UN Reporters Express Concern Over Situation of Atena Daemi and Golrokh Iraee
Four senior UN human rights reporters have expressed concern about reports of beatings and inhumane treatment of Atena Daemi and Golrokh Iraee, imprisoned civil activists, and have warned about the situation of human rights advocates in Iran.
UN experts stated on March 19 in a statement that Ms. Daemi and Iraee were transferred from Evin Prison to the city of Rey following the release of reports about inhumane treatment toward them.
UN observers say these two civil activists were beaten by prison guards and then sent to a general ward.
These four individuals stated that they attempted to discuss this matter with Iranian authorities, but these efforts have been unsuccessful.
They emphasized that the case of these two human rights activists is an example of an ongoing pattern of harassment, intimidation, and imprisonment of those who work to defend human rights and support ideological prisoners in Iran.
This statement was released by Michel Forst, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, Dubravka Šimonović, Rapporteur on violence against women, David Kaye, Rapporteur on freedom of expression and opinion, and Nils Melzer, UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman treatment.
Tehran authorities have not yet responded to this statement.
Two weeks earlier, Amnesty International criticized the detention conditions of Atena Daemi and Golrokh Iraee and called for their immediate and unconditional release. Amnesty International stated that Ms. Daemi and Ms. Iraee are being held in unsuitable and unhygienic conditions and their access to the outside is limited.
It is reported that Ms. Iraee was on hunger strike for more than a month, but prison authorities connected her to intravenous feeding without her consent.
Ms. Ebrahimi Iraee was accused of insulting sacred values for writing an unpublished story about stoning. She also faced charges of propaganda against the system and was sentenced to a total of six years imprisonment.
Atena Daemi was also sentenced to 14 years imprisonment on charges of “propaganda against the system, assembly and conspiracy against national security, insulting the leadership, insulting the founder of the Islamic Republic, and concealing evidence of crime,” which was reduced to half on appeal. According to reports, these charges were brought against Ms. Daemi due to her peaceful human rights activities and relate to the distribution of pamphlets opposing execution and her Facebook and Twitter posts criticizing executions in Iran.
Source: Radio Farda
