August 31, 2020
Mohammad Jafar Montazeri
Attorney General of Iran
Ministry of Justice
1638 Vali-e Asr Avenue Tehran 14167-83595, Iran
Fax: +98 21 8890 9346, +98 21 3391 7006
Email: info@justice.ir, infor@dadsetani.ir
Dear Mr. Montazeri:
Mehraveh Khandan, the daughter of human rights attorney, Nasrin Sotoudeh who is confined in Evin Prison and sentenced to 38 years for peaceful work as a human rights attorney, was arrested in an effort to encourage her mother to stop her hunger strike. The police came to her home and arrested her. They informed her father it was for “insult and assault,” for a disagreement that happened at the prison a year ago between the Mehraveh and a female prison guard. Previously, the authorities had restricted her from traveling abroad when she was 12 and again when she was 17. Recently, they had also frozen the bank account of Nasrin, cutting off funds for her family.
Nasrin started the hunger strike on August 11th to demand the release of political prisoners threatened by the COVID virus. Twelve political prisoners recently tested positive for COVID in Ward 8 but only one was hospitalized while the rest have not received proper medical care. Additionally, only 17 were tested but many more are exhibiting COVID symptoms. There is no separation of prisoners who are sick from the general population.
Mehraveh was taken to Revolutionary Court to be charged. Her attorney posted $23,729 USD (100 million tomans) for bail and she was released.
The Committee of Concerned Scientists is demanding that the Iranian government stop harassing the children of those arrested and sentenced for political reasons. We are asking for an official review of both cases and that all charges against both Mehraveh Khandan and her mother, Nasrin Sotoudeh, be dismissed and that Mehraveh remain free and Nasrin be released.
Sincerely,
Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich, Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer
Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists
Cc:
Hassan Rouhani
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
The Presidency
Pasteur Street, Pasteur Square
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: media@rouhani.ir
Note: Spouse reports that her health has seriously deteriorated over the past week. Her blood pressure is not stable, and she has dropped considerable weight. As she is nauseous it restricts her water and sugar intake dangerously dropping her blood sugar levels. (Radio Farda, Iran News, August 27, 2029)