JINA MAHSA AMINI
The face of Iran's protests. Her life, her dreams and her death.
In memory of Jina 'Mahsa' Amini, the cornerstone of the 'Zan. Zendagi. Azadi revolution.
16 February 2023 | By Gino d'Artali
And also
Read all about the assasination of the 22 year young Jhina Mahsa Amini or Zhina Mahsa Amini (Kurdistan-Iran) and the start of the Zan, Zendagi, Azadi (Women, life, freedom) revolution in Iran  2022
And the latest news about the 'Women Live Freedom' Revolution per month in 2023:  November 19 - 13  -- November 13 - 4  -- November 5 - 1 -- October 31 -- October 31 - 16 -- October 15 - 1 -- September 30 - 16 -- September 17 - 1 -- August 31 - 18 -- August 15 - 1-- July 31 - 16 --July 15 -1--June 30 - 15--June 15-1--May 31 -16-- May 15-1--April--March--Feb--Jan  
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When one hurts or kills a women
one hurts or kills hummanity and is an antrocitie.
Gino d'Artali
and: My mother (1931-1997) always said to me <Mi figlio, non esistono notizie <vecchie> perche puoi imparare qualcosa da qualsiasi notizia.> Translated: <My son, there is no such thing as so called 'old' news because you can learn something from any news.>
Gianna d'Artali.

'THE JINA REVOLUTION'

 

Preface by Gino d'Artali - I know it's been some time since I updated the JINA REVOLUTION but I did so because I wanted to do so based on news about the dissent not giving up their fight against the mullahs' regime and they do even when they put their own life at risk because they know, as the brave Narges Mohammadi says *Victory is not easy, but it is certain*
Read first more about her here by clicking the link:
Narges Mohammadi - 'mother of a long and free Iran'

Mehdi Yarrahi 'Soroode zendegi' (Live's anthem)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr3d5PgWqRU

Now to the latest news about other heroic and brave dissent:

