Iranian guards ‘break kneecaps of pensioner, 70, during interrogation in infernal prison after she was jailed over anti-government protests’
- Mahvash Sabet Shahriari allegedly broke her kneecaps in Evin Prison
- She had served a 10-year prison sentence for anti-government protests
A 70-year-old grandmother has reportedly had her kneecaps broken by Iranian prison officials at Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison.
Human rights activist Mahvash Sabet Shahriari was reportedly interrogated by officials when she was given the barbaric sentence.
She had served a 10-year sentence in Evin Prison for participating in anti-government protests.
News of the attack came from independent Iranian media who said the activist’s knees were broken by an interrogator during interrogation.
Evin Prison has a brutal reputation for its inhumane living conditions and ruthless treatment of its inmates, with inmates often subjected to beating and torture.
Mahvash Sabet Shahriari was reportedly interrogated by officials when she was given the barbaric punishment.
Mahvash Sabet Shahriari, with her husband. Her knees were reportedly broken during interrogation at Evin Prison in Tehran, Iran
Evin Prison has been labeled hell and is known for its inhumane living conditions and brutal treatment of its inmates
Frud Sabet, Shahriari’s son, said he had not heard about his mother’s condition since her first trial.
He told RFERL Radio Farda: ‘The family is very concerned about her health. We don’t know where she is and we don’t know if she’s alive.’
Shahriari, a poet, was detained last summer as part of the Iranian regime’s crackdown on the Baha’i community, which included the arrest of several community leaders.
The Baha’i Faith is a religion with up to eight million members in the world.
It was founded in the 19th century and developed in Iran and other parts of the Middle East, where its members faced constant persecution.
The Islamic Republic of Iran does not recognize the Baha’i faith and the country’s judicial authorities have repeatedly called them “spies and enemies” and issued death sentences, arrests and prison sentences.
According to Radio Farda, the Iranian branch of the US government-funded Radio Free Europe, followers are often denied education and are not allowed to work.
“We assume that the overcrowding of prisons and courts influenced my mother’s fate,” said Sabet RFERL Radio Farda.
“But being completely ignorant of her after pronouncing such a severe sentence is not justified,” her son added.
Shahriari was detained last summer as part of the Iranian regime’s repression of the Baha’i community, which saw the arrest of several community leaders
Shahriari’s son said he had not heard about his mother’s condition since her first trial
Human rights activists and international organizations have repeatedly denounced the Iranian authorities for the “systematic violation of human rights” against members of the Baha’i faith, with widespread arrests and harsh sentences.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has repeatedly called the Baha’i faith a cult and issued a religious fatwa in 2018.
In addition to discrimination against Baha’i believers, other Iranians are not allowed to interact or do business with them.