"Unbreakable: Inside Iran's Evin Prison, Women Refuse to Give In to Oppression"

 

PARIS: "Hear this! One. Two. Three! From the women's section of Tehran's Evin prison, a chorus of inmates then burst into a loud song down the crackling phone line.

A Persian version of the Italian anthem "Bella Ciao" is available.

"One for all and all for one!" they shouted, joyfully united in solidarity of the "Woman, life, freedom" demonstrations that have been shaking Iran's religious rulers for five months.

The audio clip of the January telephone call, shared on social media by a daughter of one of the detainees, has embodied the strength and resilience of the women detained in Evin prison, refusing to give up their activism even in incarceration.

Environmental activist Niloufar Bayani, arrested in 2018, has been detained for a number of years, while Narges Mohammadi, championed by admirers for a Nobel Peace Prize, has been in and out of prison for much of the last decade.

Prior to the female-led demonstrations sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini on September 16, who had been detained for reportedly breaching the stringent clothing regulations for women, several people had already been taken into custody.

The number of people increased significantly during the subsequent crackdown.

In recent weeks, several female figures have been freed, among them Alieh Motalebzadeh, a journalist and advocate for women's rights, and Fariba Adelkhah, an Iranian-French scholar. This liberation follows after Motalebzadeh's daughter posted a clip of the popular “Bella Ciao” protest song online, which went viral.

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Campaigners have declined the amnesty as a public relations maneuver and key individuals are still in custody.

Bayani and Mohammadi, environmental campaigner Sepideh Kashani, labour activist Sepideh Gholian, journalist Golrokh Iraee, and German-Iranian Nahid Taghavi were all arrested in relation to the same case. Golrokh Iraee was arrested during a protest crackdown.

Evin Prison is home to Fariba Kamalabadi and Mahvash Sabet, two members of the Bahai faith who are not officially recognised by the Islamic Republic. In July, they were detained for the second time in their lives and are now each serving a 10-year sentence.

Iran's clerical authorities, under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, "tremble" at the words of women, according to Jasmin Ramsey, deputy director of the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). This has resulted in their continued deprivation of freedom.

The hijab headscarf is a symbol of the Islamic revolution and the subjugation of women is a part of it. Women speaking out and challenging the status quo by proclaiming "I can do anything!" is not something the revolution is fond of. This was the sentiment shared with AFP.

Ramsey negated the recent pardon, declaring: "Iranian penitentiaries are a revolving door for political detainees... If more demonstrations occur, more people are likely to end up behind bars."

She stated that many of those still incarcerated require medical attention, and their fundamental human rights have been disregarded for an extended period.

On International Women's Day (March 8), the CHRI is leading a petition, signed by nearly 40 other human rights organisations, calling on EU nations to join forces and invite Iranian ambassadors to their countries.

The ambassadors should be instructed to put an end to the detention and physical/sexual violence against female individuals who are advocating for their rights and liberties in Iran.

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Mohammadi, a vocal supporter of the recent protests, has become prominent amongst those detained due to her denouncing of the inhumane conditions in Evin Prison. Her husband, Taghi Rahmani, based in Paris, spoke to AFP in October and stated that “Narges does not stay silent. This is not acceptable for the Iranian government.” In December, she released an open letter from prison exposing the sexual assault of prisoners and other women being raped by interrogators. “I believe that we, the women of Iran, will continue to fight against the oppressive and violent measures of the government, despite the danger of assault and even rape," she wrote. Sepideh Gholian, convicted of national security charges for supporting a strike by workers, wrote a scathing letter that was published by BBC Persian in January. In her letter, she described the tactics used by interrogators to coerce confessions.