Hengameh Shahidi

She is a journalist and has worked with Hashemi Rafsnjani and Mehdi Karroubi. Hengameh Shahidi was first arrested during the 2009 protests. She considers herself a journalist and a reformist political activist, and she continued her work in the media after her release from prison.

<coverage-outsourcing id='13551'> She was arrested. Her attorney told Radio Farda that she was held in solitary cells for 50 days during her detainment. According to this report and Hengameh Shahidi herself, during her 125 days incarceration, she was repeatedly taken to the prison courtyard and told that she was about to be executed </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13549'> She was temporarily released on a 90 million toman bail </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13550'> She was tried in Branch 26 of the revolutionary court by judge PirAbbasi. The court sentenced her to one year in prison for the charge of "propaganda against the regime", five years in prison for the "assembly and acts against national security", and 91 days for "insulting the president" </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13548'> Amnesty International released a statement demanding her freedom </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13552'> Branch 54 of the appeal court reduced her sentence of six years and 91 days to six years </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13553'> She was arrested and transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13554'> She was transferred to Women's Ward </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13546'> According to Kalame, in a meeting with Hashemi Rafsanjani and via a letter addressed to him, Shahidi's mother asked for his intervention so that the chief of Judiciary would get involved in the case and enforce article 18 </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13545'> Her Mother, Nahid Kermanshahi told Radio Farda that Hengameh Shahidi is very ill, but the authorities have asked for a bail of 600 million tomans for her furlough, which the family is not capable of providing. She also emphasized that Ms. Shahidi has been denied phone calls for 4o days now </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13555'> According to Kalame, a prisoner from the general population has assaulted her </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13556'> She was transferred to Tehran Heart Hospital after a heart attack </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13557'> She was released </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13984'> Saham published a text from her in which she recounts the memories of her time under arrest </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13558'> The International Campaign for Human Rights reported the news of her expulsion from Azad Pishva University of Varamin. According to the report, Ms. Shahidi was barred from teaching International Law in this university due to the pressure from the so-called "Concerned" front </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13929'> Reporters Without Borders condemned the arrests of Morad Saghafi, Ehsan Mazandarani, and Hengameh Shahidi, and expressed concerns about the conditions of the latter two </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13892'> Etemad Melli party published a statement "expressing strong concerns" regarding her arrest and demanded "legal treatment according to the constitution and regular laws" and specifically "the right to an attorney during her arrest" and the preliminary stages of her trial </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13544'> She was arrested. Her family told Radio Farda that she was in Mashhad to attend her grandmother's funeral, but after the arrest, she was transferred to Ward 209 in Evin Prison. Ms. Shahidi had tweeted earlier that "several individuals in the media and people close to the government" had warned her that she will be arrested soon. She writes that since her activities were all legal, her arrest can only be explained as part of a project to crackdown on political activists and journalists before the election. Ms. Shahidi announced that she will go on a hunger strike from the moment of her arrest. An image of this letter is documented in the Supporting Evidence section of this page </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13547'> Her attorney, Mostafa Turk Hamedani told ILNA that: > Request for a meeting with Hengameh Shahidi for the purpose of drafting the letter of attorney has been filed in the Branch 2 of the culture and media court </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13678'> Reporters Without Borders published a statement condemning the "oppression and persecution of journalists" in Iran and while providing a report on the conditions of Hengameh Shahidi, Ehsan Mazandarani, Issa Saharkhiz, and Tahereh Riahi, demanded the release of all journalists and citizen journalists from prison </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13842'> A letter from Hengameh Shahidi addressed to Hassan Rouhani was published in which she heavily criticizes the Intelligence ministry and the Revolutionary Guard Intelligence. In the letter, Shahidi accused the two security organizations of undertaking a "joint project" for the "mass arrests of journalists and political and civic activists" and states that Hassan Rouhani has made a "deal" with the security organizations on the arrest of journalists in return for his brother's "judicial immunity". The letter was published by Gooya News and it is documented in the Supporting Evidence section of this page </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13921'> International Federation of Journalists published a statement condemning the arrests of Hengameh Shahidi, Morad Saghafi, Ehsan Mazandarani, and Telegram Activists and demanded their freedom. The statement also expressed disappointment for the fact that silencing public expressions before the elections has become a routine procedure for the Iranian regime </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13960'> Fatemeh Karroubi asked her to end his