Deterioration of the medical condition of Ms. Narges Mohammadi

Arbitrarydetention/
Critical health condition/

Ill-treatmentin detention

Iran
June 11, 2019

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership ofFIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), requests your urgentintervention in the following situation in Iran.

New information:

The Observatory has been informed by the League for the Defence of HumanRights in Iran (LDDHI) about the deterioration of the medical condition of Ms. NargesMohammadi, a journalist, Spokesperson and Vice-President of the Defendersof Human Rights Center (DHRC)[1],who is serving a 16-year prison sentence. Ms. Narges Mohammadi suffers fromseveral very serious health conditions, including a pulmonary embolism and aneurological disorder that results in partial paralysis. Her health conditionis exacerbated by the authorities’ refusal to allow her adequate medical carein or out of prison.

According to information received,on April 27, 2019, Ms. Narges Mohammadi was transferred to Mehr Hospital formedical examination and returned to Evin prison on the same day. On May 14,2019, she was sent to hospital again, where she underwent a hysterectomy operation,and was returned to prison on May 26, 2019, before she had recuperated. On June2, 2019, she was reported to have contracted a serious infection, and is sincedenied adequate medication (i.e. antibiotics) in prison.

TheObservatory expresses its strong concern over the physical well-being of Ms.Narges Mohammadi and calls on the Iranian authorities to immediately andunconditionally release her and allow her immediate access to adequate medicalcare.

Background information:

On May 18, 2016, Branch 15 of TehranIslamic Revolution Court found Ms. Narges Mohammadi guilty of “assembly and collusion to commit crimesagainst national security” (under Article 610 of the Islamic Penal Code),“spreading propaganda against the State” (under Article 500) and “establishingand running the illegal splinter group LEGAM[2]” (under Article 498), andsentenced her to a total 16 years in prison.

On September 28, 2016, Branch 36 ofTehran Court of Appeals upheld the sentence and asserted that pursuant toArticle 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, she must serve the maximum sentence,i.e. 10 years[3].At the time of her sentencing, she was already serving the remainder of asix-year sentence dating back to September 2011, when she was found guilty ofacting against national security, propaganda against the State and membershipof the banned DHRC.

On January 3, 2019, Ms. NargesMohammadi undertook a three-day hunger strike to protest being denied access tomedical care.

Actions requested:

Please write to the authorities of Iran asking them to:

i.Guarantee in all circumstances the physical integrity and psychologicalwell-being of Ms. Narges Mohammadi, and allow her immediate access to adequatemedication and medical care;

ii. Immediatelyand unconditionally release Ms. Narges Mohammadi, and all human rightsdefenders arbitrarily detained in the country;

iii. Putan end to all acts of harassment, including at the judicial level, against Ms.Narges Mohammadi, and all other human rights defenders, and ensure they areable to carry out their activities without hindrance;

iv.Conform to all the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on Human RightsDefenders adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9, 1998, in particularits Articles 1, 6, 9, 11 and 12;

v. Ensurein all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms inaccordance with international human rights standards and internationalinstruments ratified by Iran.

Addresses:

• Leader of the Islamic Republic, H.E. Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei, Fax: + 9821 441 2030, Email: info_leader@leader.ir; Twitter: @khamenei_ir
• President Hassan Rouhani, Islamic Republic of Iran, Fax: + 98 21 644 54811;Email: media@rouhani.ir; Twitter: @HassanRouhani (English) and @Rouhani_ir(Persian).
• Head of the Judiciary, H.E. Hojattolislam Ebrahim Ra’eesi, Islamic Republicof Iran, Fax: +98 21 879 6671 / +98 21 3 311 6567, Email: info@dadiran.ir /info@dadgostary-tehran.ir / info@bia-judiciary.ir
• Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Islamic Republic of Iran,Fax: +98-21-66743149; matbuat@mfa.gov.ir
• Secretary General, High Council for Human Rights, Mr. Mohammed JavadLarijani, Islamic Republic of Iran. Email: info@humanrights-iran.ir
• H.E. Mr. Esmaeil Baghaei Hamaneh, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of theIslamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Fax: +4122 7330203, Email: mission.iran@ties.itu.int
• H.E. Mr. Peiman Seadat, Ambassador, Embassy of Iran in Brussels,Belgium, Fax: + 32 2 762 39 15. Email: secreteriat@iranembassy.be

Pleasealso write to the diplomatic representations of Iran in your respectivecountries.

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Paris-Geneva, June 11, 2019

Kindly inform us of any action undertakenquoting the code of this appeal in your reply.

The Observatory for theProtection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 byFIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). The objective of thisprogramme is to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rightsdefenders. FIDH and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented byinternational civil society.

[1] DHRCwas founded by five lawyers including the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ms. ShirinEbadi and was closed by the Iranian regime in 2008. It is a member of FIDH.

[2] Stepby step abolition of the death penalty, also known as LEGAM, is a human rightsgroup that campaigned for the abolition of death penalty in Iran.

[3] SeeObservatory Press Release published on September 29, 2016.