iranian-German dual national prisoner in Evin Prison, sent a message to Voice of America saying that Ms. Taghavi’s coronavirus test came back positive in Evin Prison. She described her mother’s health condition as unfavorable and said she is suffering from fever, chills, and severe body aches.

Maryam Claren says that other prisoners in the women’s ward have not been tested for coronavirus. She continued in this letter to voice her demand for the immediate release of her mother and all political prisoners from prison and urgent medical care for them.

She says her mother suffered from diabetes before her arrest and has high blood pressure.

Maryam Claren told Voice of America that her mother’s life is in danger due to her infection with coronavirus.

She also added in this text sent to Voice of America that Rezzaneh Ahmadkhanbeigi, a civil activist prisoner in Evin Prison, has also gone on a hunger strike “in protest of the treatment of women prisoners during the coronavirus outbreak” and demanded “the immediate release of all women prisoners in Evin’s women’s ward.”

Ms. Claren also said on Tuesday, July 20, 2020, in an exclusive interview with Voice of America, that her mother described the prison conditions as unfavorable following the infection of Sepideh Kashani and Zeynab Hamrang with coronavirus.

She added that families of some prisoners visited Evin Prison and requested coronavirus testing for women prisoners, and after the coronavirus tests of Sepideh Kashani, Aliyeh Motallebzadeh, and Zahra Jamali in the women’s ward of Evin Prison came back positive, these individuals were granted leave on Monday, July 19. According to her, on the same day, Nahid Taghavi, Arzu Qasemi, and Rezzaneh Ahmadkhanbeigi were also transferred to the prison’s quarantine ward due to showing coronavirus symptoms after testing positive.

Nahid Taghavi was arrested in October 2020 by security forces following a search of her home and confiscation of some of her personal belongings, and was transferred to Evin Prison. She has appeared before the Revolutionary Court several times.