On Thursday April 9th 2020, Maliheh Shourcheh, mother of Soheila Hejab who was recently sentenced by branch 28 of Tehran Revolution Court, headed by Mohammad Moghiseh to a total 18 years prison conviction, in an open letter asked Iran Community Association for defending the citizenship rights of political prisoners, jailed in country prisons. At present, regarding to corona virus outbreak, as well as the environment pollution, the infection of prisoners to this pandemic virus doesn’t sound far-fetched and improbable.
According to the report of Human Rights in Iran- on Wednesday April 8th 2020, due to the outbreak of corona virus and the prisoners’ deprivation of sanitary facilities, disinfectants and also because of the lack of medical equipment in the dispensaries of Iran prisons, Soheila Hejab’s mother, Maliheh Shourcheh, through writing an open letter called on other strata of Iran society to support political prisoners and try for release of political and ideological prisoners.
Soheila Hejab was recently sentenced by branch 28 of Revolutionary Court in Tehran that was presided over Mohammad Moghiseh to a total of 18 years in prison. Her case is now under appeal proceeding.
In a part of her letter, Maliheh Shourcheh wrote: ” … Activists whose ideal is to defend human beings against natural, political and social viruses of ignorance, hypocricy, oppression and repression and want a more just, free, more moral and fairer atmosphere for life. The most important sign of the fall of a government is when the civil rights of citizens are not respected by the rulers. Being Iranian and the call of duty in front of Iran is a burdening word to carry on “.
The text of Maliheh Shourcheh’s open letter comes below:
The families help the political prisoners!
“These days, when the World is in the crisis, thousands of artists, writers, Journalists, sociologists, economics, geographers, lawyers, physicians and researchers are trying guilelessly and sadly in social media to reinforce the social order and clarify this societal crisis for society, however the governmental authorities deal with the affairs showing off, and instead of sitting around the table, before the cameras, thinking of a solution, they are complimenting and disputing on cyberspace and Twitter. Today’s technology has proven or rejected scientific reasons for any patient in laboratories. What is the need for Religion? What is the function of clergymen that always abuse the people’s beliefs in order to get rid of corona virus?
The humiliation of this people will not be healed easily. The corruption and extended distrust, has destroyed like a termite all the aspects. Instead of blaming each other for being careless, and looking after other visible or Invisible hands, think about what you have done that the people are at the height of their dissatisfaction and explosion? In the meantime, you deal and protect the lives of political and ideological prisoners, each one of whom has been the voice of oppressed, downtrodden and damaged groups of the country, in such an inattentive manner.
Activists whose ideal is to defend human beings against natural, politcal and social viruses of ignorance, hypocrisy, oppression and repression, that want a fairer, freer, more moral and fairer environment for life. The most important sign of the collapse for a government is when the civil rights of the citizens are not respected by the rulers. Being an Iranian and call of duty in front of Iran is a heavy burdened word to take on. As heavy as 2500 years of history, and as heavy as the blood of the persons whose blood is shed because of different ideals.
When my daughter was released from prison, I was happy that she was safe from corona virus infection. But she has disturbing nightmares. This means that she has suffered s lot during her detention. I was in hospital all throughout her detention and now I feel all the mothers whose children are in prison, especially I understand those who experience anxiety caused by corona disease.
I call on the authorities to pay attention to the families of political prisoners. I am not only Soheila Hejab’s mother. Atena Daemi, Aras Amiri, Niloufar Bayani, Rezvaneh Ahmad Khan Beigi, Maryam Akbari Monfared, Sepideh Kashani, Mozhgan Keshavarz, Saba Lord Afshari, Yasaman Ariayee, Samaneh Norouz Moradi and Begin Ghadamian are my child’s too. Release them and help their families”.
Maliheh Shourcheh, the mother of Soheila Hejab, political prisoner.”Wednesday, April 8th 2020
It should be noted that on Wednesday 18th 2020, Soheila Hejab, a citizen of Kermanshah and a political activist, who was previously trialed by branch 28 of Tehran Revolutionary Court, headed by Mohammad Moghiseh, on the charge of: propaganda against the System, gathering and collusion, inciting public opinion for a crisis, establishing a group for women’s rights, demanding a referendum and change in Constitution, was sentenced to a total of 18 years in prison. If the verdict is upheld by the Court of Appeals, and in the case of exertion Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, ” aggression of crimes “, Soheila Hejab will be sentenced to 7 years for the above-mentioned accusations and a 6 month imprisonment on charge of “gathering and collusion “.
Soheila Hejab, the political activist who was detained in June 2019, and kept the detention of IRGC’s Intelligence Office, was temporarily released on Saturday March 14th 2020, on a bail of 3 billion Tomans.
On Thursday 6th 2019, Soheila Hejab was rearrested by IRGC office Forces in her private house on the charge of ” gathering and collusion ” and ” propaganda against the System “. After moving her to safe houses of this organization, and following the interrogation process, she was taken to IRGC’s section 2-A in Evin Prison, and when the interrogation procedure was done, she was transferred to women’s ward in Evin Prison.
This political activist had been arrested previously for the first time, on Friday December 28th 2018 in Shiraz, and after the interrogation process and completion of her case, she was transferred to Adel Abad Prison in Shiraz.
At the beginning of trial in Revolutionary Court of Shiraz, she was sentenced to 2 years in prison, that the verdict was exactly upheld. After serving 5 months of her 2-year conviction in Adel Bad Prison, she was released on parole.
Meantime, many citizens are prosecuted by Security Agencies for their membership and involvement in political parties, in Article 2 Universal Declaration of Human Rights there is an emphasis on prohibition of distinction between individuals political belongings or their dépendance on political groups.
Mostly the issue of arbitrary detainment of persons without the justification of their charges, and the culprits’ inaccessibility to a lawyer are some cases of violations of Principles noted in International Instrument of Human Rights, Article 9 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Article 9 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights adopted on December 16th 1966.
The individuals’ accessibility to the right of a fair judgement by an impartial court is one of the emphasized cases in International Instrument of Human Rights, Article 10 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as in Article 14 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights adopted on December 16th 1966.
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