Human Rights Lawyer’s Health in Serious Danger
October 20, 2020 — Nasrin Sotoudeh, the imprisoned human rights attorney, has been moved to the notoriously harsh Gharchak Prison (also spelled Qarchak) in the Iranian city of Varamin, south of Tehran, despite grave medical issues that require her hospitalization, her husband, Reza Khandan said today, October 20, 2020.
Sotoudeh, who has serious cardiac and pulmonary complications after being on a hunger strike from August 11 to September 26, 2020 to protest the continued imprisonment of Iran’s political prisoners, will now continue serving her 38-year sentence (12 years of which she must serve before becoming eligible for release) at one of Iran’s most dangerous and inhumane prisons.
In an interview with CHRI on October 20, 2020, Reza Khandan, Sotoudeh’s husband, stated: “When Nasrin’s heart condition became worse, she needed an angiography. We have been waiting these past few days to prepare for her transfer to the hospital [from Evin Prison]. Today the authorities told her to get ready to go to the hospital but then she ended up in Gharchak Prison. The transfer was not announced by the prison authorities but by Nasrin herself who was allowed to make a brief phone call to give the news.”
“By denying Nasrin Sotoudeh critically needed medical care, and instead moving her to Gharchak Prison, known for its horrific conditions, the authorities in Iran are placing Nasrin Sotoudeh’s life in immediate danger,” said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).
“Sending Sotoudeh to sit behind bars alongside common criminals in conditions much more dangerous than Evin Prison is a desperate and transparent attempt to punish her—and to risk her life if they cannot silence her and her family any other way,” Ghaemi added.
CHRI calls for the immediate transfer of Nasrin Sotoudeh to hospital where she can receive full and proper treatment with the consent of her family.
Husband: “The authorities used trickery and deceit to transfer a prisoner”
Khandan told CHRI: “The authorities used trickery and deceit to transfer a prisoner, even though there was no need to do so. Nasrin didn’t have any of her belongings with her since she had only prepared to go to the hospital. She does not have her warm clothes and given her heart condition, we’re very worried for her.
“These kinds of behaviors by the judicial authorities toward Nasrin is the continuation of a policy of pressure and intimidation against our family – from my daughter’s detention and continuing persecution, to stricter restrictions on Nasrin’s basic rights in prison.
“The reason for these harsh acts and pressures is Nasrin’s recent hunger strike and its impact in raising international awareness about Iran’s political prisoners. By resorting to deceit and trickery to transfer a prisoner, the judiciary has only added to its notoriety among the public.”
Prison Doctors “Shocked” at Sotoudeh’s Return to Prison
Sotoudeh was hospitalized on September 19 as her medical condition deteriorated—only to be sent back to Evin prison on September 23, despite her worsening condition.
On September 26, 2020, when Sotoudeh ended her hunger strike, Khandan relayed that the prison doctors were “shocked” that she had been returned to prison in her condition, and “strongly protested,” as during her hospitalization severe cardiac issues were identified.
Khandan also reported that during her hospitalization from September 19 to September 23, Sotoudeh was exposed to multiple guards who later tested positive for COVID-19. He stated that doctors outside the hospital who reviewed her tests consider her transfer back to prison as “a deliberate attempt to put her life in danger.”
Khandan also said on Facebook today, October 20, 2020 that “Three weeks ago, after being hospitalised, she was taken back to the prison before completing her full treatment. According to experts, she had to be transferred once again to the hospital for an urgent heart examination and angiography, but instead the Evin authorities have relocated her to Qarchak prison, where the healthcare and prison detention conditions are even worse than Evin prison.”
Nasrin Sotoudeh is in prison for her peaceful work defending basic civil and political rights in Iran. Among her charges were “encouraging prostitution” for advocating against compulsory hijab and defending citizens’ right to peaceful dissent.
PEN International is alarmed by reports that the health of Iranian writer, lawyer and rights activist Nasrin Sotoudeh has deteriorated following her transfer from hospital back to her prison cell. It calls on PEN members to reiterate their calls for her for her immediate release and to be able the receive the medical attention she so urgently needs.
