Iranian charitable organizations are also not immune from the regime's repression; another member of a student aid organization arrested
Nearly 80 days after the arrest of Sharmin Maimandinejad, founder of the Imam Ali Student Relief Society, news reports indicate the arrest of Zahra Rahimi Khameneh, his wife and the CEO of the society.
This non-governmental organization announced on its account that Zahra Rahimi Khameneh, the organization's CEO, was arrested on Sunday, September 6, after appearing at the prosecutor's office and undergoing interrogation and explanation of charges, and was issued a bail order.
According to information published by some human rights news agencies, a bail of five hundred million Tomans was issued for Ms. Rahimi. However, due to Ms. Rahimi's inability to provide the bail amount, she was arrested and transferred to Evin Prison.
Saeed Dehghan, a lawyer, said on Twitter in response to Ms. Rahimi's arrest: "Her mistake was adhering to the community structure, following up on the health status of her husband and founder of the community, and announcing the restlessness of their little daughter in the absence of her father! So the bail should have been issued at the end of the administrative period, when it was not possible to obtain it."
The arrest of the CEO of this charitable organization comes 79 days after the arrest of Sharmin Maimandinejad, the founder of this organization and wife of Ms. Rahimi, on July 25 of this year, as well as Morteza Kaymanesh, the media manager, and Katayoun Afrazeh, the organization's substitute inspector.
Previously, the Voice of America had announced on Twitter that Katayoun Afrazeh and Morteza Kaymanesh had been released on bail after a month of detention.
The crackdown on this organization and the arrest of its founder, who had been operating in Iran with government permission, has led to international reactions.
Robert Destro, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy and Human Rights, previously described helping orphans, the homeless, and the needy as the latest examples of national security crimes that Iranians are being accused of committing and sent to coronavirus-hit prisons, saying: "Sharmeen Maimandinejad, the founder of the Imam Ali Society, is imprisoned for helping the needy. Is this justice?"
Analysts have repeatedly said that in the Islamic Republic of Iran, no organization can remain active without the approval of the regime, and the Imam Ali Student Relief Society is no exception to this rule. According to analysts, therefore, the arrest of the founder and two members of this society cannot be classified as crimes related to human rights violations.
The US State Department has repeatedly condemned the issuance of unjust sentences against civil activists, under various pretexts, as well as the repeated and persistent violations of the rights of Iranian citizens by regime agents.
Source: Voice of America
