Mother of Narges Mohammadi: My Daughter Has No Security in Zanjan Prison
Ms. Azra Bazargan has written a letter to the head of the judiciary expressing concern about her sick daughter being held among those accused of ordinary crimes, the unsanitary conditions of the prison, and the dangers to her physical and mental health.
Narges Mohammadi’s mother wrote in this letter that her daughter has been threatened with sexual and physical harm by a prisoner accused of murder and theft: “My 90-year-old husband and I are concerned about our daughter’s physical and mental health, and we hereby declare this danger and hold the judiciary responsible for any incident that may occur.”
The letter states that Narges Mohammadi has no psychological security in a prison where crystal methamphetamine is easily available, and due to gastrointestinal problems, she cannot eat the prison’s high-calorie and fatty food.
Narges Mohammadi is currently serving her 16-year sentence. Six years of this sentence was issued due to propaganda against the system, and another 10 years for her activities in the “One Step at a Time to Abolish Execution” campaign. She, who had been imprisoned in Evin Prison since May 2015, was transferred to Zanjan Prison in December 2019, and her transfer to this prison was accompanied by physical violence by the head of Evin.
Zanjan Prison does not have a separate ward for holding ideological and political prisoners, and Ms. Mohammadi is living alongside ordinary prisoners, criminals, and drug addicts.
Her mother writes to Ibrahim Raisi: “This prison is at the lowest level of hygiene; utensils are washed in a dirty, old concrete pit inside the bathroom, and they do not even allow my daughter to purchase disinfectants at her own expense. Narges has suffered from digestive, nerve, and esophageal diseases under the pressure of lengthy interrogations and solitary confinement, and during her period of detention, she has undergone three major surgeries…”
Narges Mohammadi, vice president and spokesperson of the Human Rights Defenders Center, was transferred to Zanjan Prison after a sit-in at Evin Prison in solidarity with the victims of November protests. Security officials opened two new cases against her during this period, citing events during her detention as the reason.
The Zanjan Prosecutor’s Office introduced “publication of political statements, conducting educational classes, and protest sit-ins in the women’s ward” as evidence of the new charges.
Source: DW