hunger and medicine strike via a letter </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='14056'> Saham published a letter from Ghorban Ali Ghaemi, secretary of Etemad Melli party in Tehran province, to Hengameh Shahidi, in which he had asked her to end her hunger strike. "Ms. Shahidi, the sound of your hunger strike has reached all those who want to listen" </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='14241'> Her mother, Nahid Kermanshahi, told Dorr TV that Hengameh Shahidi is in terrible health, she has gone on dry hunger strike a few days ago and also her attorney, Mr. Hamedani, was not allowed to visit her </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='14275'> Members of the central council of Etemad Melli party in Tehran province published a statement objecting to her arrest </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='14274'> Reporters without borders "strongly condemned the irresponsible behavior of Iranian authorities who refuse to release Hengameh Shahidi" </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='14436'> Amnesty International expressed concern about her condition and asked for her release </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='14427'> Ali Mottahari admonished the minister of Intelligence about the arrest of Hengameh Shahidi in a session of the parliament (Majlis) </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='15276'> Nahid Kermanshahi told the International Campaign for Human Rights that Hengameh Shahid fainted in the visitor's room at Evin prison </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='14668'> According to Zeitoon, Gholam Hossein Ejei denied any connection between the cases of Hengameh Shahidi, Tahereh Riahi and Ehsan Mazandarani and the arrested of the head’s of reformist Telegram channels, and confirmed that two of them were first arrested by Intelligence Ministry </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='14972'> According to Amad News, she spoke to her daughter and mother. According to this report she was transferred to ward 241 </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='15062'> According to ISNA Mohammad Sadeghi said, “Hujjat Al Islam Montajabnia has discussed Hengameh Shahidi’s case with the leadership and regarding Morad Saghafi, too, there has been an exchange of letters, and we are following up on their case and we are trying to cover the issue as much as possible within the scope of the Parliament’s (Majlis) reach" </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='15061'> Mostafa Turk Hamadani the attorney for Hengameh Shahidi told Ensaf News that Ms. Shahidi has not accepted the lawyers listed by the judiciary and has said, “If these conditions continue she will appear in court without a lawyer.” According to this report prior to her arrest Hengameh Shahidi had asked Mr. Turk Hamadani to represent her in the event of her arrest. Based on the claims by Mostafa Turk Hamadani, the case is being reviewed at branch 2 of the Culture and Media court </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='15256'> Nahid Kermanshahi told Ensaf News that the news outlets, ILNA and ISNA, have told him that they cannot publish any reports about Hengameh Shahidi </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='15379'> Human Rights Watch issued a statement asking the presidential candidates in Iran to pay attention to the condition of prisoners, Athena Daemi, Esmail Abdi, and Hengameh Shahidi, that are in the midst of a hunger strike. The statement said: “during the elections there is a rare moment in Iran where most candidates seemingly pay more respect and defend human rights in the country. But are any of the candidates ready to officially accept the suffering of these prisoners and to defend their rights, and even better, their freedom?” </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='15931'> Mostafa Turk Hamadani, in a letter to the minister of Intelligence, stressed his lack of access to his client, and wrote that the interrogations take place at night using “blindfold and humiliation”, “the unusual prolongation of the initial investigation points to the fact that there is not enough evidence for conviction”. Hengameh Shahidi has been asked, personally, to confess to accusations such as “Collaboration with a Telegram channel (Amad News)”, the defendant, has taken to “all kinds of hunger strike” but her confessions under the above circumstances is “of no value”. At the end of his letter, he has, also, said, “I beseech the esteemed, honorable, minister, to review the case so that a fate similar to that of Sattar Beheshti is avoided.” This letter can be found in the evidence section of this page </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='15874'> Radio Farda reports for a few hours she was taken to a medical center outside of the prison </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='16097'> Mostafa Turk Hamadani, told ILNA, that he has discussed the case of Hengameh Shahidi and the managers of Telegram channels with Ali Mottahari and “since the plaintiff in Hengameh Shahidi’s case is the Ministry of Intelligence, he has asked the said minister questions about the case and Mr. Alavi has answered his questions but Mr. Mottahari is not satisfied with the question” </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='16129'> The International Campaign For Human Rights, quoting an informed source, reported that Ms. Shahidi has yet to be charged, and remains incarcerated in ward 241 (the judiciary’s intelligence ward), the prosecutor’s office has made her mother promise not to give interviews to media based outside of the country, telling her she has to do so if she desires her daughter’s freedom, Ms. Shahidi is still in solitary confinement and suffers physically. According to this report, the reason behind the unusual meddling of the intelligence arm of the judiciary in her case (and other media activists) is still unclear </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='18355'> Her attorney told Ensaf News, “bail was set and issued for Ms. Shahidi, it had been weighed by experts and all its procedures had