Latest status of Atena Daemi in conversation with her father; Seventh case filed against this imprisoned civil activist

The father of Atena Daemi, a civil activist imprisoned in Evin Prison, says that this is the seventh case and currently the most recent case that has been filed against this political prisoner.

Hossein Daemi, the father of imprisoned civil activist Atena Daemi, told Voice of America on Monday, June 19, that the imprisoned civil activist was sent from the women's ward of Evin Prison to Branch 2 of the Evin Prison Prosecution without the presence of her defense lawyer on Sunday, June 8, and charged with "disturbing prison order by chanting slogans against the Islamic Republic on the night of February 19, 2019," a charge that Atena Daemi has denied.

The father of the imprisoned civil activist told VOA that Ms. Daemi's defense attorney has approached the judicial authorities to investigate the case, but because the case is in the initial investigation stage, he has not received a response, and the attorney is scheduled to approach the prosecutor's office to perhaps be granted permission to enter the case this time.

According to Hossein Daemi, another case has been opened against Atena Daemi, but to date, despite a court session, no verdict has been issued by the judicial authorities and it has been announced that this case is being processed due to a defect in the file. He says that this is despite the fact that this civil activist was arrested on October 19, 2014 and has served her 5-year prison sentence since December 20, 2016, without even a single day of leave.

According to available information, Atena Daemi's 5-year prison sentence will end on July 4. However, according to the father of this imprisoned civil activist, after that, her sentence of 2 years and one month in prison on the charge of "insulting the leadership", which was issued to her on September 4, 2019 by Branch 36 of the Tehran Provincial Court of Appeal, will be implemented.

Referring to the numerous illnesses of this imprisoned civil activist, including multiple sclerosis and tremors in the hands and feet, for which she must be transferred to a hospital outside the prison for treatment, Mr. Daemi says that before the outbreak of the coronavirus, it was decided, with much deliberation and with the approval of the deputy prosecutor supervising prisons, that Ms. Daemi would be sent to a hospital outside the prison; however, with the outbreak of the virus, her transfer to the hospital was canceled, and even despite the judiciary's circular issued in early March of last year following the outbreak of the coronavirus and its spread in Iranian prisons, she was not granted leave or conditional release.

The release of some prisoners began on Wednesday, March 27, with the issuance of a new circular by the head of the judiciary, according to which a limited leave order has been issued for a group of prisoners sentenced to imprisonment, subject to certain conditions. One of the provisions of that circular states that those political prisoners who have been sentenced to more than 5 years in prison on charges of “acting against national security” “are exempt from being sent on leave.” This is despite the fact that most political prisoners on the charges have sentences of more than 5 years.

In an interview with Voice of America, Hossein Daemi expressed concern about the spread of the coronavirus in Evin Prison, saying that given the nearing end of his daughter’s five-year prison sentence, he was expected to be released according to the judiciary’s directive, but she was neither released nor granted leave. Mr. Daemi said that his daughter “is still in prison, and other prisoners who had been sent on leave have returned to prison.”

Describing the health situation in Evin Prison, Atena Daemi's father said, "The prison [Evin] does not have the necessary health facilities, nor a hospital, clinic, or laboratory where our children can go for testing to determine whether or not they have been infected with this virus."

At the end of his interview with VOA, Mr. Daemi emphasized that in the current situation, "our children are in danger, the families of the prisoners want their children's freedom, and we are asking the authorities to release Atena. She does not deserve prison, she is a civil and human rights activist, her concern is humane and for free people, and there is no need for her to be in prison."