Sepideh Rashno is a 28-year-old artist, writer, and editor. She was temporarily released on a bail of 800 million Tomans on August 30, 2022, after 1.5 months of detention. Her brother tweeted the news of her release.
Sepideh Rashno received a warning from a female vice patrol about her clothing, when she got onto a (Rapid Transit-BRT) bus in Tehran. This happened on July 16, 2022, when she got onto a (Rapid Transit-BRT) bus in Tehran. She refused to keep silent, and a dispute broke between them. The female agent was thrown off the bus by other passengers who saw the incident.
After this incident, Intelligence Ministry agents arrested Sepideh on July 18, 2022. They tortured her under interrogation.
How was Sepideh Rashno arrested?
A video of a confrontation between female passengers on a rapid transit bus in Tehran went viral in mid-June. The video shows a woman with a headscarf, Rayeheh Rabii, attacking Sepideh Rashno after warning her to cover her hair. Rabii was pushed off the bus by people who discovered she was filming anyone who opposed her action. Rabii threatened Sepideh that she would expose her video to the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC).
IRGC agents arrested Ms. Rashno after receiving the video and image given to them by Rayeheh. With her arrest, there was widespread concern on social media about where the young activist was held.
After she disappeared for several days, Iranian state television aired Rashno’s “confession” on July 31. She appeared to be in a poor physical state and bruises were evident around her eyes.
Viewers made the obvious conclusion that she had been forced to make confessions under torture. She was made to apologize to Rayeheh though being offended and attacked by her and asked to be pardoned.
One activist commented after Sepideh was arrested, “You get on a bus in summer with the temperature at 40 degrees. You are annoyed with wearing trousers, a blouse, a long cloak, and your headscarf. Then your headscarf falls, and somebody warns you about the hijab. That person bites you, but you are the one to get arrested.”
A news reporter wrote, “A woman was arrested after defending herself when harassed by a thug. Unpunished crimes will not go unanswered.”
Torturing Sepideh Rashno in state custody
Sepideh Rashno comes from Khorramabad, western Iran, but currently resides in Tehran in a student dormitory.
Following her arrest, Sepideh was transferred to solitary confinement in Ward 2A of Evin Prison and interrogated. Ms. Rashno was denied a defendant’s fundamental rights, including contact with her family and access to an attorney. The interrogators forced her to plead guilty on television by threatening and intimidating her.
Sepideh was transferred to Talegani Hospital in Tehran on August 5, 2022. A source informed of the transfer said, “Sepideh Rashno was taken to Talegani Hospital in Tehran overnight with several agents surrounding her. She had to be X-rayed for the risk of internal bleeding caused by the blows to her abdominal cavity.”
Witnesses at the scene of Ms. Rashno’s transfer to the hospital saw her trembling and unable to walk right. Sepideh’s blood pressure had also fallen.
The security forces did not allow Sepideh to speak to others and refused her privacy during the doctor’s examination. The authorities returned her to the detention center that night.
As Sepideh was hospitalized in the emergency section, the atmosphere soon turned tense. The medical staff was not allowed to use their mobile phones.
Forced confession on state TV
The state-run television (IRIB) aired Sepideh’s forced confession on July 31, 2022. On August 20, 2022, the Ministry of Justice’s news agency accused Sepideh Rashno of “propaganda activities against the state” and “encouragement of corruption and prostitution.”
Political prisoner Leila Hosseinzadeh wrote in a tweet thread about Sepideh Rashno’s detention and condition. She said she had experienced similar situations in prison.
Leila was beaten and arrested by ten security forces in Tehran after posting the note. She was taken to Shiraz’s detention center, and her account was out of reach.