been, almost, completed, but, in the end, they told them to wait.” He confirmed that the judicial terms,initially came from the Intelligence Ministry, but it is not clear who is the person behind the these terms, the lawyer is not in possession of a complete case file because the file is still at the Media and Culture Court </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='18720'> She was released on bail </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='23076'> Was arrested. It was previously been written on her Twitter account that she’d been hospitalized. However, the Tehran Chief Prosecutor stated that she was in fact residing in Kish island and was arrested while wearing a mask as disguise. In previous months Ms. Shahidi had been strongly critical of the judiciary’s behavior and other events surrounding the regime, and had started a campaign requesting the head of the Justice Department to release a report detailing his 9-year tenure </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='24299'> Her lawyer, Mostafa Tork Hamedani, told ISNA about a claim filed against Judge Salavati </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='24298'> Branch 15 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court headed by Judge Salavati has convicted Hengame Shahidi of crimes such as “insults, assembly and collusion to act against national security, propaganda against the system and disrupting public opinion” and sentenced her to 12 years and 9 months in prison and two years deprivation from membership in groups, press activity and presence in social media. After Article 134 is applied, the sentence will be effectively reduced to seven and a half years in prison and two years of social deprivation </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='24300'> Writing on his personal Instagram page, her lawyer, Mostafa Tork Hamedani, said that Hengahe Shahidi has spent six months in a solitary cell, only visiting her family twice, getting only two visits from her lawyer without getting the permission to file for appeal </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='24763'> Her lawyer told ISNA that the 36th branch of the Tehran Appeals Court confirmed the primary sentence </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='25791'> Was sent to the general population </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='27382'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/letters/a-772/?tg_rhash=22a41dd9689763'> The Shahidi family wrote a letter to Mr Rayisi, head of the Judiciary, asking for a furlough for Hengame Shahidi </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='27738'> The Campaign for Defence of Political and Civic Prisoners published a report and said that Ms Shahidi was suffering from various conditions. But the prosecutor’s office refused to give her furlough. This is while, the Judiciary had previously agreed with the furlough request </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='28316'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2020/hranews/a-23291/'> Ms Shahidi was taken out of the prison section with the excuse of a subsequent transfer to hospital for her heart condition. Instead she was sent to a mental hospital. According to her “four men, using appropriate methods, wanted to anaesthetize her but a hospital employee stopppd them.” Ultimately, she was sent back to prison </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='30282'> <reference source='https://prisonatlas.com/%d9%87%d9%86%da%af%d8%a7%d9%85%d9%87-%d8%b4%d9%87%db%8c%d8%af%db%8c-%d8%a8%d9%87-%d8%a7%d8%b5%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%b1-%da%a9%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%87%d8%a8%d8%b1%d8%af%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%af%d8%b1%d9%88/'> According to IPA, Hengameh Shahidi was returned to prison. A video of Mrs. Shahidi was posted on her Twitter page after her transfer to prison. "I'm going to go back to prison by the interference of swindlers and rentiers in the judiciary," she said in the video </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='32440'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2020/hranews/a-25517/'> According to HRANA, 35 political women prisoners are currently being kept in the women's Evin Prison ward. They face problems such as limited access to medical services, rarity and high prices of goods, low-quality food, etc. After the coronavirus's pandemic, prisoners are responsible for preparing masks and gloves. In the prison store, each mask or pair of gloves is sold to prisoners at a price of between eight and ten thousand tomans. Detergents and disinfectants are also given to the prisoners rationally. Still, the prisoners have to buy these materials from the store due to the lack of these items. The prison store sells Alcohol and other disinfectants at high prices, so some prisoners buy these substances together. The quality of food is low, and most prisoners are forced to buy food from the prison store. Maryam Akbari Monfared, Atena Daemi, Raheleh Ahmadi, Saba Kord Afshari, Niloufar Bayani, Sepideh Kashani, Fatemeh Mosanna, Zahra Zahtabachi, Monireh Arabshahi, Yasaman Ariani, Mojgan Keshavarz, Aras Amiri, Samaneh Norouz Moradi, Nasrin Sotoudeh, Hengameh Shahidi, Rezvaneh Ahmad Khanbeigi, Sepideh Farhan, Sepideh Gholyan, Maryam Ebrahimvand, Neda Ashtiani, Zahra Jamali, Fariba Adelkhah, Mozhgan Kavousi, Mozhdeh Negahdar, Elham Barmaki, Masoumeh (Minoo) Ghasemzadeh Malek Shah, Maryam Haji Hosseini, Nazanin Toosi, Mina Saki, Mira Radpour, Leila Raouf, Hajar Siamifar, and Soroush Ahmadi Khosravi are among the 35 women prisoners currently being kept in the women's ward of Evin Prison. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='34888'> <reference source='https://twitter.com/HengameShahidi/status/1364574244437430272'> Publishing a video on Twitter, Hengameh Shahidi said she had been released after being amnestied by the Supreme Leader. Investigation by the Leader’s Office had made it clear that the case against her was “based on personal malice and without evidence,” she added. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>