Iranwire - Nov 15, 2023 - by MARYAM DEHKORDI
<<Iranian Woman Arrested on Mahsa Anniversary Tells Her Story
According to the Committee for the Follow-Up of the Situation of Detainees, at least 600 women were arrested during street gatherings in Tehran on September 16, which marked the first anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in police custody. In its report, the group said that, as of September 21, at least 130 women awaited trial in the quarantine ward of Qarchak prison. Some were released on bail shortly after their cases were referred to the court, while others were granted bond. This report is the narration of Somaiyeh, which is a pseudonym for one of the women arrested on September 16.
***
On the morning of September 16, independent groups called on Tehran residents to gather between Azadi Square and Tehran Pars at 11 a.m. <They advised us not to resist if we encountered an officer. If questioned about our presence there, we were told to move to another direction,> Somaiyeh tells IranWire. <I left my two small daughters with my mother, saying I'd return unless something happened, and took a taxi to Imam Khomeini Hospital. <Jamalzadeh Street was bustling with people, yet everyone appeared as mere passersby. As we marched, we noticed officers lining up on North Street. <I encountered other women near the university, and we proceeded together. Right in front of the entrance of [the University of Tehran], the first act of violence unfolded> when officials beat up a young man. As the women continued their march, <officials suddenly attacked people on South Palestine Street.> <One girl and two boys fled, and I witnessed them firing at the girl. A newspaper seller said he could hide the wounded girl and advised me and my friends to leave,> Somaiyeh recounts. The group headed to Daneshjoo Park, which was <filled with officers.> A person in plainclothes approached the group and said: <Don't sit here, move away.> Simultaneously, a group of motorcyclists headed to the park.
<I was seated on the left side. One of the motorcyclists, who was carrying a baton, shouted: 'Go away, leave this place.' I planned to take a taxi, but another one wielding a baton stopped me. <I was extremely scared. Amidst many plainclothes agents, a police officer said: <Don't resist, they'll let you go if you're innocent.'> Somaiyeh saw a van approaching: <I was shocked, I noticed they were apprehending ordinary people and passersby.>
The women were forcibly put into the van, where a young woman without distinctive attire took their bags. <I asked where we were going but received no response, and we departed,> Somaiyeh says. One officer said the women would be free unless they started becoming noisy. They were taken to the Fatib police station, where <about 20 vans were filled with men and 10 to 15 vans with women,> Somaiyeh says. <There were around 800 or 900 people in the Fatib police station. Over 800 phones were confiscated. Subsequently, the authorities instructed us to sit down and promised we would be freed. However, we waited for hours without being given any information. I'm certain that these pactics were part of a well-orchestrated plan of psychological torture.> In the police station, no officers displayed logos or symbols, she says, adding: <Everyone wore masks and refrained from using names.