Feb 10, 2023
A group of female political prisoners who got released on Wednesday chanted the revolution’s slogan, "Woman, Life, Freedom" without the mandatory hijab in front of the Evin prison in Tehran.
Alieh Motallebzadeh, Saba Kordafshari, Fariba Asadi, Parastou Moeini, Zahra Safaei, Gelareh Abbasi, and Shohreh Hosseini are among them.
In recent weeks, Narges Mohammadi, spokesperson of the Defenders of Human Rights Centre (DHRC), has reported how women are being physically and sexually abused following their arrests. According to her, 57 out of 58 female prisoners have experienced "horrific, inhumane torture."
The seven female political prisoners released on Wednesday are among the tortured detainees.
Children’s Mass Arrest
Within five months of the uprising, more than 400 school students were abducted by government institutions in various cities in Kurdistan, and only 186 were identified by Hengaw (Human Right Organization). Of the total 186 children whose identities were verified, 32 were girls and 154 were boys. Several of these children were released after days and weeks of indecision under illegal titles, such as giving a commitment or being released on bail. However, these children are in such a critical situation that they generally do not speak to anyone. They are severely isolated and emotionally traumatized.
In most cases, children have been subjected to harsh interrogation without any consideration of their protection rights. The children are denied the general requirements of detention, such as family notification, a medical examination, and access to legal counsel.
In most cases, the case was illegally referred to the Revolutionary Court, an exceptional court that does not meet the minimum standards of a fair trial. At least 4 of these teenagers were sentenced by the judiciary to fines, imprisonment, and flogging.
Hossein Amirabdollahian, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic, denied the killing of protesters and arresting journalists and students.
Amirabdollahian also said about the deaths of hundreds of people in the protests and the arrest of thousands of people: "We are witnessing a kind of exaggeration in these numbers; even if it was said by human rights groups. The number of people killed during the riots is not stated correctly. You can see that something significant happened during these riots, but despite the intense tension, the police were not allowed to carry firearms."
According to the Iran Human Rights Organization, 526 people have been killed in nationwide protests. By publishing a list, this organization also announced that at least 109 protesters are in danger of issuing or executing death sentences.Also, in the leaked bulletin of Fars News Agency, affiliated with IRGC, the number of people arrested during the protests was announced to be around 30,000.