Free Nahid, Free Mehran: Dual national political prisoners excluded from amnesty
March 1 Press release from Mariam Claren, daughter of Nahid Taghavi
Despite satisfying the conditions for early release, Nahid Taghavi remains in prison.
Reason: German citizenship!
Amid national protests since the death of Kurdish woman Jina Mahsa Amini in police custody and the brutal crackdown by the Iranian security forces, the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran has passed a comprehensive system of amnesty and pardons for prisoners to appease them. As a result, a large number of political prisoners have been released in recent weeks. This is a victory for the courageous people of Iran.
The German-Iranian political prisoner, Nahid Taghavi meets these requirements and must also be released under the amnesty and pardon rules. After her local lawyers and family spoke with the authorities, the Iranian judiciary's response was clearer than ever:
"If Nahid Taghavi were not a German citizen, she would be free."
For years we have been told that the Islamic Republic of Iran does not recognize dual citizenship. However, if it is to their advantage, that second citizenship becomes their undoing. This is not new. What is new is that it was said openly.
#FreeNahid
Key points on Nahid Taghavi:
Nahid Taghavi is a 67-year-old German-Iranian dual citizen who was arbitrarily arrested and detained 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, without her legal counsel being present. She has received no consular support despite her German citizenship. In August 2021 she was sentenced to 10 years and 8 months in prison. Since then, she has been held in the women’s wing of Evin prison in Tehran. Due to her poor health, she was released on much-needed medical leave in July 2022. This was interrupted abruptly in the middle of her medical treatment in November 2022 and she was sent back to Evin Prison. It should be noted that she also suffers from high blood pressure and diabetes.
The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has stated that Nahid Taghavi’s detention is arbitrary and has called for her immediate release. Amnesty International has called Nahid Taghavi a prisoner of conscience and has called for her immediate release. The European Parliament also stated that Nahid Taghavi’s detention in Iran is arbitrary in an adopted resolution.
Links:
United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruling on Nahid Taghavi
Amnesty International on Nahid Taghavi
European Parliament on Nahid Taghavi
Contact:
Mariam Claren, +49 172 886 23 29
Twitter: @mariam_claren
March 1 Press release from Mariam Claren, daughter of Nahid Taghavi
Despite satisfying the conditions for early release, Nahid Taghavi remains in prison.
Reason: German citizenship!
Amid national protests since the death of Kurdish woman Jina Mahsa Amini in police custody and the brutal crackdown by the Iranian security forces, the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran has passed a comprehensive system of amnesty and pardons for prisoners to appease them. As a result, a large number of political prisoners have been released in recent weeks. This is a victory for the courageous people of Iran.
The German-Iranian political prisoner, Nahid Taghavi meets these requirements and must also be released under the amnesty and pardon rules. After her local lawyers and family spoke with the authorities, the Iranian judiciary's response was clearer than ever:
"If Nahid Taghavi were not a German citizen, she would be free."
For years we have been told that the Islamic Republic of Iran does not recognize dual citizenship. However, if it is to their advantage, that second citizenship becomes their undoing. This is not new. What is new is that it was said openly.
#FreeNahid
Key points on Nahid Taghavi:
Nahid Taghavi is a 67-year-old German-Iranian dual citizen who was arbitrarily arrested and detained 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, without her legal counsel being present. She has received no consular support despite her German citizenship. In August 2021 she was sentenced to 10 years and 8 months in prison. Since then, she has been held in the women’s wing of Evin prison in Tehran. Due to her poor health, she was released on much-needed medical leave in July 2022. This was interrupted abruptly in the middle of her medical treatment in November 2022 and she was sent back to Evin Prison. It should be noted that she also suffers from high blood pressure and diabetes.
The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has stated that Nahid Taghavi’s detention is arbitrary and has called for her immediate release. Amnesty International has called Nahid Taghavi a prisoner of conscience and has called for her immediate release. The European Parliament also stated that Nahid Taghavi’s detention in Iran is arbitrary in an adopted resolution.
Links:
United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruling on Nahid Taghavi
Amnesty International on Nahid Taghavi
European Parliament on Nahid Taghavi
Contact:
Mariam Claren, +49 172 886 23 29
Twitter: @mariam_claren
Labor Activist Mehran Raoof Denied Release
Charged in the same court case as Nahid Taghavi, British-Iranian dual national and labor activist Mehran Raoof was also told he is ineligible for release under the regime's current commutation of sentences... but for different reasons.
The following news was published by Human Rights Activists News Agency, and translated to English by IEC volunteers.
"A source close to the family of this labor activist told Harana: 'He is currently being held in Ward 8 of Evin Prison. During the past 27 months that Mr. Raoof has been in prison, he has not been visited and has not been sent on leave. Recently, Mohammad Hamidi Rad, the judicial liaison of Evin prison, told this political prisoner that since a third of his sentence has not passed, he will not be eligible for the recent amnesty.'
65-year-old Mehran Raoof was arrested by IRGC intelligence forces in October 2020 and was transferred to the detention center of this security organization known as Ward 2A of Evin Prison... In August of last year, Mr. Raoof was sentenced to 10 years and 8 months of rigorous imprisonment by Branch 26 of Tehran Revolutionary Court headed by Judge Iman Afshari, which was reduced to 7 years and 6 months."