Nasrin Sotoudeh, has been imprisoned since June 2018 and is serving a cruelly long sentence of 38 years in retaliation for her work as legal representative for human rights victims. In August 2020 she went on hunger strike, ending it six weeks later as her health became critical. She was subsequently transferred to hospital on 19 September to receive treatment for heart disease and other medical issues. However, she was returned to Evin Prison just a few days later, against medical advice that she should remain in hospital as her health needs continue to be acute. This decision has been described by UN experts as ‘unfathomable’ and that her imprisonment is clearly in retaliation for her defence of human rights.
https://iranhumanrights.org/2020/10/nasrin-sotoudeh-transferred-to-notorious-gharchak-prison/
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Concerns for Nasrin Sotoudeh’s health amidst high prevalence of COVID-19 in Iran’s prisons
PEN International learned on 20 October that Sotoudeh has been transferred again, this time to Qarchak women’s prison, 30 km outside Tehran and notorious for its appalling conditions.
Sotoudeh’s situation becomes more alarming with the news that several of the guards present in the hospital where Sotoudeh was being treated have contracted COVID-19. The poor sanitary conditions in Iran’s prisons has exacerbated an already acute situation for political prisoners, leading the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, Mary Lawlor, to call for temporary release of all rights defenders.
On 22 September 2020 PEN International issued a call to action, demanding that the Iranian authorities release Nasrin Sotoudeh immediately and unconditionally. Today, a month later, it repeats its call, with added urgency in light of her deteriorating health.
To read more about Nasrin Sotoudeh’s case and advice on action you can take, see PEN International alert of 22 September 2020. Learn more about PEN International’s reporting on Iran.
For more information, please contact Sara Whyatt, MENA Programme Coordinator, at PEN International, Koops Mill Mews, Unit A, 162-164 Abbey St, London, SE1 2AN, Tel.+ 44 (0) 20 7405 0338, email: sara.whyatt@pen-international.org
PEN Melbourne call to RAN Writers for action:
Dear RAN writers ,
As always, I hope this email finds you well and safe. I’m writing tonight to ask you to take further action for Nasrin Sotoudeh in Iran. Her health is worsening and moreover, PEN International has just learned that she has been transferred to the notorious Qarchak women’s prison, in the desert 30 km from Tehran. The conditions in this prison are appalling, not to mention that several of the guards present in the hospital where Sotoudeh was being treated prior to her removal back to prison have contracted COVID-19. For more information see:
We would be grateful if you could reiterate your appeals from the last RAN sent out on the 22 Sept, calling for her immediate release and for her to be able to receive the medical attention she so urgently needs.
I’ve copied the information from the last RAN below including the addresses of the authorities. Please let us know if you happen to receive any replies (as ever, a long shot!).
Many thanks again for your support. All best wishes to you,
Jo
*
TAKE ACTION! Share on Facebook, Twitter and other social media
Please send appeals to the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran:
- Expressing alarm over Nasrin Sotoudeh’s condition and treatment by the Iranian security services while she is gravely ill;
- Calling for her immediate pardoning and release from detainment by the Iranian security services;
- Calling for the immediate cessation of any harassment of her family;
- Urging for the release of all political prisoners who remain unjustly detained and are at great risk of exposure to COVID-19 while incarcerated.
Send appeals to:
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Grand Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei
Address: The Office of the Supreme Leader, Islamic Republic Street, End of Shahid Keshvar Doust Street, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
Email: http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/…
Twitter: @khamenei_ir (English), @Khamenei_ar (Arabic), @Khamenei_es (Spanish).
