Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, September 17, 2020—While the genocidal regime ruling Iran is busy issuing death sentences and long prison terms for detained protesters, the mullahs’ authorities are also arresting youths, families, and supporters of the Iranian opposition People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) in cities checkered across the country. The names and specifications of seven recent detainees are as follows:
- Zeinab Hamrang, 45, from Ardabil in northwest Iran, was arrested by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOI) in the city of Khoy in September 2020 during a trip to West Azerbaijan province and was transferred to Tehran’s notorious Evin prison.
- Esmail Kazemzadeh, 61, from Sarab in northwest Iran, was imprisoned for five years back in the 1960s. He was arrested during an attack on his house in Sarab by the regime’s oppressive security forces on August 16, 2020.
- Vahid Papi, 35, a welder from Andimeshk in southwest Iran was arrested in August 2020.
- Sedigheh Morsali, 55, was arrested as authorities raided her house in Qom, central Iran, in August 2020. Sedigheh Morsali is the sister of MEK martyr Ali Morsali who was executed back in 1981.
- Aqdas Pour-Eshraq, a 64-year-old teacher, was arrested in Narmak of Tehran on August 26, and is currently being held in Evin’s Ward 209. She is the sister of MEK martyr Soghra Pour-Eshraq who was killed by the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) in 1983. Her other sister is MEK martyr Masoumeh Pour-Eshraq who was killed during the bombing of an MEK base in Iraq back in April 2003.
- Esmail Namazi, 39, from Behbahan in southwest Iran, was arrested in Behbahan in late June 2020.
- Khadijeh (Yalda) Emamdoust, 47, from Ilam in western Iran, was arrested at her house in Isfahan in late June 2020.
#Iran: Names of 7 political prisoners, call for urgent action for the release of the youth, and the arrested supporters and families of #MEK #NCRI #HumanRights #StopExecutionsInIran https://t.co/TE1pnpWrye
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) September 16, 2020
In other reports on Monday night, September 14, the warden of Qarchak Prison in Varamin, located southeast of Tehran, ordered two hired thugs to attack two political prisoners by the names of Forough Taghipour and Parastou Mo’ini.
The two mercenaries, named Zeinab Ghanbarnejad (Zeinab Saratani) and Narges Amir Ali, attacked the political prisoners in ward six with hot water flasks intending to burn Taghipour and Mo’ini. Other women prisoners rushed to the defense of Taghipour and Mo’ini. During the scuffle, several prisoners suffered burns due to the splashing boiling water.
Torture and ill-treatment are a well-known method used by the clerical regime against political prisoners. Silence and inaction in the face of criminal executions are considered a green light for continued repression, torture, and execution.
#Iran #Humanitarian Call for urgent action to save the lives of political prisoners in Iran!
Female political prisoners in Qarchak Prison were attacked by boiling water, Monday night, September 14, 2020.https://t.co/WCpg3oMXxs pic.twitter.com/Fs6WtaUXA0
— Women's Committee NCRI (@womenncri) September 17, 2020
The Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) had previously issued a statement on August 24 indicating: “On the orders of the prison warden of Qarchak, dangerous criminals have been sent to the ward where political prisoners are detained to incite fights and brutalize them.” The Committee had specifically warned, “The lives of political prisoners Forough Taqipour, Parastoo Mo’ini, and Zahra Safaei are in serious danger. Zahra Safaei had previously received death threats from several hired inmates on June 13, 2020.”
In other facilities, political prisoners are not faring any better. Earlier this week, other reports coming from inside Iran pertained that prison guards had attacked and hurt inmates in the ward of political prisoners in Urmia Central Prison. The raiding prison guards attacked the inmates with ruthless force and ransacked the political prisoners’ belongings under the pretext of a “routine inspection.” Six prison guards and 15 members of an anti-riot unit participated in this horrific and unprovoked attack that continued for three hours.
Reports indicate that more than 20 members of an anti-riot guards unit in Urmia Central Prison, located in northwest #Iran, stormed the political prisoners’ ward at 1 pm on Tuesday, September 15.#HumanRightshttps://t.co/zFJ4GWtubs
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) September 16, 2020
MEP Anna Fotyga, former foreign minister of Poland, highlighted the necessity to investigate into the human rights situation in Iran and the plight of political prisoners during a formal session of the European Parliament on September 14. “I am speaking on behalf of a large number of MEP from various parties. We respectfully call for an investigation regarding our question about the human rights situation in Iran in the next parliamentary session this October. This is especially concerning political prisoners on death row. Unfortunately, the human rights situation in Iran has deteriorated since our last request. Navid Afkari has been executed,” she said.
The Iranian Resistance calls on the United Nations Security Council, the UN Secretary-General, the Human Rights Council, and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as other human rights organizations, to take urgent action to secure the release of all detainees in Iran. It once again reiterates the need for an international fact-finding mission to visit Iran’s prisons and meet with the detained protesters, especially political prisoners. All detainees are subject to torture and execution.
The increased pressure on Iranian political prisoners is happening against the backdrop of ongoing protests across the country and increasing fear among regime officials about the possibility of the eruption of another round of nationwide protests. The regime is handing out harsh sentences to political prisoners and carrying out executions in hopes of containing the growing public outrage at economic woes, government corruption, and the suppression of freedoms.
