Kurdish Political Prisoner, Varisheh Moradi Stays in Abeyance in Evin Prison Amid Continued Deprivation of Visitation and Phone Call Rights
Hengaw: Tuesday, August 27, 2024
Verisheh Moradi, a Kurdish political prisoner and member of KJAR (Community of Free Women of Eastern Kurdistan), who has been detained for the past 392 days, has been deprived of the right to communicate with or visit her family and lawyers for more than three months on the orders of Judge Salavati. The disciplinary committee of Evin Prison has also extended this deprivation for another two months as punishment for her protest against the execution of Reza Rasaei, another Kurdish political prisoner.
According to a report received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, since Tuesday, August 6, 2024, Verisheh Moradi, a Kurdish political prisoner from Sanandaj, along with a group of female political prisoners at Evin Prison, has been deprived of the right to make phone calls by the prison's disciplinary committee. On August 4, 2024, her second court session, which was scheduled more than a year after her arrest, was postponed due to her refusal to attend the session in protest against the death sentences of Pakhshan Azizi and Sharifeh Mohammadi.
Following the execution of Reza Rasaei, a Kurdish political prisoner from Sahneh and a detainee of the "Women, Life, Freedom” movement, a group of female prisoners at Evin Prison protested on August 6, leading to clashes between the prisoners and the prison guards. As a result, the disciplinary committee deprived them of their right to make phone calls and receive visits.
On August 4, 2024, Verisheh Moradi also refused to attend her court session in protest against the death sentences of Pakhshan Azizi and Sharifeh Mohammadi. Her lawyers attended the session and informed Judge Salavati that their client was absent as a form of protest. Consequently, Judge Salavati postponed the court session to a later date.
Additionally, the first court session for this Kurdish political activist was held on June 16, 2024, in Branch 15 of the Tehran’s Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Abolqasem Salavati, on charges of "rebellion" through membership in KJAR. During this session, Verisheh and her lawyers were not allowed to defend themselves.
On May 14, 2024, she was transferred to solitary confinement in Ward 209 of Evin Prison for further interrogation by order of Judge Salavati and, along with Pakhshan Azizi, went on a two-day hunger strike in protest of this transfer.
Since May 6, 2024, Verisheh Moradi has been deprived of the right to communicate with her family and lawyers by order of Judge Salavati, and her lawyers have so far been unable to access and review her case file.
She was charged with "rebellion" through membership in the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) by the investigator of Branch 5 of the Tehran Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office in February 2024. After the indictment was issued by the prosecutor's office, her case was referred to Branch 15 of Tehran’s Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Salavati.
On Tuesday, December 26, 2023, after five months of solitary confinement in the detention center of the Iranian Intelligence, known as Ward 209 of Evin Prison, Verisheh Moradi was transferred to the women's ward of this prison. She had been transferred to Evin Prison in late August of the same year after being interrogated and tortured at the Intelligence Office in Sanandaj and was subjected to physical and psychological torture during her detention.
It is worth mentioning that on Tuesday, August 1, 2023, Verisheh Moradi was abducted by the Iranian Intelligence forces while traveling from Marivan to Sanandaj. During the abduction, she was severely beaten and transferred to the detention center without receiving any medical attention.