> Somaiyeh and a few other detainees were allowed to inform their families of their arrest. They were called by name and asked about the location of their arrest and the reason for their presence on the streets. They were told that if they had no objections, they would be declared innocent and allowed to leave. The women ended up in a prayer house where they were given food. At midnight, they were moved to a hall about 300 meters wide. One or two detainees objected, and officers started to film the group. Some women without headscarves started chanting. At around 4 a.m., they were called by their names again, and repetitive questions and answers ensued. The detainees were given breakfast and were then taken to the yard. The entire process had been filmed. Half an hour later, Somaiyeh was taken to the same room and told to wait. At 9:30 a.m. she faced a judge in a room with a bed. When the judge stood up and began shouting obscenities, Somaiyeh told him: <You haven't heard what I have to say yet, why are you labeling me as a criminal without a trial?> The judge responded: <For me, there is no difference between you and a murderer. You are all the same.> Eventually, her jailers pressured her to sign a statement and took pictures of her, promising that all the detainees would be released after lunch. After the meal, the arrested women were left in the courtyard of the Fatib police station until vans arrived. They were quickly handcuffed and transferred to prison. <If we had told you from the beginning, you would have panicked, would have suffered a stroke, and we wouldn't have enjoyed it,> one officer said. Somaiyeh and the women arrived at Qarchak prison around 4:00 p.m. <Upon arrival, I witnessed a woman in the prison who had been severely beaten, with her entire body showing bruises. Many suffered head injuries caused by powerful blows, yet the prison authorities did not provide medical care. <Later, when I encountered that lady again, she said that, while being taken to the hospital, an officer stood in front of her, clenching a fist and threatening: 'If you tell them that I beat you, I'll strike your head with this fist.'> Somaiyeh spent five days in Qarchak prison and was released on bail on September 24. One or two days after her release, she was summoned to the courthouse where she pledged not to participate in street protests again. Two weeks later, she was notified that if she committed a crime within a year, the pending case against her would be reopened. <Almost everyone arrested that day feels like they are under surveillance, and a sense of peace has vanished from their lives,> Somaiyeh says.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/features/122544-iranian-woman-arrested-on-mahsa-amini-anniversary-tells-her-story
 

Mitra Javadi
Hengaw Organisation for Human Right - Nov 11 2023
<<Custodial Status of Shahin Dej Resident Mitra Javadi Unknown Following Recent Arrest
Mitra Javadi, a detainee from last year's Jin, Jiyan, Azadi movement, has once again been arrested by agents of the Islamic Republic of Iran. As of now, there is no information available about her custodial status. According to reports obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Mitra Javadi, a 19-year-old Turkish resident of Shahin Dej, has been in the custody of security forces for 15 days. However, her legal status and current whereabouts remain unknown. On Friday, October 27, 2023, Mitra Javadi was apprehended by security forces in Shahin Dej city and subsequently transferred to an undisclosed location. Last year, on Saturday, November 19, she was initially arrested during the Women, Life, Freedom movement and taken to one of the security detention centers in Urmia. Following 19 days, on November 28 of last year, she was released on bail pending the conclusion of legal proceedings. Later, Mitra Javadi faced accusations in the first branch of the Shahin Dej General and Revolutionary Court, specifically for <seduction and incitement of people with the intention of disrupting security> and >propaganda in favor of movements opposing the government.> >>
Source:
https://hengaw.net/en/news/2023/11/custodial-status-of-shahin-dej-resident-mitra-javadi-unknown-following-recent-arrest


