Maliheh Jafari, a student activist summoned to serve her prison sentence

Human Rights in Iran – Thursday, July 2, 2020 / The Law Enforcement branch of Security Prosecutor’s Office in Tehran summoned Maliheh Ja’fari, a student of Puppetry and Fine Arts at University of Tehran to begin her 6-month prison sentence.

According to Human Rights in Iran quoting from Students Union of the Country, the Law Enforcement branch of the Tehran Security Prosecutor’s Office summoned Maliheh Ja’fari, a student of Puppetry and Fine Arts at the University of Tehran to begin her 6-month prison sentence on charges of assembly and collusion with the aim of disrupting the internal security of the country.

On March 3, 2020, branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, chaired by Iman Afshari, sentenced Mrs. Maliheh Ja’fari to 6 months in prison on charges of assembly and collusion with the aim of disrupting internal security of the country. She was also sentenced to 2 months of free public service, research on the Islamic hijab (compulsory veiling) and its effects in a 90-page manuscript, and handwriting of three books over a period of three months, which the verdict was exactly upheld by the Court of Appeals.

It should be noted that Maliheh Ja’fari was arrested by security forces on November 17, 2019, while she was walking in the area of Pour Sina Street in Tehran and was transferred to Evin Prison. After the interrogation process and being charged, she was released on a bail of 200 million Tomans on December 1, 2019.

The suppression of student activists and the imposition of security charges against them are among the cases violating Human Rights, and is in the line of the repression of Freedom of Speech in Iran, which there is an emphasis on it in International Instrument of Human Rights, in Article 19 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as Article 19 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted on 16 December 1966.

Also the individuals’ right to a fair trial is one of the inalienable rights accentuated in Article 10 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The issue of arbitrary detainment of persons without the justification of their charges, and the culprits’ inaccessibility to a lawyer is a case of violations of Principles noted in International Instrument of Human Rights, Article 9 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Article 9 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights adopted on December 16th 1966. But judicial and security officials in prisons use these deprivations and inaccessibilities as a mean to repress the individuals because of their forced accusations, that this kind of behavior is a violation of Article 5 in Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Ebrahim Raeesi, the head of Judiciary, on Sunday November 3rd 2019, with his presence at the meeting of Human Rights Supreme Council in Islamic Republic of Iran which was held in attendance of Ali Shamkhani and Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ezhei, two of senior members in the Judiciary and in the Supreme National Security Counci of IRI, mentioned that the Islamic Republic of Iran under the title of a government that is structurally rooted in accordance with Human Rights Principles.

Also All Khamenei, Islamic Republic leader, in his talks has acclaimed for times that NO citizen in Iran is being prosecuted for their criticism, however the compulsory and ruthlessly suppression and the expanse of security condition and atmosphere is Iran unveils the obvious fact and accentuates the point that the governmental rulers in Iran are the big staff of sophistry, casuistry and arbitrary interpretation.

Article 5 of the Criminal Procedure Code stipulates that the accused shall be informed of the charges and provided access to a lawyer as soon as possible. Other defensive rights are mentioned in law, but extrajudicial actions taken by the security services violate the laws that they themselves drafted and claim to be enforced.