U.S.-Iran Talks Begin–Iran Political Prisoners Lives Hang in Balance
Contact: Larry Everest 202 556 3906
press@freeiranspoliticalprisonersnow.org
Twitter @IranPrisonEmerg
Mariam Claren, daughter of Nahid Taghavi, available for interview
Iranian Political Prisoners Nahid Taghavi Returned to Solitary Confinement, Lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh Returned to Prison
Emergency Appeal Calls for Freeing All Iranian Political Prisoners – No U.S. Aggression
The Emergency Campaign to Free Iran’s Political Prisoners received the following April 5 statement from Nahid Taghavi’s daughter, Mariam Claren (Twitter: @mariam_claren):
“After 20 days in the women’s wing in Evin prison my mother Nahid Taghavi was transferred back to solitary confinement in Isolation Section 2-A.
“Our family is very concerned because my mother's health is very poor anyway. Placing her back in solitary confinement threatens her health even more. We don't know why she was transferred. We don't know how she is doing.”
Mariam Claren, daughter of Nahid Taghavi, available for interview
Iranian Political Prisoners Nahid Taghavi Returned to Solitary Confinement, Lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh Returned to Prison
Emergency Appeal Calls for Freeing All Iranian Political Prisoners – No U.S. Aggression
The Emergency Campaign to Free Iran’s Political Prisoners received the following April 5 statement from Nahid Taghavi’s daughter, Mariam Claren (Twitter: @mariam_claren):
“After 20 days in the women’s wing in Evin prison my mother Nahid Taghavi was transferred back to solitary confinement in Isolation Section 2-A.
“Our family is very concerned because my mother's health is very poor anyway. Placing her back in solitary confinement threatens her health even more. We don't know why she was transferred. We don't know how she is doing.”
Key points on Nahid Taghavi:
• 66 year old German-Iranian dual national
• Arbitrarily arrested on October 16, 2020
• More than 5 months in solitary confinement
• No access to lawyer
• No consular support despite her German citizenship
Amnesty International: on January 27, 2021 issued an URGENT ACTION alert condemning Taghavi’s arbitrary detention warning she’s at a “heightened risk of severe illness or death if she contracts COVID-19,” stating, “She is a prisoner of conscience and must be immediately and unconditionally released.”
Nasrin Sotoudeh Returned to Prison: IranHumanRights.org reports (Apr 5), “After a brief furlough, the courageous rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh has been sent back to Iran's Qarchak Prison, known for its inhuman conditions.”
Emergency Appeal: The Lives of Iran’s Political Prisoners Hang in the Balance—We Must ACT Now
This new appeal was issued on March 27, 2021. It warns “A brutal campaign of arrests, torture and executions [nearly 50 in the last 3 months] is now taking place in Iran,” and details the torture undergone by Taghavi and other prisoners.
“This is an emergency. The lives and dignity of hundreds of political prisoners are in imminent, mortal danger,” it states and calls on “All those who stand for justice and yearn for a better world must rally to the cause of freeing Iran’s political prisoners NOW. “
The Appeal has been endorsed by individuals directly connected to the prisoners’ cause including Mariam Claren; Dr. Kylie Moore-Gilbert, British-Australian academic and former political prisoner in Iran; Elika Ashoori, daughter of political prisoner Anoosheh Ashoori; Satar Rahmani, spokesperson for International Alliance in Support of Workers in Iran (IASWI), campaigning for Iran’s political prisoners; Mehri Jafari, UK Solicitor and Human Rights lawyer representing Iranian political prisoners and British citizen Mehran Raoof; and over half-dozen former Iranian political prisoners.
The Appeal has also been endorsed by nearly 200 people from the U.S. and beyond, including Father Bob Bossie, member of the Priests of the Sacred Heart; Father Claude Mostowik, MSC, Australia; and members of Vets4Peace, including its Santa Fe, New Mexico chapter.
The Emergency Appeal’s message condemning the Iranian government for its cruel treatment of dissent and opposition and demanding an end to U.S. threats, war moves, and sanctions is critical to put before the U.S. (and global) public now, as Iran’s draconian repression intensifies and talks between the U.S. and other world powers and Iran have started.