Pakhshan Azizi
Hengaw Organisation for Human Right - Nov 9 2023
<<Tehran: Lack of Information Persists Three Months After Arrest of Former Political Prisoner Pakhshan Azizi
Pakhshan Azizi, a journalist, social worker, and former Kurdish political prisoner, has been in custody for 97 days, detained at the Evin Detention Center in Tehran, with little information available about her current condition. According to reports received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Pakshan Azizi, a graduate in social studies, is held in Ward 209 of Evin Prison, recognized as the detention center of the Intelligence Department. Sources knowledgeable about the matter reveal that, since her recent arrest, Azizi has been denied the right to legal representation, visits, and communication with her family. On August 4, 2023, security forces apprehended Pakhshan Azizi in Kharazi town, Tehran, under the authority of the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Hengaw has learned that, along with the former political prisoner, several members of her family were also detained and subsequently released after a few days. It is noteworthy that Azizi was previously arrested on November 16, 2009, during a protest by Kurdish students at Tehran University against the execution of political prisoners in Kurdistan. Following four months in custody, she was released on bail of 100 million tomans on March 9, 2010. Due to continuous pressure and threats from security institutions, Pakhshan Azizi later left Iran. In addition to researching the situation of women in Iraqi Kurdistan and Syrian Kurdistan, she engaged in social work to address and improve their circumstances.>>
Source:
https://hengaw.net/en/news/2023/11/tehran-lack-of-information-persists-three-months-after-arrest-of-former-political-prisoner-pakhshan-azizi

Iranwire - 3 Nov 2023
<<Dissident Iranian Composer Receives UN Award for <Courageous> Work
A dissident Iranian composer who has been jailed three times for his music has won the United Nations' second annual International Art Contest for Minority Artists. The honor was presented to Mehdi Rajabian in absentia on November 2 because he is unable to leave Iran. <This is an important award,> Rajabian said in a statement, adding, <Happiness is a collective event, and unfortunately no one is happy here [in Iran].> <The situation has become completely different after the recent protests. No award can be a criterion for determining the artistic value of an artist, but it can definitely be a platform for the voice of human rights and freedom of art.> The award went to three <minority artists working on themes relating to intersectionality and compounded forms of discrimination,> according to the website of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR). Claude Cahn, a UN human rights officer, said that the judges were moved by Rajabian's bravery, resilience and commitment, according to Billboard, which publishes a news website and weekly magazine that covers music, video and home entertainment. <In the views of the judges panel, at the risk of his health and own life, he has used his spirit and music to be a human rights light in the darkness,> he said. Sverre Pedersen, the executive committee chair of the nongovernmental organization Freemuse and Minority Rights Group International, a partner in the contest, said that Rajabian <continues his artistic work and his courageous human rights work> despite being under <constant surveillance> and <often subjected to harassment and threats.> Rajabian was arrested in 2013, put in solitary confinement for three months, released on bail and arrested again in 2015 for recording the album The History of Iran Narrated By Setar. In Tehran's Evin prison,
the artist began a 40-day hunger strike that led to his release on parole in 2017. Rajabian was arrested again in 2020, but not imprisoned, because of his album Middle Eastern. He was accused of <encouraging prostitution> because female vocalists sang on the album, according to the composer.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/news/122176-dissident-iranian-composer-receives-un-award-for-courageous-work/


