Sara Mottaghi Arrested At Rasht Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office

Human Rights in Iran – Thursday, March 2, 2023 – Sara Mottaghi was arrested and transferred to an unknown location, following an order from the Prosecutor of the General and Revolutionary Court in Rasht, the capital of Gilan Province.

According to the report of Human Rights in Iran, on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, Sara Mottaghi, born in 1996, a poet and literary activist, residing in Rasht, the capital of Gilan Province, was arrested and transferred to Lakan Prison, after being summoned to Branch 10 of the city’s General and Revolutionary Court.

Sara Mottaghi’s arrest followed her summons to an interrogation session at the General and Revolutionary Court in Rasht, according to the report.

“Sara Mottaghi’s arrest was after she was summoned and referred to Branch 10 of the Rasht Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office and after being arrainged.”, according to an informed source, in an interview with the reporter of Human Rights in Iran.

Regarding the charges against Sara Mottaghi, the source added: “The legal example of her accusation was blasphemy against Islamic sanctities, and the basis of this charge against Sarah Mottaghi was her writing on the necessity of protecting Sepand-  ârmazgân Day (an ancient Iranian celebration) as Women’s Day.

The suppression of freedom of expression and thought and the prohibition of dissemination of different opinions and views in a society is a violation of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted on 16 December 1966.

Arbitrary detention and uncertainty in detention or imprisonment violates Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted on December 16, 1966.

In addition, the right to due process by a impartial judge, interrogator, and investigator is among the rights emphasized in Article 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Article 5 of Criminal Procedure Code emphasizes on informing the accused as soon as possible of the charges of attribution and providing access to a lawyer and other defense rights mentioned in the law.