On Monday, February 24, Atena Daemi, a popular and well-known women’ rights and children’s rights activist, was released from Rasht Lakan prison. This is a very joyful news for millions of people. Free Them Now (FTN) congratulates her freedom to her parents, her sisters and all the people. We deeply appreciate all the organisations and trade unions and all the people who struggled for her release and for their unwavering support..
Atena was once imprisoned for 16 months in September 2014 and released after that, but she was arrested again in September 2016 and has been in prison since then. She has been more than seven years in jail. She was sentenced on charges such as distributing anti-death penalty leaflets, and for other security charges such as propaganda against the regime and insulting Khamenei. In July last year, in another case that intelligence ministry opened against her while in jail, she was sentenced to one more year in prison on charges of propaganda against the regime, and to another year in prison and 74 lashes for disturbing the prison order. Inside prison too, she was always the voice of freedom and humanity. So to put pressure on her and her family, Atena was deported last year to Lakan Prison in Rasht city, miles away from her family home and was transferred there while foot and hands being handcuffed. The guards even cut off Atena from calling her family for a while. Her family were under constant pressure from security forces, and even her sisters Anisa and Haniyeh, were sentenced to three months suspended imprisonment, for supporting her. Thus, Atena spent the best years of her youth in the Regimes’ Prisons.
But she continued to stand firm and defend freedom and humanity. Atena is in the hearts of millions of people in this country, and her freedom has undoubtedly made millions glad. Fortunately Atena was released. Together we will continue our struggles to release all political prisoners.
Free Them Now (FTN)
shahla.daneshfar2@gmail.com
January24,2022