Nasrin Sotoudeh
Center for Human Rights in Iran - Oct 30 2023
<<Prominent Lawyer and Activists Beaten, Detained at Funeral of Teenager Armita Geravand
October 30, 2023 - Following the beating and arrest of peaceful activists detained at the funeral yesterday of Armita Geravand, a 16-year-old who died last week after a reported violent assault by the Iranian government's forced-hijab enforcers, the international community must urgently demand the immediate release of all those detained, as well as accountability for this outrageous violence. Among those detained is human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who was severely beaten by Islamic Republic agents during the arrest, and who is at risk of re-imprisonment on a prison sentence issued against her in 2019 on sham charges. She is currently in Qarchak Prison in Tehran Province, where she has started a hunger strike while also refusing to take her medications until she is freed. <Nasrin herself confirmed that she had been severely beaten and, during a very short phone call last night, asked me to bring her glasses,> Nasrin's husband Reza Khandan, an activist in Iran who is also at risk of being detained for speaking publicly on the case, told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). <I understood that the beatings were to the head and face, and her glasses had been broken,> Khandan said. <But I couldn't speak to her for long and didn't fully understand the extent of her injuries and any other harm,> he said, speaking publicly on the case despite the serious danger of arrest he faces for speaking out. <My wife currently has an open case and is on medical leave [from prison]. I highly suspect they might revoke her medical leave and force her to go back to prison. We are very concerned about this,> said Khandan. The Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), accused Sotoudeh of <violating hijab rules> and claimed she would be charged with <acting against the psychological security of society,> which does not exist as a charge in Iran's penal code. Manzar Zarabi, whose four family members were killed in 2020 in Iran when the Revolutionary Guards downed a passenger plane that year, as well as teachers' rights activist Masoud Zeinalzadeh, are among dozens of activists who were detained while peacefully attending Geravand's funeral. <Beating and arresting unarmed civilians for peacefully mourning yet another death of a young girl in state custody is a continuation of the atrocities the Iranian government is continuously inflicting upon the Iranian people,> said CHRI Executive Director Hadi Ghaemi. <Governments should summon Iranian ambassadors to voice their outrage and join together to politically and economically isolate the Iranian government while these crimes continue,> Ghaemi added. CHRI can confirm that Zarabi and Sotoudeh were detained for more than two hours in a state security car outside the Shahid Moghadas state security court in Evin Prison in Tehran because the women refused to be comply with the Islamic Republic's forced hijab laws. CHRI can confirm they were then transported to Qarchak Prison for Women, where Sotoudeh remains and where Zarabi was released after becoming severely ill. The previous night the women and several other detainees were held in the Vozara Detention Centre in Tehran, where Mahsa Jina Amini was taken before dying three days later due to reported beatings while in state custody. <The international community must demand that Iranian authorities cease their blatant violations of the right to mourn, and the UN's independent Fact-Finding Mission on Iran must initiate an investigation into Geravand's death,” Ghaemi said. <These activists were at the funeral because Iranian authorities operate with impunity, killing and detaining people including teenagers for entirely peaceful actions, like showing their hair in public, or raising their voices to demand fundamental rights,> he added. <The international community must come together to hold Iranian officials accountable for their severe ongoing rights violations and violence against peaceful activists,> he said.>>
Source:
https://iranhumanrights.org/2023/10/nasrin-sotoudeh-and-activists-beaten-detained-at-funeral-of-teenager-armita-geravand/

