Temporary release of 6 political prisoners on heavy bail and end of Ebrahim Firoozi's sentence

A prisoner of conscience was released after his sentence was completed and six political prisoners were released on high bail on Saturday, November 25, from Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj, Evin prison in Tehran, and Qarchak prison in Varamin. Sepideh Gholian, Atefeh Rangriz, Marzieh Amiri, Sanaz Allahyari, Amir Amirgholi, and Amir Hossein Mohammadifard are the six political prisoners who were arrested in connection with the Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers' protests and were released today, Saturday, pending the trial and issuance of the final verdict.

Esmaeil Bakhshi, Neda Naji, and Asal Mohammadi, three other political prisoners who were arrested in connection with the Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers' protests, remain in prison.

Ebrahim Firoozi is a Christian convert who has been released from Rajai Shahr Prison after completing his sentence.

Sepideh Qolyan has been released on bail of 1.5 billion Tomans pending the final verdict of the Court of Appeals, despite having been on a hunger strike since Sunday, October 18, in protest of judicial and security pressures on her family and demanding the presence of a delegation from the judiciary in Qarchak Prison. Ms. Qolyan was sentenced to 18 years in prison by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court, headed by Judge Mohammad Moghiseh, in connection with the Haft Tappeh workers’ protest case, of which seven years must be served according to Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code. According to Heidari Manesh, Sepideh Qolyan’s lawyer, she is accused of gathering and colluding against national security, membership in the Gam group, propaganda activities against the regime, and spreading lies.

Atefeh Rangriz, a women's rights activist, has been on a hunger strike since Wednesday, October 14, in Qarchak Prison, Varamin, to protest the unfair process of handling her case, and has declared that "I will use my body as a weapon against injustice."

Atefeh Rangriz has been temporarily released on bail of one billion Tomans pending the verdict of the Court of Appeal. She is a master's student in sociology and a women's rights activist who was arrested on May 1, 2019, coinciding with International Labor Day, during a protest rally in front of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. She was sentenced to 11 years and 6 months in prison and 74 lashes by Mohammad Moghiseh, Judge of Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court, on charges of gathering and colluding against national security and disrupting public order.

Marzieh Amiri, a journalist for Shargh newspaper and a social sciences student at the University of Tehran, was also released from Evin Prison on a one billion toman bail pending the completion of the trial. Ms. Amiri was arrested on May 1, 2019, on the day of the labor protests in front of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, and was sentenced by Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Moghiseh, to 10 years and six months in prison and 148 lashes, of which 6 years in prison is enforceable under Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code.

Amir Hossein Mohammadifard, editor-in-chief of the student publication Gam, and Sanaz Alhayari, editorial board member of the student publication Gam, who were arrested at their home in Tehran on January 9, 2018, following protests by Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers, have been released from Evin Prison on bail of 850 million Tomans. Mr. Mohammadifard, editor-in-chief, and his wife, Ms. Alhayari, editorial board member of Gam, were arrested for covering labor protests, especially the Haft Tappeh sugarcane protests, and were each sentenced to 18 years in prison by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court, of which 7 years of each sentence are enforceable.

Sanaz Al-Hayari and her husband are accused of three charges: "associating with hostile groups and parties," "gathering and colluding against national security," and "forming a group with the intent to disrupt national security." In May 2019, their final defenses were taken from them at the Seventh Interrogation Branch of Evin Prison, but their trial date has not yet been determined.

Sanaz Al-Hayari, born in 1987, an economics graduate, was previously arrested again in March 2008 for her membership in the Freedom-Seeking and Equality Students Group (DAB) and was held in Evin Prison for 17 days. She was later sentenced to five years of suspended imprisonment by the Revolutionary Court on charges of acting against national security.

Amir Amirgholi, another member of the Gam magazine, which mainly covers labor news, has also been released from Evin Prison on bail of 1.5 billion Tomans pending the completion of the trial. He was arrested on January 9, 2018 and sentenced to 18 years in prison by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court.

Asal Mohammadi, another member of Gam magazine and a pharmacy student at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Tehran Azad University, a civil activist and pharmacy student at the Pharmaceutical Sciences Branch of Tehran Azad University, who was arrested during the protests of Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers and spent some time in the Ahvaz Information Detention Center, published on her Instagram page a story about the torture of Esmaeil Bakhshi and Sepideh Gholian and was re-arrested and is still in prison. Neda Naji, a civil activist and women's rights activist who was arrested during the International Labor Day protests, is still in prison. Jamal Ameli, Mrs. Naji's husband, has announced that Neda Naji's first trial will be held on November 12 in Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court.

Esmael Bakhshi, a worker at the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company, is also still in prison. He was arrested on November 18, 2018, during the 14th day of the Haft Tappeh workers’ massive protest, and was released on bail on December 11, 2018, pending his sentencing. On December 14, 2018, he posted on his Instagram page about the severe physical and mental torture he suffered during his 25 days of detention by the Ministry of Intelligence of the Hassan Rouhani government, and invited the Minister of Intelligence to a televised debate and to answer for what had happened to him. He was arrested again on January 20, 2018 and sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Ebrahim Firoozi, a Christian convert who was sentenced to 5 years in prison and 2 years in exile, was released from Rajai Shahr prison upon completion of his sentence. Mr. Firoozi, a 32-year-old woodworker and resident of Robat Karim, has been imprisoned three times on charges of converting to Christianity and holding religious meetings.

Source: Human Rights Campaign