Narges Mohammadi's letter: The suffering of security prisoners goes beyond the torment of prison
Narges Mohammadi, a civil activist and lawyer in prison, says in a "letter" published by the "Campaign of Mothers of Prisoners" that enduring solitary confinement in security prisons is far more difficult than prison, and many prisoners sometimes lose their physical and mental health for the rest of their lives.
The Kaleme website has published a letter allegedly written by Ms. Mohammadi from prison; at the beginning of the letter, it is stated that there are 25 female prisoners of conscience in prisons, 23 of whom have been sentenced to a total of 177 years in prison.
According to Ms. Mohammadi, these 25 women have spent a total of more than 12 years in security cells, which is “much harsher than a prison sentence.” The human rights activist added that these cells are where defendants are held “before a trial is held and a trial is held, during a period called preliminary investigations,” and that “this period (preliminary investigations) can last from one day to several years.”
Narges Mohammadi emphasized that the Center for Human Rights Defenders, of which she is the spokesperson, and the Iranian Peace Council, of which she is also the head of the executive board, have repeatedly published investigations and statements on this issue: "But unfortunately, the solitary cells of security wards still host critical men and women, and political and civil activists."
Ms. Mohammadi says one of the functions of solitary confinement is to force defendants to confess and make "baseless confessions" against themselves.
This civil activist described the space of security prisons as a "sealed can" where "the individual is left in a dark and ambiguous vacuum, deprived of everything necessary to feel and understand being human and to preserve one's identity."
He added that the problems caused by solitary confinement, both on the physical and mental health of prisoners, sometimes accompany them for the rest of their lives.
According to Narges Mohammadi, political defendants who are imprisoned for their civic activities and beliefs are held "like dangerous terrorists" for an indefinite period of time in solitary confinement in security wards.
According to the laws of the Islamic Republic, keeping prisoners in these wards is illegal.
This letter, according to the Prisoner Mothers Campaign, was written in May in Evin Prison.
Ms. Mohammadi has been sent to solitary confinement three times in recent years. As a result, the civil rights activist has suffered from neurological disorders that have led to her being hospitalized outside of prison on several occasions.
According to reports in late May, Branch 15 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran, headed by Judge Salavati, sentenced Ms. Mohammadi to ten years in prison. She was convicted of “gathering and colluding with the intention of committing a crime against national security,” “propaganda activity against the regime,” and “forming and managing the illegal Legam group.” Mohammadi has repeatedly denied these charges. The “Legam” campaign is a civil society campaign that aims to step up its fight against the death penalty in Iran and prevent the execution of juveniles. At the same time, Ms. Mohammadi’s husband, Taghi Rahmani, has said that he is “not the founder of the Legam group.”
The UN Human Rights Office, human rights defenders, Reporters Without Borders, and a group of prominent civil and political figures from around the world have called for the release of Narges Mohammadi. The US ambassador to the UN also described Ms. Mohammadi's sentence as "unjust" on Friday and said she should be released.