Iranwire - 25 Oct 2023 - by ROGHAYEH REZAEI
<<Jailed Student Activist in Iran Starts Hunger Strike to Reject Baseless Charges
Three days before the September 16 anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, police officers arrested Armita Pavir, a final-year student at Tabriz Madani University's microbiology department, on September 13. The officers had a warrant related to an unresolved financial case in which Pavir was allegedly involved. However, sources told IranWire that Pavir had been in the custody of the Tabriz Intelligence Department from the beginning, for interrogation and in an effort to obtain a forced (and televised) confession from her that would implicate herself and her friends. Pavir, a student activist who was detained by Iranian authorities during the Woman, Life, Freedom protests in Tabriz, started a hunger strike on October 17, in protest against these coercive measures. Information obtained by IranWire indicates that her health is deteriorating, and if the hunger strike persists, her life may be in jeopardy. Pavir, 29, is a final-year student who has faced disruptions to her education altering being suspended then banned university because of her student activism. She was first detained on October 31 last year. On November 9, the country's student union councils reported that, although it had been announced that this young woman had been transferred to Tabriz prison, when her family and relatives visited the prison, authorities claimed no such individual was in their custody. Later, it was revealed that prison authorities had falsely conveyed this information to the families of several women arrested during nationwide protests in Tabriz, likely as an intimidation tactic. Pavir was eventually released from Tabriz prison on December 8 on bail. In February, she was contacted to sign a commitment letter as part of a widespread <amnesty> offered to detained protesters by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The student also posted on her social media account, saying, <I went to court, and they asked me to admit guilt, write a statement of remorse, and a commitment letter. According to the [amnesty] directive, they promised to close my case. I refused to accept the pardon, and today or tomorrow, my final sentence will be announced.> However, according to IranWire's source, Pavir's case remains unresolved, with no formal sentence issued. The source also shed light on the charges against her, citing them <as the usual clichéd allegations: disturbing public order and propaganda activities against the system, stemming from her online activities.> When Pavir was arrested again, this time under the guise of an unresolved financial case, her ordeal took another disturbing turn. Information obtained by IranWire reveals that Armita spent several hours in detention and faced further rounds of questioning in June. A well-informed source who spoke to IranWire explained that this arrest was part of an ongoing case against her. Security agents had taken possession of her mobile phone and electronic devices and tried to force her to sign a letter of remorse. Pavir refused to sign and, on the contrary, protested via her Telegram channel. Previously, in a tweet protesting against the pressure and summons from her interrogators to secure a commitment, she wrote, <I will not accept amnesty, express remorse, and write a commitment letter [in exchange] for freedom.> Information obtained by IranWire indicates that the Tabriz Intelligence Department is using the claims of financial impropriety as a way to minimize the consequences of arresting the student activist. In 2019, according to a source who spoke with IranWire, Pavir had signed a contract with the Madani University canteen to operate with some friends a coffee shop or similar venture. The aim was to cover a portion of their living and educational expenses. Pavir and her partners were to pay various fees to the university in exchange. However, a few months after the contract was signed, the outbreak of the coronavirus in Iran resulted in the closure of the university with the implementation of quarantine measures. With the university's closure, Pavir and her friends found themselves unable to fulfil their financial obligations to the university. The university refused to cancel the contract. Subsequently, after a garnishment order was issued for the guarantee checks, which, according to IranWire's source, Pavir and her relatives believe was instigated by the Tabriz Intelligence Department, she was compelled to pay the fees. However, on September 13, authorities entered the student activist's house, arresting her and detaining her under a warrant related to the same unresolved financial case, which remained open despite the fulfilment of the guarantee payment. Pavir has been behind bars since that arrest. The source said: <While it's true that she is in the financial prisoners' ward, intelligence agents arrive daily with cameras, pressuring her to confess on camera. They demand that she express remorse for her actions, claim she was deceived by enemy groups, and confess, promising her release in return.> The source, whose identity remains anonymous for security reasons, further said that <Armita's condition is deteriorating rapidly, and as someone who doesn't easily relinquish her convictions and principles, her fate remains uncertain.> The gravity of her situation has deepened, as her hunger strike, which she started last week, has resulted in her being denied visitation rights. Her family is profoundly concerned about her well-being and her longer-term fate hangs in the balance. Pavir, as described by her friends, possesses a deep passion for art and writing. She has a Telegram channel which, despite not having a large number of followers, she uses as a platform to express her emotions, and experiences, and to resist the discriminatory laws in Iran. On this channel, she declared that on the day of her arrest in November, she was wearing a T-shirt with the message: <It is better to die standing than to live on your knees.> In another post, she shared a video of herself working with her father in a jewelry workshop, alongside which she wrote: <I told my interrogators that if I am not released by my birthday, I will have my birthday and my death day on the same date,> referring to the possibility of taking her own life. <But I am not begging anyone for freedom.> >>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/prisoners/121884-jailed-student-activist-in-iran-starts-hunger-strike-to-reject-baseless-charges/


