Ongoing Detention and Uncertain Fate of Nasim Gholami Simiyari, Prisoner Accused of "Armed Rebellion" in Evin Prison

Hengaw; Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Nasim Gholami Simiyari, a political prisoner held in the women's ward of Evin Prison, has been detained without a clear resolution for over 15 months. She faces the risk of harsh sentences from the Iranian judiciary due to the charges against her, including "Baghi" (armed rebellion).

According to a report received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Nasim Gholami Simiyari, 36, originally from Alamut in Qazvin Province and residing in Tehran, was arrested by security forces on May 18, 2023, in a street in Tehran. She remains in a state of uncertainty in Tehran's Evin Prison.

Sources familiar with the case say that, despite 447 days since her arrest, only two court sessions have been held for Nasim Gholami Simiyari, with no ruling issued by Judge Iman Afshari. Given the charges against her, she is at risk of facing severe sentences.

After her arrest, She was initially transferred to Ward 1-A of the IRGC for two months, where she was held in solitary confinement and subjected to interrogation. During this period, she endured physical and psychological torture and was forced to make confessions on camera. Subsequently, she was moved to Ward 2-A and eventually transferred to the women's ward of Evin Prison on September 26, 2023.

It is noteworthy that after five months of detention in Evin's Prosecutor's Office, Nasim Gholami Simiyari was charged by investigator Naser Jalayer Sarteghi with crimes such as "assembly and collusion," "propaganda against the government," and "Baghi." Last November, she went on a two-week hunger strike to protest her uncertain situation.

This civilian was arrested along with seven other individuals—named Hamidreza Sahlabadi, Ehsan Ravazjian, Amin Sokhanvar, Ali Herati Mokhtari, Hossein Mohammad-Hosseini, Amir Shahvelayati, and Hossein Ardestani—in a joint case.