Atena Daemi's father says the new prison sentence for his daughter is only intended to bring the imprisoned civil activist to her knees.
The father of Atena Daemi, a civil activist imprisoned in Evin Prison, reacts to the issuance and notification of a 2-year prison sentence for his son, saying that all this pressure is just to bring his daughter to her knees, and emphasizes, "Where is Atena's crime and where is the crime of those who embezzle billions in Iran?"
Hossein Daemi told VOA on Thursday, July 3, about the new sentence for his daughter, saying that the sentence is the sixth case of the imprisoned civil activist that has been reopened during her imprisonment. He said that Atena Daemi was sentenced to a total of 2 years in prison and 74 lashes in a five-minute trial held for her on Sunday, July 24, at Branch 24 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Amuzadeh, on charges of “propaganda against the system” and “disturbing prison order.”
The father of the imprisoned civil activist told VOA that the charge of "propaganda against the regime" in the issued sentence, publishing a letter from inside the prison, and holding a sit-in in the prison in connection with those killed in November 2019 and in support of the families of those killed, was an example of the charge of "disturbing prison order"; a sit-in that was held with Narges Mohammadi, a journalist and human rights defender, and several other prisoners.
Referring to the hasty issuance of a verdict for this imprisoned civil activist, Hossein Daemi emphasized that it can be said with confidence that justice is not being served in Iranian courts, but rather, "the case is filed in the prosecutor's office through an investigator or judicial officers, a predetermined verdict is issued there, that verdict is sent to the branch, and the verdict is announced by the judge."
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, her other 2-year and 1-month prison sentence on the charge of "insulting the leadership", which dates back to 2018 and was issued to her on September 4, 2019, by Branch 36 of the Tehran Provincial Court of Appeal, will be implemented from Sunday, July 5. He also noted that Atena Daemi has another case for which an order has been issued, but it has not reached the court stage, and the family is currently waiting for its outcome.
In an interview with Voice of America, Mr. Daemi declared the physical condition of the imprisoned civil activist to be inadequate and, referring to the outbreak of the coronavirus in Iran, said that she should be sent to a hospital outside the prison for treatment, but in this situation, the family only wants Atena's release and is not satisfied with her being released from the ward for treatment and transferred to a hospital outside the prison, even for an hour, because the conditions are such that she may contract the coronavirus.
The release of some prisoners began on Wednesday, March 27, with the issuance of a 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 such charges have sentences of more than 5 years.
At the end of his interview with VOA, Mr. Daemi emphasized Atena’s innocence and called for her release from prison, saying that his daughter “has not committed any crime. She has not embezzled, stolen, or committed any crime. Atena is a protester and has been imprisoned for her beliefs and her protests for the people, child labor, the instability of the country, executions, and opposition to other issues that are prevalent in our country. And all this pressure that is being put on her is only to bring her to her knees. But she remains steadfast and strong in her beliefs and convictions.”
The US State Department has repeatedly and on various occasions condemned the violent confrontations and widespread repression of protesters, as well as the repeated and persistent violations of the rights of Iranian citizens by the ruling regime in that country.
Source: Voice of America
