Hamideh Zerai Violently Arrested Again by Iranian Authorities
Hengaw; Saturday, June 8, 2024
Hamideh Zerai, a Gilak political prisoner from Rasht residing in Karaj and previously arrested during the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement, was violently arrested again in her hometown, where she had been serving her exile sentence. The arrest occurred just two days after the completion of her sentence.
According to a report received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, Hamideh Zerai was violently arrested and beaten after being summoned to the Rasht court.
During her exile, she had been reporting to the Golsar neighborhood police station in Rasht every three days. She was summoned to court after refusing to wear a chador as instructed by the head of the police station.
Hamideh Zerai is currently held in Lakan Prison in Rasht and has announced that she will soon go on a hunger strike due to being denied the right to in-person visits.
Previously, she was sentenced by Branch 1 of the Karaj Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Mousa Asif-Hosseini, to one year of imprisonment for "propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran." This sentence was reduced to nine months upon her submission to the verdict.
As part of her supplementary punishment, she was also sentenced to a two-year travel ban, a two-year ban on social media presence, and two years of mandatory residence in Rasht.
Hamideh Zerai was prohibited from attending her court session on November 6 of last year due to not adhering to the mandatory dress code.
This political prisoner was arrested on November 3, 2022, during the 40th-day memorial of Hadis Najafi and subsequently transferred to Kachouii Prison. She was finally released on February 7 of last year following the issuance of an "amnesty" directive.
Hamideh Zerai was arrested for the second time on May 29, 2023, in Karaj and transferred to Kachouii Prison to serve her sentence. She was released from prison on February 21 of last year after serving her sentence.