Head of the Judiciary
Mr Ebrahim Raisi
Address: c/o Permanent Mission of Iran to the UN, Chemin du Petit-Saconnex 28, 1209 Geneva, Switzerland
Email: iran@un.int
Twitter: @Iran_UN (English)
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Hassan Rouhani
Address: The Presidency, Pasteur Street, Pasteur Square Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: media@rouhani.ir
Twitter: @HassanRouhani (English) and @Rouhani_ir (Persian)
Send copies to the Embassy of Iran in your country: https://embassy.goabroad.com/embassies-of/iran
Josephine Scicluna & Jackie Mansourian
Writers in Prison Co-convenors
Melbourne Centre of PEN International
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Iran: Call for immediate release of Nasrin Sotoudeh, human rights lawyer and activist, who is gravely ill while on hunger strike
PEN International is gravely concerned over the health and wellbeing of prominent Iranian writer, lawyer and human rights activist, Nasrin Sotoudeh, who has been on hunger strike in protest against the dire prison conditions that political detainees in Iran continue to face during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nasrin Sotoudeh, who herself is unjustly incarcerated in Evin prison for 38 years in retaliation for her work as legal representative for human rights victims, has been on hunger strike since 11 August in protest against the disgraceful treatment of political detainees in prison throughout the country. While Iranian authorities have belatedly released some prisoners in recognition of the threat posed by COVID-19 on detainees already enduring harrowing prison conditions, many political prisoners remain incarcerated. Several other detainees, including Rezvaneh Ahmad Khanbeigi, have joined Nasrin on hunger strike.
This is the second hunger strike to have been undertaken by Nasrin Sotoudeh this year in support of the release of political prisoners during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to her selfless activism, Iranian authorities have continually harassed her family, arbitrarily arresting Nasrin’s daughter, Mehraveh Khandan, on politically motivated charges on 17 August. In response to the targeting of her daughter by Iranian security services, Nasrin has given up her visitation rights. Despite the bravery Nasrin has shown in the face of repression by Iranian authorities, her health has continued to severely deteriorate while on hunger strike, with her husband reporting that she has been taken to the cardiac unit of Talefani hospital on 19 September due to heart problems and other health issues. PEN International has also received shocking reports that the security team overseeing her treatment in hospital have assaulted her while she was confined to her wheelchair.
PEN International joins our Centres, including PEN America and Swedish PEN, in their call for the immediate and unconditional release of Nasrin Sotoudeh, urging that she receives vital medical care free from intimidation. All acts of harassment against Nasrin and her family must be ceased at once, and the charges against her quashed, bringing an end to the use of the judiciary as a tool of repression and coercion against those seeking to better the lives of Iranian citizens. We also join the Office of the United Nations Office High Commissioner for Human Rights in its call for Iranian authorities to immediately release all political detainees, whom are frequently targeted for expressing critical views and incarcerated without sufficient legal basis.
TAKE ACTION! Share on Facebook, Twitter and other social media
Please send appeals to the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran:
- Expressing alarm over Nasrin Sotoudeh’s condition and treatment by the Iranian security services while she is gravely ill;
- Calling for her immediate pardoning and release from detainment by the Iranian security services;
- Calling for the immediate cessation of any harassment of her family;
- Urging for the release of all political prisoners who remain unjustly detained and are at great risk of exposure to COVID-19 while incarcerated.
Send appeals to:
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Grand Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei
Address: The Office of the Supreme Leader, Islamic Republic Street, End of Shahid Keshvar Doust Street, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
Email: http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/…
Twitter: @khamenei_ir (English), @Khamenei_ar (Arabic), @Khamenei_es (Spanish).
Head of the Judiciary
Mr Ebrahim Raisi
Address: c/o Permanent Mission of Iran to the UN, Chemin du Petit-Saconnex 28, 1209 Geneva, Switzerland
Email: iran@un.int
Twitter: @Iran_UN (English)
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Hassan Rouhani
Address: The Presidency, Pasteur Street, Pasteur Square Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: media@rouhani.ir
Twitter: @HassanRouhani (English) and @Rouhani_ir (Persian)
Send copies to the Embassy of Iran in your country: https://embassy.goabroad.com/embassies-of/iran
** Please send appeals immediately. Check with PEN International if sending appeals after 31 October 2020 **
Publicity
PEN members are encouraged to:
- Publish articles and opinion pieces in your national or local press highlighting the case of Nasrin Sotoudeh and freedom of expression in Iran;
- Share information about Nasrin Sotoudeh and your campaigning activities via social media calling for the quashing of her sentence and immediate, unconditional release.
