Nasrin Hassani Jailed in Unfavorable Conditions
Nasrin Hassani, a journalist and political prisoner, is being held in Bojnord Prison without the observance of the crime separation principle. The Revolutionary and Criminal Courts of Bojnord had previously sentenced her to one year and seven months in prison. She is the only female political prisoner in this facility and is detained alongside inmates convicted of general crimes.
Unsanitary Conditions in Bojnord Prison
Bojnord Prison is essentially a warehouse that houses over 100 inmates with various offenses. Some of these prisoners have contagious diseases and, due to the lack of quarantine facilities, are kept alongside other inmates.
Change in Sentence Status and Re-arrest
Nasrin Hassani’s sentence was recently changed to open imprisonment, allowing her to take leave on Thursdays and Fridays. However, on June 28, 2024, before her leave ended, she was arrested by security forces and interrogated for publishing content about the presidential elections. After one day in detention, she was transferred back to Bojnord Prison, and since then, her open imprisonment status has been revoked, and her family visits have been restricted.
New Charges Against Nasrin Hassani
Judicial authorities and Bojnord Prison officials are preparing a new case against her on charges of propaganda against the regime and actions against national security. Relatives of this political prisoner have reported that the Bojnord prosecutor visited the prison and threatened Nasrin Hassani with exile to the city of Khash and execution.
Previous Sentences and Arrests
On November 11, 2023, Nasrin Hassani was sentenced by Branch 103 of the Bojnord Criminal Court 2 to seven months in prison for spreading false information and fined one million Tomans for not observing the Islamic dress code in public. In December 2023, Branch 1 of the Bojnord Revolutionary Court sentenced her to one year for “propaganda activities against the Islamic Republic through posting photos and videos on social media.” This sentence was later upheld by Branch 2 of the North Khorasan Province Court of Appeals.
On February 4, 2024, Nasrin Hassani was detained and transferred to Bojnord Prison after reporting to Branch 2 of the Criminal Enforcement Office of the Bojnord Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office to serve her sentence. The charge against her was spreading false information through social media. Before entering the prison, she had declared in a message to the public, “I stand by my freedom-loving ideals.”