Azam Gholami
Jinha - Womens News Agency - 27 Oct 2023
<<Azam Gholami Zahab released from Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad
News Center- 35-year-old Azam Gholami Zahab, was arrested and sentenced to 16 years and four months in prison by the 5th branch of the Revolutionary Court on charges of <gathering and collusion against security> and <propaganda activity against the government> for supporting the <Jin, Jiyan, Azadi> uprising. According to the received report, she has been released from the Vakilabad prison in Mashhad on Friday after being acquitted of all charges against her.>>
Source:
https://jinhaagency.com/en/actual/azam-gholami-zahab-released-from-vakilabad-prison-in-mashhad-34065

Iranwire - 26 Oct 2023 - by ROGHAYEH REZAEI
<<Jailed Iran Activist Rushed to Hospital
On the night of October 24, Fatemeh Sepehri, 59, a prominent political activist, was rushed to Qaim Hospital in Mashhad due to severe headaches and chest pains. Sepehri, who had recently undergone heart surgery, is now being treated in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit. A day after being discharged after her surgery, on October 20, she had been re-arrested and taken to Vakil Abad Prison in Mashhad. Khosro Alikordi, Sepehri's lawyer, told IranWire in an interview that her client's recent video from the hospital, in which she expressed hope that the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East will lead to the downfall of the Islamic Republic, prompted the latest arrest despite her medical condition. <I emphatically declare that the Iranian nation stands in solidarity with the people of Israel,> she said in the video. <I hope [Hamas's] 'Al-Aqsa Storm' operation [brings an end to] the Islamic Republic.> The outspoken activist emphasized that the people of Iran do not want war or the killing of innocent people. She added that peace has been elusive in the Middle East since the founding of the Islamic Republic in 1979. Sepehri is a political activist and one of the signatories of the <14 People> statement, a 2019 letter in which political and civil activists called for the resignation of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. She has spent much of her time in prison since signing the statement. Many Iranians are familiar with Sepehri and her activism. She has appeared wearing a hijab in her videos and in her interviews on Persian-language television channels outside the country - in which she has criticized the government and Ali Khamenei. Sepehri's husband was a casualty of the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, from 1980 to 1988, and she has the title of being a <family of a martyr> in the Islamic Republic. It was reported that she might receive a pardon from Khamenei due to her status as the wife of a <martyr.> However, upon her temporary release in 2019, she made a resolute statement, saying, <I won't back down, I won't stay silent. I have much to say, and I will continue on this path.> In a voice message during that time, she expressed her disinterest in seeking pardon from Khamenei as she did not recognize his authority. Sepehri pointed out the injustices she had endured due to the war, the loss of her husband, and over 38 years of activism and dissent. Her more recent arrests were also linked to the nationwide protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini. Sepehari was taken into custody on September 21, 2022. In the year and one month since her most recent arrest, she has faced multiple hospitalizations and treatments for various ailments, including heart problems. Her hand has also undergone surgery at least three times to remove growths. But the Iranian judiciary has not allowed her to recuperate outside of prison. This raises serious concerns about her health and the treatment of political activists within the judicial system. Asghar Sepehri, brother of Fatemeh Sepehri, said his sister's condition is dire. Sepehri's mother, during a visit, also witnessed fellow inmates assisting her daughter in returning to her cell, as she was unable to walk unaided, in a recent visit. In a video, Sepehari's mother expressed her distress, saying, <She has back pain, chest pain, and aching arms and legs. She was terribly cold, distressed, and unwell.> She concluded her message by saying, <Have you achieved your goal, Mr. Khamenei?> But Sepehri's critical condition is not only attributed to her physical health. According to information obtained by IranWire and confirmed by her lawyer, Khosro Alikordi, the prison room at Vakil Abad, where she is held, had an open window through which fresh air and natural light entering the room. Prison authorities have now blocked the window - causing profound distress to Sepehri. Sepehri's lawyer added, <Her issues stem from the heart surgery, and the repercussions are potentially life-threatening. Two of her heart vessels were obstructed, leading to an initial angiogram, followed by the heart surgery.> He elaborated further, stating, <The veins utilized in her heart surgery were extracted from her leg, severely limiting her mobility, to the point where even sitting can be challenging.> The high-sodium and fatty meals in the prison, as well as the overall hygiene and nutrition, have had a detrimental impact on Sepehri's health. Alikordi emphasized that the optimal recovery period for a patient after heart surgery ranges from three to six months. Sepehri has undergone heart surgery twice since September 27. The first time, following cardiac angiography, due to a swift transfer to prison and the failure of the angiography, doctors were compelled to conduct heart surgery within a short time to save her life. <We are utilizing all the available legal channels to pursue this matter,> said Alikordi, adding, <I hold strong hope that the provincial medical examiner will confirm that Mrs. Sepehri cannot be incarcerated.> Earlier, it was reported that the Mashhad medical examiner, under pressure from security institutions, hastily voted on Sepehri's capacity to endure imprisonment, under the condition that specific protocols would be established to accommodate her in prison. An informed source emphasized that her history of seizures, severe migraines, and the aftermath of heart surgery would undeniably place her in a life-threatening situation if she remained in prison. Regarding her current condition, the source noted that Sepehri's children are actively striving to have her examined by a neurologist in the hospital. She has been unable to eat anything in prison for the past few days and is experiencing severe blood pressure issues which makes it exceedingly unclear what has transpired with her health.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/prisoners/121920-jailed-iran-activist-rushed-to-hospital/

