Yasra Aref, a 25-year-old Afghan national, has been imprisoned in Tehran’s Evin Prison along with her eight-month-old infant since April 2024.
Detained since early 2024, the mother and child have been subjected to harsh and unsuitable conditions, raising significant concerns about their health and well-being. The dire situation of this mother and her child is emblematic of broader issues within the Iranian regime’s treatment of detainees.
Yasra Aref and her husband were arrested by Iranian security forces in Pakistan when their child was just two months old. Following their arrest, Yasra and her baby were transferred to Iran, where they spent five months in a solitary confinement cell with a locked window, depriving them of adequate ventilation and sunlight.
On August 7, 2024, when the child was seven months old, they were moved to the women’s ward of Evin Prison. Despite the transfer, the prison environment remains extremely unsuitable for an infant, exposing the child to various health risks, including malnutrition and psychological stress.
This is particularly concerning since a flu-like virus has recently spread in the women’s ward while there is no quarantine facility to separate the sick inmates.
As of the time this report was prepared, no official charges have been brought against Yasra Aref, and she remains in legal limbo, with her fate and that of her child uncertain. Yasra has been denied the right to contact her family. The whereabouts of her husband is not known.
The conditions under which Yasra Aref and her baby are being held highlight significant violations of both children’s and mothers’ rights. The continued uncertainty surrounding their case, coupled with the inadequate conditions in which they are forced to live, has raised serious concerns about their health and future.
