Six-month to one-year prison sentences for women arrested in August; protest against reformists' silence
The judiciary has issued prison sentences of six months to one year for women arrested during the August protests. The families of those arrested in August this year announced in front of the Tehran City Theater that they had recently received sentences of six months to one year for their children. They are critical of the fact that some reformist media outlets have refused to publish news about their children.
Nationwide protests in August 2018 took place in various cities in Iran regarding high prices and inflation, and women were also present in these protests.
Yasman Ariani, 23, and Saba Kordafshari, 19, are among the women arrested, and Saba's mother announced her daughter's one-year sentence on her Instagram page.
Yasman Ariani, who had made her opposition to compulsory hijab public several times by posting videos before her arrest, posted a video of herself and several others inside a police van on Instagram at the time of her arrest. But some of the other detainees were simply protesting the status quo.
Yasmeen Ariani's mother also posted a video on Instagram criticizing the performance of journalists inside Iran in dealing with the issue of women's arrests in Iran.
He said that his daughter was arrested in front of the city theater while helping another woman who had been abused by police officers, and now she has been in custody for about 75 days.
It is said that the detainees were transferred from Qarchak Prison in Varamin to Evin Prison.
The families of those arrested on October 14 gathered several times in front of the Revolutionary Court, demanding the release of their children.
Over the years, the Iranian government has shown that it is not only harsh on these women but also on women's rights defenders by making widespread arrests and issuing harsh sentences against protesting women.
Farhad Meysami is one of these individuals who was arrested in August this year at his workplace for wearing badges with the slogan "I do not agree with compulsory hijab" and on charges of collusion and gathering with the intention of disrupting the country's security by inciting women to appear on the streets "bareheaded", propagandizing against the system, and insulting the hijab as one of the essential sanctities of Islam.
Also, prominent human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh was transferred to prison after speaking out about a number of her clients who had been arrested protesting against compulsory hijab.
The Islamic Republic's judicial treatment of women in connection with their civil protests has drawn international surprise and reactions. For example, Amnesty International tweeted about the arrest of Farhad Meysami: "Do you think wearing a badge on your chest that says: I do not agree with compulsory hijab is a crime? The Iranian authorities think so."
Source: Voice of America
