July 22, 2021 | revcom.us

Release Nahid Taghavi — German-Iranian political prisoner contracted COVID-19 — Freedom for Iran’s Political Prisoners

Editor’s  Note:  We received the following from the International Emergency Campaign to Free Iran’s Political Prisoners

The International Emergency Campaign to Free Iran’s Political Prisoners urges everyone to circulate and act on this urgent press release from Mariam Claren (@Mariam_Claren), the daughter of Nahid Taghavi, a women’s and human rights activist imprisoned for her beliefs.  We join with Mariam Claren in demanding that the Islamic Republic of Iran immediately release Nahid Taghavi for COVID treatment, and free Nahid and all its political prisoners.  

From Mariam Claren, July 21, 2021:

Press release regarding Nahid Taghavi, 66-year-old innocent German citizen arbitrarily detained in Iran since 16 October 2020.

German-Iranian Nahid Taghavi has contracted COVI­-19 in Evin prison.  

At the beginning of this month, a COVID-19 outbreak started in the women’s wing of the notorious Evin prison in Tehran, where several political prisoners contracted the coronavirus. Other women prisoners in the women’s wing were not tested and the prison authorities have not implemented the required hygiene measures.

The number of infected people has since skyrocketed. Tests were only carried out after enormous pressure from prisoners and their family members.

My mother, 66-year-old German-Iranian, Nahid Taghavi has also tested positive for the coronavirus. Her current health condition is very bad. She is suffering from a fever, chills and severe pain in her limbs.

It should be noted that my mother already suffered from pre-existing health conditions before she was arbitrarily detained.These conditions include high blood pressure and diabetes. For someone at her age with pre-existing health conditions and now testing positive for COVID-19, her life is in imminent danger.

I demand the immediate release of my mother, Nahid Taghavi and all political prisoners. She and all other prisoners must be given urgent medical attention.

Key points on Nahid Taghavi:

Nahid Taghavi is a 66-year-old German-Iranian dual citizen who was arbitrarily arrested on October 16, 2020.  She was taken to Tehran’s Evin Prison, where she spent 194 days in solitary confinement and was interrogated 80 times for a total of 1,000 hours, all without legal counsel. She’s still awaiting sentencing. She has received no consular support despite her German citizenship. 

What you can do:

• Send messages of protest to Iran’s government demanding Nahid Taghavi’s immediate release:
  c/o Embassy of Iran to the European Union
  Address: Avenue Franklin Roosevelt No 15,
  1050 Bruxelles, Belgium,
  or
  Telephone Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Tehran: +98 21 6115 0000
• Call on German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and German government to immediately demand Nahid’s release and her freedom:
  Address: German Foreign Ministry 11013 Berlin
  Tel: + 49 (0) 3018 17-0;
  Fax: + 49 (0) 3018 17-3402;
  Twitter: @GermanyDiplo, @HeikoMaas;
  Email German Ambassador to Iran Bernd Erbel at:
  info@teheran.diplo.de
• Call on Mr. Javaid Rehman, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, to urgently take up Nahid’s case:
  Email sr-iran@ohchr.org and javaid.rehman@brunel.ac.uk
  Tel: +44 (0)1895 267226

For more information on the International Emergency Campaign and its Emergency Appeal—The Lives of Iran’s Political Prisoners Hang in the Balance—We Must ACT Now demanding freedom for Iran’s political prisoners go to: FreeIransPoliticalPrisonersNow.org. This Appeal will be published in the August issue of the New York Review of Books.