Prison Sentences for Political Detainees in Iran; Two Dual-National Citizens Each Sentenced to 10 Years Imprisonment
Nahid Taghavi, an Iranian-German citizen imprisoned in Iran, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of participation in an illegal group.
France Presse news agency, citing Maryam Klaren, the daughter of Ms. Taghavi, reported that her 66-year-old mother has been sentenced to “10 years imprisonment for membership in an illegal group” and “eight months in prison for propaganda activities against the system.”
Maryam Klaren told Voice of America that her mother has denied all charges against her and is imprisoned because of her beliefs and thoughts.
Nahid Taghavi was arrested in her apartment in Tehran last September. She has been active in human rights work for years, focusing on women’s rights and freedom of expression.
According to Maryam Klaren, Ms. Taghavi is being held in Evin Prison and contracted coronavirus last month. Ms. Taghavi’s daughter has repeatedly warned about her mother’s health, who suffers from conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. She has appeared in the Revolutionary Court several times.
Mostafa Nili, a lawyer, announced on his Twitter account that in addition to Ms. Taghavi’s prison sentence, a similar sentence has been issued for Mehran Raouf, an Iranian-British citizen, on similar charges.
Currently, in addition to Nahid Taghavi and Mehran Raouf, several dual-national citizens including Siamak and Baquer Namazi, Kamran Ghaderi, Masoud Messahar, and Anousheh Ashouri are imprisoned in Iran.
Mr. Nili also reported the issuance of six years of punitive imprisonment for two other political detainees named Samiah Kargar and Bahareh Soleimani on charges of participation in running an illegal group, and eight months of punitive imprisonment for propaganda activities against the system.
Nazanin Mohammadi, a 33-year-old writer and poet who was arrested in December 2020, has also been sentenced to two years and eight months of punitive imprisonment on similar charges, and eight months of punitive imprisonment for propaganda activities against the system. Details of the charges against these individuals have not yet been released.
Source: Voice of America
