Saba Kordafshariˈs Hunger Strike in Qarchak Prison in Varamin
Saba Kordafshari, a civil activist imprisoned in Qarchak Prison in Varamin, began a hunger strike on Saturday, April 8, 2021. Kordafshari’s hunger strike is in protest against increased pressure on her family and other political prisoners, with demands for the release of her mother, Raheleh Ahmadi, a civil activist imprisoned in Evin Prison. Saba Kordafshari has previously suffered multiple episodes of gastrointestinal bleeding, which has heightened her family’s concerns about her health condition.
According to Hrana news agency, the news organ of the Human Rights Activists in Iran collective, on Saturday, April 8, 2021, Saba Kordafshari, a civil activist imprisoned in Qarchak Prison in Varamin, began a hunger strike.
Kordafshari’s hunger strike is in protest against increased pressure on her family and other political prisoners, and with the demand for the release of her mother, Raheleh Ahmadi, who has been sentenced to imprisonment for reporting on her daughter’s situation and is currently serving her sentence in Evin Prison. Saba Kordafshari has previously suffered multiple episodes of gastrointestinal bleeding, which along with her hunger strike has heightened her family’s concerns about her health condition.
Saba Kordafshari was previously granted a short-term furlough on March 5, 2021, upon posting bail, and returned to prison on March 12, 2021, when her furlough ended. Raheleh Ahmadi, Saba Kordafshari’s mother, also returned to Evin Prison on Saturday, March 12, 2021, when her furlough ended, after authorities refused her request to extend her leave for medical treatment. She had been granted medical furlough on December 15, 2020, upon posting bail. Ms. Ahmadi requires surgery for a herniated disc and a two-month recovery period following the operation.
Raheleh Ahmadi previously faced medical complications resulting from the stress following her daughter Saba Kordafshari’s transfer to Qarchak Prison in Varamin, and developed a herniated disc, requiring the use of a walker to move.
Saba Kordafshari is a civil activist and opponent of mandatory hijab. After her previous conviction, she was released from the women’s ward of Evin Prison in November 2018. She was arrested again by security forces at her home on June 2, 2019, and was transferred to prison after interrogations concluded. She was ultimately sentenced on September 5, 2019, by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari, to 15 years of imprisonment for the charge of “spreading corruption and obscenity through removing her hijab and walking without a hijab,” to 1 year and 6 months of imprisonment for the charge of “propaganda activities against the regime,” and to 7 years and 6 months of imprisonment for the charge of “gathering and conspiracy to commit a crime against national security,” for a total of 24 years of imprisonment along with other social deprivations. Due to multiple charges and previous record, one-half was added to each charge. Of this, 15 years of imprisonment was enforceable as the most severe punishment for her.
Saba Kordafshari’s conviction was ultimately revised following a judicial error correction in the trial that had caused her enforceable sentence to increase by two and a half times to 15 years of imprisonment, and with the application of the penalty reduction law, 7 years and 6 months of imprisonment will be enforceable for her.
Saba Kordafshari was born on July 7, 1998.
Raheleh Ahmadi was arrested on July 10, 2019, and after being informed of the charges at the prosecutor’s office, was initially transferred to quarantine at Qarchak Prison in Varamin and finally to the Intelligence Detention Center of the Revolutionary Guards at Evin Prison, known as Ward 2-A. Ms. Ahmadi was eventually returned to Qarchak Prison on July 11, 2019, following the completion of interrogations, and after several days, was temporarily released from prison upon posting bail of 700 million tomans until the conclusion of trial proceedings.
The court session to hear Raheleh Ahmadi’s charges was held on December 10, 2019, in Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari, and she was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months of imprisonment for the charge of “gathering and conspiracy against national security through cooperation with ‘hostile’ media outlets,” to 8 months of imprisonment for the charge of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic,” for a total of 4 years and 2 months of imprisonment. She was acquitted of the charge of “inciting corruption through removing her hijab in public places and distributing it in cyberspace.”
Of this amount, pursuant to Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, the most severe punishment of 3 years and 6 months of imprisonment for the charge of “gathering and conspiracy against national security through cooperation with ‘hostile’ media outlets” was enforceable for Ms. Ahmadi. This sentence was ultimately reduced to 2 years and 7 months of imprisonment with non-objection to the verdict and submission to the judgment.
Raheleh Ahmadi was ultimately arrested on February 16, 2020, after appearing at Branch 3 of the Execution of Sentences Office of the General and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in Tehran, and was transferred to Evin Prison to serve her sentence.
Source: Hrana
