The regime’s judiciary summoned and detained civil activists including retired teacher Zeinab Hamrang; retired lawyer Giti Pour Fazel; and Zahra Rahimi, executive director of the Imam Ali NGO, on September 5 and 6, 2020, in Tehran.
Giti Pour Fazel, a retired lawyer, was arrested on September 6, 2020, after appearing in Evin Court. She was transferred to the women’s ward of Evin Prison to serve her 27-month (2 years and 3 months) sentence.
Zeinab Hamrang was arrested and transferred to Evin Prison to serve her sentence. Ms. Hamrang was arrested last week during a trip to West Azerbaijan Province and was transferred to Evin Prison on September 5, 2020, 5 days later.
The retired teacher had previously been sentenced by the Revolutionary Court to 6 years in prison. The charges against this civil activist include “conspiracy and propaganda against the state.”
Ms. Hamrang, about 50 years old, was arrested by security forces at her home on January 12, 2020, along with her daughter. She was then transferred to Evin Court. She was finally released on bail sometime later. Zeinab Hamrang Seyed Begloo lives in Tehran but is from Moghan city in Ardabil Province.
Zahra Rahimi, the managing director of the Imam Ali NGO, was arrested on September 6, 2020, after appearing in Evin Court. She was released on bail and transferred to the quarantine ward of Evin Prison. She was detained for failing to post bail. She had been summoned previously as an accused activist on August 15, 2020. She was summoned for the second time to Evin Court, to provide an explanation, on September 1, 2020. Zahra Rahimi was denied the right to a lawyer in court, while her summons stated that she could be present with the lawyer.
Political prisoner Elham Khamseh has been detained in Evin Prison for about 3 weeks. She was sentenced to 2 years in prison by the Revolutionary Court for “insulting the supreme leader.” Elham Khamseh is a 40-year-old resident of Tehran.
In August and September, we witnessed an increase in threats and overwhelming pressure on prisoners amid a wave of harsh sentences. Summoning and detaining civil activists, as well as charity organizations, is on the rise. The above-mentioned examples are from published news in just 2 days: September 5 and 6, 2020.
