Open Letter by Saba Kord Afshari’s Mother, Raheleh Asl Ahmadi
Published by Ali on June 5, 2020
International Libert Association has previously reported a prison sentence upheld by the Court of Appeal against Saba Kord Afshri, a civil activist in Iran. Opposing this verdict, her Mother, Raheleh Asl Ahmadi, who is women rights prisoner, as well, has written an open letter demanding a reconsideration on the conflicting verdicts, also demanded justice for her daughter and announce she will be her voice as long as she breathes. the following is translated from her letter:
On 17 March 2019, a notification was sent to Evin Prison for my daughter, Saba Kord Afshari. The statement said Saba had been acquitted of corruption and prostitution and sentenced to a total of nine years in prison on charges of “Propaganda against the regime, Gathering and Collusion”, which could be carried out for seven years and six months of that.
Now, 3 months later, on 27 May 2020, a notification was sent to Evin Prison from the Irshad Prosecutor’s Office stating that my daughter had been charged with corruption and prostitution for 15 years, propaganda against the regime for 1 year and a half, and gathering and collusion for 7 years and 6 months in prison. The verdict was issued based on the Court of Appeal, which was formed in December 2019, and according to Article 134, the maximum punishment, which in this case is 15 years of imprisonment, is applicable to Saba.
Following up with Saba’s lawyer, we learned that the provisions of the appeals court had been changed and that the lawyer is pursuing the matter with the judiciary.
On 1 June 2020, Mr Mohammadi, the prison’s supervising judge, came to our ward in prison and I raised the issue with him, and he said that there is no notification in the case file with a 9-year sentence at all, and I wrote a request to follow up! But I was told that “you have no relation to her to allow you to follow her case”! I told him that I am Saba’s mother, and as I became my daughter’s voice and tried me in court for defending my daughter’s rights and seeking justice, I will not remain silent and will not allow you to oppress her anymore.
How long will injustice last? How long will these arbitrary behaviours last? I will be the voice of my daughter as long as I breathe.
I am now urging the judicial authorities to amend the law on the issuance of two conflicting verdicts for my daughter, Saba Kord Afshari, and I declare that if my legal request is ignored, as a mother, I will use all my legal rights to protest civilly.
“Raheleh Asl Ahmadi / 1 June, 2020 / Women’s Ward of Evin Prison.”
ILA: It should be mentioned that Raheleh Asl Ahmadi was sentenced to 4 years and 2 months in prison by the Revolutionary Court of Tehran in December 2009. According to a lawsuit filed by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari, Raheleh Asl Ahmadi was sentenced to three years and six months in prison on charges of “gathering and colluding against the security of the country through cooperation with the opposition media.” “Propaganda against the Islamic Republic” was sentenced to 8 months in prison and a total of 4 years and 2 months in prison.
