Golrokh Irayi Arrested by Ten Plainclothes Officers at Home Without Warrant

An informed source told the Human Rights Campaign in Iran that Golrokh Ebrahimi Irayi, a civil activist, was arrested at her residential home in Tehran on Saturday, the 18th of Aban. According to this source, at noon on Saturday, ten plainclothes male officers arrested Ms. Irayi without presenting any warrant. As of the time of writing this news, there is no information about her detention location.

Golrokh Irayi was released from prison on the 18th of Farvardin 1398 after completing her sentence, though this release occurred due to another case file opened against her in prison, with a bail of 60 million tomans. She was arrested on the 3rd of Aban 1395 without receiving a written summons by security forces at her home and was transferred to Evin Prison to serve her sentence. Subsequently, 30 months of this civil activist’s sentence were commuted, and her final sentence was reduced to two and a half years. Golrokh Irayi left Evin Prison on the 18th of Farvardin 1398 after completing her imprisonment. Due to having a second case file, at the time of her release she was forced to pay a bail of 60 million tomans to the court.

The informed source told the campaign: “We still don’t know whether this is a new case file opened because of Golrokh’s follow-ups regarding her husband’s situation, Arash Sadeghi, or due to a verdict issued for Golrokh’s recent case. Golrokh herself at the time of arrest did not know and contacted her family, saying they came to arrest her, but they neither presented a warrant nor an ID card nor explained the reason for this arrest.”

According to this source, “No one even feels obliged to provide a simple explanation, just as in Golrokh’s recent case, her verdict was confirmed by the appeals court without her or her lawyer being aware of when the appeals court was convened and having the opportunity to defend herself.”

In this new case file, which she shares with Atena Daemi, Golrokh Irayi has been definitively sentenced to three years and seven months imprisonment and two years deprivation of membership in social groups.

Golrokh Irayi and Atena Daemi were accused in a joint case of two charges—”propaganda against the system” and “insulting the leadership”—while they were serving their sentences in Evin Prison. Their primary court was held in Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court under the presidency of Judge Iman Afshari, and Branch 36 of the appeals court confirmed this verdict in full.

The basis of the charges against these two political prisoners was stated as “writing letters and statements from inside the prison” and “contacting foreign media,” and “insulting the leadership” through “singing songs after the execution of Zaniar Moradi, Loghman Moradi, and Ramin Hossein Panahi in the prison visiting room.”

Amir Raisiyan, Golrokh Irayi’s lawyer, told Ensaf News on Thursday, the 14th of Shahrivar that his client’s verdict was confirmed in full by the appeals court.

Amjad Hossein Panahi, the brother of Ramin Hossein Panahi who was executed on the 17th of Shahrivar 1397, wrote on his personal Twitter that “The case file of Atena and Golrokh was opened from the day of their protest against the execution of Ramin Hossein Panahi and Zaniar and Loghman Moradi. They were in Evin Prison at that time and while protesting, they sang songs in the visiting room in memory of these three executed activists.”

The informed source told the campaign that “based on a notice published on the Sana system, the date for executing her new case file sentence is the 1st of Dey, which is two and a half months away, and now we really don’t know what happened that ten plainclothes men rushed to Golrokh’s house and arrested her without presenting a warrant or explanation. This is like kidnapping. Golrokh’s only activity after her release was following up on Arash’s situation, and we don’t know if her arrest is related to this matter or not.”

The Sana system is the electronic judicial services offices system, submission and follow-up of petitions, complaints, declarations, appeals for retrial, and cassation belonging to the judicial system of the Islamic Republic.

Golrokh Irayi is the wife of Arash Sadeghi, a political prisoner who underwent surgery in Shahrivar 1397 and had a cancerous tumor removed from his right shoulder. Ms. Irayi described her husband’s condition as “dangerous” on Friday, the 26th of Mehr in an interview with the campaign and called for sending this political prisoner to a hospital outside the prison. Ms. Irayi had told the campaign that “Arash Sadeghi’s right hand has become infected, is completely non-functional, and must be under medical supervision outside of prison.”

Ms. Irayi is a civil activist who was previously sentenced to five years imprisonment for the charge of “insulting sanctities” through writing an unpublished story that was discovered during a search of their home by security forces. She was also sentenced to one year imprisonment for the charge of “propaganda against the system” through participation in various gatherings in front of Evin Prison and visiting political prisoners and families of those killed in 1388. This verdict was issued by Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court under the presidency of Judge Abolqasem Salwati and was confirmed in full by Branch 54 of the appeals court. According to Article 134 of the “Islamic Penal Code,” she would have to serve the maximum punishment, which included five years imprisonment for the charge of insulting sanctities.

Source: Human Rights Campaign