Intensification of Security Pressure on Political and Labor Activists
Within two days, a signatory of a petition calling for Khamenei’s resignation and the sister of Noshin Jafari were arrested, and four labor activists were handed prison sentences. A parliamentary representative describes young women receiving heavy prison terms compared to embezzlement sentences as “regrettable.”
Kamal Jafari Yazdi, a political activist residing in Mashhad, was arrested on the evening of Friday, September 31st. He is one of 14 people who, in June 2019, sent a letter to the leader of the Islamic Republic calling for his resignation and constitutional reform. Human rights sources have stated that the arrest of this university professor was carried out in the presence of 15 security officers, and his detention location is unknown.
Parvin Mohammadi, deputy chair of the Free Union of Iranian Workers, along with Alireza Ghaffari and Hale Safarzadeh, members of the Labor Rights Defenders Forum, have each been sentenced to one year in prison. These three, who were arrested on March 26, 2019, along with others at “Jahan Nama” park in Karaj and released on bail 15 days later, have received these sentences on charges of propaganda against the system.
Mohammad Ali Jedari Farougi, the lawyer of Ms. Mohammadi, announced that he will appeal the ruling of the first branch of Karaj Revolutionary Court, arguing that professional union activities cannot fall under Article 500 of the Islamic Penal Code and constitute “propaganda against the system.”
Atefeh Rangriz, a women’s and labor rights activist, has been sentenced to 11 years and six months imprisonment and 74 lashes according to a ruling by branch 28 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court. She is among 35 people arrested during a gathering on International Workers’ Day in front of parliament. Of this group, Ms. Rangriz, Neda Naji, and Marzieh Amiri remain in detention. The court had previously set a bail of 2 billion tomans for Atefeh Rangriz’s release, but her family could not afford such an amount.
On Sunday, Shahrzad Jafari, the sister of Noshin Jafari, a theater and film photographer, was also arrested. Noshin Jafari was arrested about a month earlier on charges of “propaganda against the system” and “insulting the Prince of Martyrs.” Shahrzad Jafari had been asked not to share information about her sister. Shahrzad Jafari’s last tweet was a retweet of an interview with the head of the Bar Association, Amir Raissian, a legal counsel, regarding the right to legal representation for Noshin Jafari, dated September 31st.
Coinciding with this arrest, 200 members of the theater, film, and arts community issued a statement calling for a fair trial in Noshin Jafari’s case and expressing concern about her detention conditions.
“Passionate Young Women and Embezzlers”
Meanwhile, Parvane Salehshouri, a member of parliament’s cultural commission, has requested that the Ministry of Intelligence, the judiciary, and the judicial branch view Marzieh Amiri, Atefeh Rangriz, and Noshin Jafari as young people who, in the fervor of youth, resort to protest.
Salehshouri said in parliament on Sunday, September 10th, that these days young women in prisons are crying out for justice, who, despite the definition of social freedom in Article 27 of the constitution, have been imprisoned for workers’ professional demands: “Some of the imprisoned individuals were released after a period, but others still remain in prison. Recently, the sentences of Marzieh Amiri and Atefeh Rangriz were announced, with very heavy sentences imposed on them—10 or 11 years of imprisonment along with lashing simply for participating in a street protest. It is regrettable that for embezzlers like the defendant Samin al-Hajj, only 15 years are sentenced. This is Islamic justice.”
Parvane Salehshouri added that despite the hopes created by Ibrahim Raisi’s appointment as head of the judiciary, sentences are being repeated that previous heads of the judiciary had in mind. The “Khaneh-ye Mellat” website, citing this member of the cultural commission, writes: “A young photographer named Noshin Jafari has been imprisoned and is in prison, and her cry for justice has echoed in cyberspace.”
Security measures in recent weeks against citizens and activists are occurring while not all arrests, threats, or summonses become public or media matters. According to many observers and analysts, the message of this new wave is that disobedience and protest carry heavier costs than before; however, this approach is more indicative of desperation and weakness than a sign of strength.
Source: DW
