Sepideh Ghollian: Since October 19, I Have Not Eaten or Drunk Water
Sepideh Ghollian, a civil activist imprisoned in Qarchak Prison, stated in an audio file attributed to her that since Sunday, October 19, she has gone on a dry hunger strike in protest of judicial and security pressures on her family. This political prisoner has demanded the presence of a delegation from the judiciary in Qarchak Prison. Ms. Ghollian has been sentenced to 18 years imprisonment in connection with the case of protesting Haft Tappeh workers, of which seven years must be served according to Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code.
Sepideh Ghollian, born in 1995, is a civil activist from Ahvaz who was arrested on November 18, 2018, during several days of protests by workers at Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane Company in Khuzestan, along with Esmail Bakhshi, a labor activist, and several other workers. One month later, on December 27, 2018, she was released on a 500 million toman bail, but after Esmail Bakhshi, a representative of Haft Tappeh factory workers, posted about his torture during detention on Instagram and called on the Minister of Intelligence to be accountable, Sepideh Ghollian also tweeted about the torture of Esmail Bakhshi and herself and was arrested again on the morning of January 20, 2019. During Sepideh’s arrest, officers also arrested her brother Mehdi Ghollian. Mehdi Ghollian was released on February 1, 2019, on a 100 million toman bail from the Ahvaz detention center.
On the evening of January 19, a documentary titled “Burnt Design” was broadcast on IRIB’s Channel 20-30 news network, containing confessions by Esmail Bakhshi and Sepideh Ghollian on camera. In this program, they were introduced as being affiliated with groups opposed to the Islamic Republic.
In response to the broadcast of her confessions on television, Sepideh Ghollian demanded an open trial on Twitter: “The images of me that were broadcast are further evidence supporting my claims of being tortured during my detention. I will pursue my torture case more seriously than before, and now that my confessions have been broadcast, I demand my trial be held openly.” In a short video, she also spoke about the pressures during her interrogation, saying that interrogators repeatedly threatened and pressured her with “cables, the back of the neck, and hitting under the chair.”
In an audio file attributed to Sepideh Ghollian, published on social media by Shahid Alavi, a journalist, Ms. Ghollian reported continued harassment of her family and said: “I have been in detention for a year. Since I was arrested from the Haft Tappeh workers’ bus until now, I have faced various forms of harassment and abuse—from my brother Ismail’s arrest and his beating in front of me, to my own torture, my brother Mehdi’s arrest. I am truly exhausted. I have been on hunger strike for three days since October 19. I neither drink water nor eat food, and I cannot truly breathe. They took my sister yesterday and interrogated her. Her only crime is being my sister. They arrest my brother. His only crime is being my brother. I can no longer breathe here. No matter what I do, it is futile. I endure in silence, but it is futile. They don’t let me speak with my cellmates in Qarchak. They say I am inciting them.”
In this audio file dated October 30, Sepideh Ghollian said: “Since October 19, I have been on hunger strike. I neither drink water nor eat food. I just want a delegation from the judiciary to come and see why I cannot breathe. Whenever my family visits, something bad happens to them that makes me tell them not to come anymore. I am truly exhausted. I want people to know what they are doing to people in prison, what they are doing to us. I am tired. By God, I cannot take it anymore. Whatever I say, I will be patient. My patience is running out more and more, but why with family? Does that mean they won’t answer me? Does that mean they won’t speak to me? What can I do? Why doesn’t the Ahvaz intelligence office leave me and my family alone? I just want a delegation from the judiciary to come to Qarchak Prison and see what they are doing to me and other prisoners. I truly cannot take it anymore. How many years do I have left? All my hair has turned white since my arrest. I am tired now with my family. Why? They took my brother away. Now why my sister? How much threat? How much harassment and abuse? What did I do? What did I do at a workers’ gathering?”
Sepideh Ghollian’s reference to the summoning and interrogation of her sister, Samaneh Ghollian, relates to reports of her being detained for a few hours by the Ahvaz Intelligence Service. Previously, Mehdi Ghollian, Sepideh’s brother, was arrested at their home on January 20, 2019, by officers from the Ahvaz Intelligence Department and was charged with four counts. Mehdi Ghollian’s arrest was accompanied by severe beatings and insults from the officers. He was accused of charges such as assaulting judicial officials, refusing to comply with a court order, tearing up a judge’s order, and insulting judicial officials, from which he was acquitted.
The Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane Workers’ Syndicate announced on its Telegram channel on March 23, 2019, that the families of Esmail Bakhshi and Sepideh Ghollian had been summoned to the Shoosh Intelligence Department. According to this report, the Shoosh Intelligence Department, after summoning the families of these two prisoners, asked them not to communicate with the media, otherwise a case would be filed against “all family members.”
Sepideh Ghollian also went on a hunger strike on Tuesday, August 23, in protest of the inappropriate behavior of Qarchak Prison officers and her own uncertain situation.
