A report on the latest situation of Atena Daemi and Golrokh Iraei in Qarchak Prison
Golrokh Iraei, a civil activist imprisoned in Qarchak Prison in Varamin, is still on a hunger strike after 28 days and is in poor physical condition; the prisoner, who is being held in quarantine in Qarchak Prison with Atena Daemi, has suffered from low blood pressure and a 10-kilogram weight loss. The two prisoners have been allowed to contact their families irregularly and at will by the authorities for about ten days now.
According to HRANA News Agency, the news agency of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, Golrokh Iraei, who had been on a hunger strike since February 4, 2017 to protest the violation of the law on the segregation of crimes and the illegal deportation from the women's ward of Evin Prison to Qarchak Prison in Varamin, is still continuing her hunger strike after 28 days.
Ms. Iraei had been on a dry strike (refraining from drinking liquids) for 6 days of this strike along with Atena Daemi.
A source familiar with the situation of these two prisoners said in an interview with HRANA: “Atena managed to contact her family today, Thursday, March 1, with the presence of officers by her side, and Golrokh’s physical condition is still not good. We are concerned about her condition. In addition to her poor physical condition, prison officials have told Atena a few days ago that she can only contact her family once a week and that she can only talk about her current situation and that she should not say anything else. They are still being held in the quarantine ward of Qarchak Prison and are also deprived of going out to eat or shopping at the store.”
This informed source also explained about Golrokh Iraei's condition: "Golrokh's condition is still not good and is getting worse day by day, and she has lost ten kilograms of weight to date. Her blood pressure is constantly dropping, and at the same time, she has been severely restricted; we are very worried about the condition of Golrokh and Athena. They have had no contact during these ten days, apart from limited contact today."
Following the interruption of phone calls between Atena Daemi and Golrokh Iraei last week, there have been many concerns about their health, especially Ms. Iraei, who is on a hunger strike. HRANA had previously reported in a report that the two civil society activists had their phone calls cut off.
The follow-up efforts of the families of these two civil society activists have not led to any concrete results; Qarchak Prison officials have merely confirmed that, on the orders of superiors, the two people's phone calls have been reduced to once a week. This issue, along with Ms. Iraei's ongoing strike and Ms. Daemi's poor health, has caused great concern.
In its previous report, HRANA had reported that Golrokh Iraei’s condition was critical. It is said that she, who was suffering from a serious illness even before being imprisoned, fell unconscious on the night of February 29, and that her medical care was limited to “splashing water on her face and slapping her.”
Despite the passage of time and the worsening condition of this prisoner, officials of the Prisons Organization and judicial institutions continue to pursue a policy of ignoring this prisoner's situation and legal demands, regardless of the consequences.
It is worth noting that these two civil society activists began a hunger strike in protest of their deportation to Qarchak Prison on February 4. On February 16, a group of female civil society activists published an open letter asking the two human rights activists to end the strike in order to preserve their "health." Although this request was accepted by Ms. Daemi, Ms. Iraei changed her strike from a dry strike to a wet strike (drinking liquids despite refusing to eat).
Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraei, a human rights defender, was arrested on September 6, 2014, along with her husband (Arash Sadeghi); she was then sentenced to 6 years in prison in May 2015 by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court on charges of insulting sacred places and propagandizing against the regime, a sentence that was confirmed by Branch 54 of the Court of Appeals without her presence.
Ms. Iraei was transferred to Evin Prison by security officers on November 25, 2016, without receiving a written summons, to execute the sentence.
This human rights activist was accused of blasphemy, citing an unpublished story criticizing stoning and considering stoning as a sacred act. Other examples of her accusations include revealing her hijab and promoting the practice of not wearing a headscarf by posting photos of her without a headscarf next to her husband on Facebook, opposing the qisas verdict, signing statements opposing the death penalty, participating in rallies in support of political prisoners, and meeting with political prisoners.
Ms. Ebrahimi Iraei, who previously suffered from a serious illness, was sent to prison without completing the full course of treatment and is now in need of medical attention.
Golrokh Iraei and Atena Daemi were deported from the women's ward of Evin Prison to Qarchak Prison in Varamin on February 24 of this year, along with beatings.
He is currently serving his sentence in prison. His sentence was reduced from 60 months to 30 months, taking into account the reduction in prison time for Nowruz.
Source: HRANA
