German-Iranian citizen Nahid Taghavi (70) who was arrested in Iran in October 2020, convicted to 10 years in prison for “spreading propaganda against the system” and forming a group “with the purpose of disrupting national security” was released yesterday after a long campaign, her daughter Mariam Claren announced, thanking everyone who had part in her mother’s release.
“It’s over. Nahid is free! After more than four years as a political prisoner in the Islamic Republic of Iran my mother… was freed and is back in Germany,” Mariam Claren wrote on X.
The charges – related to a social media account about women’s rights – were denied by Taghavi, Amnesty International says, stressing that her trial was also grossly unfair and her detention in the notorious Evin prison caused her health to deteriorate considerably due to cruel and inhuman conditions and the inadequate medical care.
“Words cannot describe our joy. At the same time, we mourn the four years that were stolen from us and the horror she had to endure in Evin prison,” Mariam Claren added.
Between her arrest and conviction, Taghavi- who suffers from herniated discs, osteoporosis, diabetes and high blood pressure – also spent seven months in solitary confinement, where she was forced to sleep on the floor.
