Atena Farghadani has been arrested
Atena Farghadani, a cartoonist and former political prisoner, has been arrested after being summoned to Evin Courthouse.
On Wednesday, June 7, 2023, Atena Farghadani, a cartoonist and children’s rights activist residing in Tehran, was arrested after being summoned to the interrogation courthouse of District 33 for interrogation.
In a tweet, Mohammad Moghimi, her attorney, wrote: “My client Atena Farghadani, a painter, cartoonist, and former political prisoner, has been summoned and arrested at Evin Courthouse.”
He said he was uninformed of the reasons for his client’s arrest.
Ms. Farghadani, who was previously deprived of continuing her studies at the master’s level due to her activities, has been transferred to Evin Prison in Tehran after visiting the courthouse and being detained.
Atena Farghadani was arrested in September 2014 and sentenced to 12 years and nine months of imprisonment for “insulting the leader (Khamenei).” Ultimately, this sentence was reduced to 18 months of imprisonment in the Revision Court.
Ms. Farghadani was sentenced to 12 years in prison for drawing and posting on social media cartoons that depicted members of the regime’s parliament with animal heads.
She was charged with “conspiracy against national security,” “propaganda against the state,” and “insulting members of the parliament.”
When she was temporarily released from prison in 2014, Atena exposed the harassment and abuse that prisoners face, which quickly led to her return to prison. She then went on a hunger strike and also suffered a heart attack at one point.
Atena’s case sparked the #Draw4Atena campaign on social media, where cartoonists worldwide shared their works to support her.
At the time, 40 non-governmental organizations and over 75 international cartoonists called for the release of Atena Farghadani, a brave cartoonist and human rights activist, in a letter addressed to Hassan Rouhani, the mullahs’ President.
Atena Farghadani was finally released from prison on May 3, 2016.
