Political prisoner Atena Daemi was transferred to solitary confinement on Saturday, December 28, 2019.
The transfer took place following an announcement by Daemi and seven other women political prisoners in Evin Prison on December 21 expressing solidarity with the mothers of victims of state violence who had called for Iranians to observe a minute of silence on December 26.
Atena Daemi’s mother, Masoumeh Nemati has not heard of her daughter since December 21.
The phones in the Women’s Ward have been disconnected and the protesting women have been banned from having any contact for three weeks.
On his twitter account, Atena Daemi’s father, Hossien Daemi tweeted about the transfer of his daughter to solitary confinement and wrote, “Atena’s condition is dire and her doctor has requested immediate and emergency hospitalization. Instead of the hospital, they transferred my daughter to solitary confinement.”
Ensiyeh Daemi, Atena Daemi’s sister also tweeted, “We did not have a call from prison and after visiting prison no one, neither the head of prison nor the prosecutor, was accountable, and declined to comment. There have been reports that Atena has been transferred to Ward 2A of the IRGC intelligence detention center. For us, the reason for Atena’s transfer and how she was transferred is unclear and worrying.”
To increase pressure on women prisoners, some women political prisoners are barred from family visits in-person and behind cabinets.
On Sunday, December 29, 2019, the families of several women political prisoners referred to Evin Prison after seven days of not hearing from their children. Eventually, the prosecutor in charge of political prisoners told them that disconnecting the women’s telephone line in Evin Prison was a punishment.
He also informed Atena Daemi’s family of the possibility of new charges being introduced for the civil rights activist on charges of assembly and collusion and disorderly conduct in prison.
