Continuing repression of religious freedoms in Iran; preventing the release of Negin Ghadmian, a imprisoned Baha'i citizen
Negin Ghadamian, a Baha'i citizen imprisoned in Iran, who was arrested in late December 2017 and is serving her five-year sentence in Evin Prison, remains in prison despite the recent directive from the judiciary to temporarily release her or grant her leave.
An informed source told Voice of America on Wednesday, June 28, that this Baha'i citizen was sentenced to 5 years in prison by Judge Moghiseh, head of Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court, and has been in Evin Prison since late December 2017; however, despite the recent directive from the Judiciary, his release is still opposed and the authorities are preventing the release of this Baha'i citizen. Last December, the United States had sanctioned Judge Moghiseh for widespread human rights violations.
According to this informed source, Negin Ghadmian's family made many efforts to release this Baha'i citizen after the Judiciary issued a circular in late March last year by Ebrahim Raisi, the head of the Judiciary, due to the outbreak of the coronavirus and its spread in Iranian prisons; but without being given a convincing reason, the authorities have prevented his release, and the only thing the family is told is that "the prosecutor has not yet agreed."
These actions by the authorities are taking place despite the fact that, according to this informed person, the judge executing the sentences has repeatedly confirmed and emphasized that the above circular applies to Ms. Ghadmian and that she should have been released by today; however, the officials ignored the order of the head of the judiciary and Negin Ghadmian remains in illegal detention.
According to this informed person, the family of this prisoner of conscience has repeatedly requested a meeting with Judge Al-Qasi Mehr, the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor of Tehran, to inquire about his release status, but to date the family has not been allowed to meet, and the deputy prosecutors in these visits ultimately tell the family, "We sent him to the prosecutor's office, and he did not announce his final decision."
In late March of last year, Gholamhossein Esmaili, a spokesman for the judiciary, announced that around 10,000 prisoners serving sentences of less than five years in prison might be eligible for amnesty by the Leader of the Islamic Republic; however, the release of many prisoners of conscience, such as Negin Ghadamian, a Baha'i citizen, has so far been prevented.
This is not the first time that judicial authorities have failed to handle the case of this Baha'i citizen. According to this informed person, earlier, as the virus spread, when the family sought Ms. Ghadmian's leave, despite the statement of the deputy prosecutor supervising security crimes based at Evin Prison that she would be sent on leave, their follow-up efforts remained fruitless. Even when they approached the prosecutor's office to receive leave, the leave request letters were not registered, and the first deputy prosecutor was not even willing to receive the request letters.
This informed person told VOA that Negin Ghadmian's family is currently worried not only for Negin but also for all prisoners in Iranian prisons, as they have been faced with an inefficient system during this time. According to this informed person, despite the extremely limited facilities in Iranian prisons, the family of this chronic prisoner is also concerned about the spread of the coronavirus in the prison.
Negin Ghadamian, a Baha'i citizen imprisoned in Evin Prison, was arrested on December 16, 2017, and after some time, was sentenced in absentia by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court, headed by Judge Moghiseh, to 5 years in prison on charges such as illegal activities, membership in Baha'i organizations, acting against national security, and working in an educational institution; a sentence that was upheld by Branch 36 of the Revolutionary Court, headed by Judge Zargar Aina, despite the prisoner of conscience's appeal.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently said in a press conference: "We have asked not only Syria, but also the Islamic Republic of Iran to release not only American citizens, but all those who have been unjustly imprisoned in these circumstances. This is a humanitarian act, and apart from the fact that these people have been illegally imprisoned, in these circumstances the principle of humanitarianism dictates that they be released from prison."
The government authorities are preventing the release of this prisoner of conscience at a time when the spread of the coronavirus in Iran is not fully under control, and human rights news agencies are increasingly reporting on the spread of the virus in Iranian prisons. As of Wednesday, June 27, 2020, the Islamic Republic's authorities officially announced the death of 7,564 people, and the total number of infected people has reached 141,591.
This comes after a World Health Organization official previously said that the figures announced by Iranian authorities on coronavirus cases were only one-fifth of the actual number of infected people. The official figures on the number of infected and dead due to COVID-19 in Iran, China, and Russia cannot be verified by independent experts and cannot be considered reliable or final.
Previously, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom once again expressed concern about the state of religious freedom in Iran in its annual report. In the section on Iran, the annual report, published on Tuesday, May 29, stated that the Islamic Republic has increasingly targeted Muslim minorities, especially Sunnis and Dervishes, as well as followers of other religions and denominations, including Baha'is and Christians.
Source: Voice of America
