Narges Mohammadi, human rights and anti death penalty activist who is the vice president of the Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Nargess Mohammadi
On 18 May 2015, Judge Abolghasem Salavati who heads the 15th division of Tehran Islamic Revolutionary Court stretched the already long prison sentence of Narges Mohammadi by sentencing her to 16 years in prison.
This new 16 year sentencing is in addition to all of Mohammadi’s pervious sentencings; however, according to Islamic Penal code article 134 Whenever the total numbers of convicted crimes are not more than three, the longest sentencing of them all will be applied as the maximum sentence. In the most recent case brought against Mohammadi, according to Islamic Penal Code, she must be serving 10 years of the total of 16 years. That is if no other charges are brought against her.
On the most recent of the charges that the Iranian state brought against Mohammadi, she is now “convicted” of leading a right to life campaign which aimed to end capital punishment in Iran.
Mohammadi, who is already serving numerous prison sentences on different charges, inaugurated the “Step by Step to Stop the Death Penalty” (Lagam in Persian). She is also charged with “assembly and spreading propaganda against the state” as well as “acting against the national security of Iran.”
According to Taqi Rahmani – Mohammadi’s husband who now lives in exile – of the 16 years, 10 years is on the account of Mohammadi’s involvement with “Step by Step to Stop the Death Penalty”, 5 years for “assembly and spreading propaganda against the state” and one year is for “acting against the national security of Iran.”
The trial of the most recent charged brought against Mohammadi started in 20 April 2016 and was rescheduled numerous times since its original date of 3 May 2015.
The “Step by Step to Stop the Death Penalty” campaign which seems to be the main reason Mohammadi is convicted this time, is now completely crumbled with this sentencing.
Mohammadi’s lawyer was present during the trial but the trial was closed to the public and members of the press.
Her husband, Taqi Rahmani has been living with their children outside of Iran. Rahmani on a number of occasions has told the media that Evin prison officials have denied his wife the right to be in contact with her children regularly. Mohammadi’s Children have only had one single phone call during her time in prison and Rahmani has never spoken to her wife since her arrest.
Mohammadi was first arrested in 1998 for her criticisms of the Iranian state and spent a year in prison. In April 2010, she was summoned to the Islamic Revolutionary Court for her membership in the Defenders of Human Rights Center and sent to Evin prison.
Mohammadi’s health declined while in custody and she developed epilepsy and some form of muscular dystrophy. In July 2011, Mohammadi was prosecuted again and found guilty of “acting against the national security of Iran, membership of the Defenders of Human Rights Center and propaganda against the state”. In September 2011 she was sentenced to 11 years. In March 2012, the sentence was upheld by an appeals court, but it was reduced to six years. On 26 April 2012, she was arrested to begin her sentence.