Human Rights Watch calls for immediate release of human rights activist Golrokh Iraei
Human Rights Watch called on the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran to immediately release Golrokh Iraei, a imprisoned human rights activist who is hospitalized.
A statement published on Human Rights Watch's website on Tuesday, April 11, said that Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraei was transferred from prison to a hospital on April 3, 2020, apparently due to medical complications stemming from her hunger strike, and authorities allowed her family to visit her six days later.
Human Rights Watch has called Ms. Iraei's trial unfair, saying that she was sentenced to six years in prison three years ago "on charges that were solely related to her peaceful activities."
“Iranian authorities appear to feel so threatened by human rights defenders that they imprison them for years,” said Sarah Lee Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Iran should listen to human rights defenders’ demands for greater rights and freedoms for all citizens rather than worsening prison conditions,” she added.
In January of this year, Iranian judicial authorities transferred Ms. Iraei and Atena Daemi, another human rights defender, from Evin Prison in Tehran to Qarchak Prison in Varamin, which is known to have worse conditions than Evin. Daemi and Iraei’s families reported that the two activists went on strike on February 13 to protest their transfer from Evin. Ms. Daemi ended her hunger strike 23 days later, but Iraei continued her strike until she was transferred to the hospital on February 4.
According to Human Rights Watch, on April 10, Iranian authorities finally allowed Golrokh Iraei’s father to visit her in a hospital in Tehran. The visit lasted about an hour, and it was clear that Iraei had lost a lot of weight.
Golrokh Iraei was sentenced to 3 years in prison on charges of writing an unpublished story in which she condemned the punishment of stoning.
The Middle East director of Human Rights Watch has said that there is no evidence that Ms. Iraei committed a crime and that keeping her behind bars is illegal.
Earlier, Amnesty International had also issued a statement calling for the release of Golrokh Iraei and Atena Daemi. Golrokh Iraei's husband, Arash Sadeghi, is also serving his sentence in Gohardasht Prison in Karaj.
Source: Voice of America
