At the beginning of this month, a COVID19 outbreak started in the women’s wing of the notorious Evin prison in Tehran, where several political prisoners contracted the coronavirus. Other women prisoners in the women’s wing were not tested and the prison authorities have not implemented the required hygiene measures.

The number of infected people has since skyrocketed. Tests were only carried out after enormous pressure from prisoners and their family members.

My mother, 66-year-old German-Iranian, Nahid Taghavi has also tested positive for the coronavirus. Her current health condition is very bad. She is suffering from a fever, chills and severe pain in her limbs.

It should be noted that my mother already suffered from pre-existing health conditions before she was arbitrarily detained. These conditions include high blood pressure and diabetes. For someone at her age with pre-existing health conditions and now testing positive for COVID19, her life is in imminent danger.

I demand the immediate release of my mother, Nahid Taghavi and all political prisoners.  She and all other prisoners must be given urgent medical attention.

Key points on Nahid Taghavi:

Nahid Taghavi is a 66-year-old German-Iranian dual citizen who was arbitrarily arrested on October 16, 2020.  She was taken to Tehran’s Evin Prison, where she spent 194 days in solitary confinement and was interrogated 80 times for a total of 1,000 hours, all without legal counsel. She’s still awaiting sentencing. She has received no consular support despite her German citizenship. END

***

What you can do:

• Send message of protest to Iran’s government demanding Nahid Taghavi’s immediate release: c/o Embassy ofIran to the European Union; Address: Avenue Franklin Roosevelt No 15,1050 Bruxelles, Belgium, or Telephone Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Tehran: +98 21 6115 0000
• Call on German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and German government to immediately demand Nahid’s release and her freedom: Address: German Foreign Ministry 11013 Berlin; Tel: + 49(0) 3018 17-0; Fax: + 49 (0) 3018 17-3402; Twitter: @GermanyDiplo, @HeikoMaas; Email German Ambassador to Iran Bernd Erbel at: info@teheran.diplo.de
• Call on Mr. Javaid Rehman, United Nations SpecialRapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, to urgently take up Nahid’s case: Email sr-iran@ohchr.org and javaid.rehman@brunel.ac.uk; Tel:+44 (0)1895 267226

About the Emergency Campaign to Free Iran's Political Prisoners

For more information on the International Emergency Campaign and its Emergency Appeal—The Lives of Iran’s Political Prisoners Hang in the Balance—We Must ACT Now demanding freedom for Iran’s political prisoners, go to:  FreeIransPoliticalPrisonersNow.org. This Appeal will be published in the August issue of the New York Review of Books.