** Please keep PEN International informed of any action you take in regard to Nasrin Sotoudeh’s case, including any responses you receive from the authorities **
Background
For previous actions by PEN International on Iran, click here.
PEN International is alarmed about the large number of writers and activists in Iran who have been detained or imprisoned solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression. Lawyers such as Nasrin Sotoudeh are doing invaluable human rights work by representing suppressed voices in a time of veiled judicial crackdown on civil society in Iran. She is a symbol of civil courage to many around the world. A mother of two, she was previously arrested in 2010 and sentenced to 11 years of in prison 2011 on similar charges. She was released in 2013 after increasing international condemnation. Since the revolution of 1979, Iran’s powerful clergy establishment have remained in control of the state. Arrests, tortures and enforced disappearances of dissidents have become a pattern in Iran in recent years.
PEN International’s 2019 Case List includes a number of writers in prison and on trial in Iran. This is in violation of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s obligations under international human rights law, mainly through restricting the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly. PEN International’s concerns for these imprisoned writers is made more acute considering the health threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and reports of violence in prisons.
For more information, please contact Sara Whyatt, MENA Programme Coordinator, at PEN International, Koops Mill Mews, Unit A, 162-164 Abbey St, London, SE1 2AN, Tel.+ 44 (0) 20 7405 0338, email: sara.whyatt@pen-international.org
Imprisoned Human Rights Lawyer on Hunger Strike Since August 11 to Free Iran’s Political Prisoners
September 20, 2020—The imprisoned human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who has been on a hunger strike since August 11 to free Iran’s political prisoners, has been hospitalized as of September 19, 2020, with her condition worsening, and the family is being denied access to her and any information on her condition, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has learned, after speaking with her husband, Reza Khandan on September 20, 2020.
“The authorities in Iran may try to hide Nasrin’s dangerous deterioration, but the world is watching and will hold the government responsible for her wellbeing,” said Hadi Ghaemi, CHRI executive director.
Sotoudeh’s husband told CHRI, “Her heart situation is not good at all, they are banning us from visiting her and I cannot go her see her directly.
“I managed to accidentally see her in the hallway as they brought her out for cardiac tests, she was in a wheelchair and I only got a momentary glance of her and she did not look well at all.”
Reza Khandan told CHRI that none of her doctors will speak to him and that she is under stringent guard by security agents.
CHRI is extraordinarily concerned about Nasrin Sotoudeh’s deteriorating medical situation and the egregious violations ongoing right now regarding the authorities’ refusal to allow family visitation and consultation. We urgently call on the authorities to allow the family to see her immediately, to provide the family with full information on her condition, and to allow the family to decide on and give consent for any medical treatment.
Sotoudeh was rushed to the hospital yesterday from Evin Prison, where she has been imprisoned since 2018 for her work as a human rights attorney in Iran. There has been an international outcry for the release of the human rights attorney, which has gathered urgency as Sotoudeh began her hunger strike.
Nasrin Sotoudeh is currently serving a 38-year sentence at Evin Prison for her peaceful work defending basic civil and political rights in Iran, 12 years of which she must serve before becoming eligible for parole. Among her charges were “encouraging prostitution” for advocating against compulsory hijab and defending citizens’ right to peaceful dissent.
In addition to the unjust imprisonment of scores of political prisoners in Iran, many have fallen ill to COVID-19 in Iran’s overcrowded and unhygienic prisons. Iran’s political prisoners were largely left out of the country’s March 2020 mass release of prisoners, which was aimed at stemming the mounting deaths from COVID-19 in the country.
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People say that (writers) are pretty powerless: we don’t have an army, we don’t have a bureaucracy. But if that were true, then why would writers be arrested?... Because the spoken word is powerful.