Iranwire - 25 Oct 2023
<<Students Sentenced to Prison for Protesting Schoolgirl Poisonings
Two students from Allameh Tabatabai University in Teheran, Zia Nabawi and Hasti Amiri, have had their one-year prison sentences upheld in an appeals court. The sentences were imposed following their involvement in protests against a series of chemical attacks in schools across Iran.
The initial court proceedings, which led to these sentences, took place at the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Teheran. The two students had been engaged in protests against the poisoning of female students, and their cases are related to their participation in a student gathering at Allameh Tabatabai University on March 7. In the aftermath of this gathering, both Nabawi and Amiri, along with Fereshteh Tousi, were summoned to the Evin Security Prosecutor's Office for questioning. According to reports from the United Students Telegram Channel, the fallout from the March 7 rally also resulted in at least 30 protesting students from Allameh University being banned from entering the campus. Nabawi, a student of social sciences at Allameh University, has faced numerous challenges in his academic journey, because of his activism, including academic suspension and educational deprivation. He had previously been arrested during the 2009 protests, spending nearly eight years in prison. Despite these hardships, he remains dedicated to his political activism.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/news/121889-students-sentenced-to-prison-for-protesting-schoolgirl-poisonings/

Iranwire - 25 Oct 2023 - by ROGHAYEH REZAEI
<<Jailed Student Activist in Iran Starts Hunger Strike to Reject Baseless Charges
Three days before the September 16 anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, police officers arrested Armita Pavir, a final-year student at Tabriz Madani University's microbiology department, on September 13. The officers had a warrant related to an unresolved financial case in which Pavir was allegedly involved. However, sources told IranWire that Pavir had been in the custody of the Tabriz Intelligence Department from the beginning, for interrogation and in an effort to obtain a forced (and televised) confession from her that would implicate herself and her friends. Pavir, a student activist who was detained by Iranian authorities during the Woman, Life, Freedom protests in Tabriz, started a hunger strike on October 17, in protest against these coercive measures. Information obtained by IranWire indicates that her health is deteriorating, and if the hunger strike persists, her life may be in jeopardy. Pavir, 29, is a final-year student who has faced disruptions to her education altering being suspended then banned university because of her student activism. She was first detained on October 31 last year. On November 9, the country's student union councils reported that, although it had been announced that this young woman had been transferred to Tabriz prison, when her family and relatives visited the prison, authorities claimed no such individual was in their custody. Later, it was revealed that prison authorities had falsely conveyed this information to the families of several women arrested during nationwide protests in Tabriz, likely as an intimidation tactic. Pavir was eventually released from Tabriz prison on December 8 on bail. In February, she was contacted to sign a commitment letter as part of a widespread <amnesty> offered to detained protesters by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The student also posted on her social media account, saying, <I went to court, and they asked me to admit guilt, write a statement of remorse, and a commitment letter. According to the [amnesty] directive, they promised to close my case. I refused to accept the pardon, and today or tomorrow, my final sentence will be announced.> However, according to IranWire's source, Pavir's case remains unresolved, with no formal sentence issued. The source also shed light on the charges against her, citing them <as the usual clichéd allegations: disturbing public order and propaganda activities against the system, stemming from her online activities.> When Pavir was arrested again, this time under the guise of an unresolved financial case, her ordeal took another disturbing turn. Information obtained by IranWire reveals that Armita spent several hours in detention and faced further rounds of questioning in June. A well-informed source who spoke to IranWire explained that this arrest was part of an ongoing case against her. Security agents had taken possession of her mobile phone and electronic devices and tried to force her to sign a letter of remorse. Pavir refused to sign and, on the contrary, protested via her Telegram channel. Previously, in a tweet protesting against the pressure and summons from her interrogators to secure a commitment, she wrote, <I will not accept amnesty, express remorse, and write a commitment letter [in exchange] for freedom.> Information obtained by IranWire indicates that the Tabriz Intelligence Department is using the claims of financial impropriety as a way to minimize the consequences of arresting the student activist. In 2019, according to a source who spoke with IranWire, Pavir had signed a contract with the Madani University canteen to operate with some friends a coffee shop or similar venture. The aim was to cover a portion of their living and educational expenses. Pavir and her partners were to pay various fees to the university in exchange. However, a few months after the contract was signed, the outbreak of the coronavirus in Iran resulted in the closure of the university with the implementation of quarantine measures. With the university's closure, Pavir and her friends found themselves unable to fulfil their financial obligations to the university. The university refused to cancel the contract. Subsequently, after a garnishment order was issued for the guarantee checks, which, according to IranWire's source, Pavir and her relatives believe was instigated by the Tabriz Intelligence Department, she was compelled to pay the fees. However, on September 13, authorities entered the student activist's house, arresting her and detaining her under a warrant related to the same unresolved financial case, which remained open despite the fulfilment of the guarantee payment. Pavir has been behind bars since that arrest. The source said: <While it's true that she is in the financial prisoners' ward, intelligence agents arrive daily with cameras, pressuring her to confess on camera. They demand that she express remorse for her actions, claim she was deceived by enemy groups, and confess, promising her release in return.> The source, whose identity remains anonymous for security reasons, further said that <Armita's condition is deteriorating rapidly, and as someone who doesn't easily relinquish her convictions and principles, her fate remains uncertain.> The gravity of her situation has deepened, as her hunger strike, which she started last week, has resulted in her being denied visitation rights. Her family is profoundly concerned about her well-being and her longer-term fate hangs in the balance. Pavir, as described by her friends, possesses a deep passion for art and writing. She has a Telegram channel which, despite not having a large number of followers, she uses as a platform to express her emotions, and experiences, and to resist the discriminatory laws in Iran. On this channel, she declared that on the day of her arrest in November, she was wearing a T-shirt with the message: <It is better to die standing than to live on your knees.> In another post, she shared a video of herself working with her father in a jewelry workshop, alongside which she wrote: <I told my interrogators that if I am not released by my birthday, I will have my birthday and my death day on the same date,> referring to the possibility of taking her own life. <But I am not begging anyone for freedom.> >>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/prisoners/121884-jailed-student-activist-in-iran-starts-hunger-strike-to-reject-baseless-charges/

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