Iranian authorities have imposed visitation and telephone restrictions on ten women held in the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran. The measures also affect Kurdish political prisoner Varisheh Moradi, who is currently on death row. According to the Gam Initiative, the sanctions were imposed because the women protested against the death penalty, organized activities inside the prison, and spoke with the media.

 

The initiative, known as a left-wing media and activist project with close ties to the labor movement, criticized the sanctions as another attempt to isolate political prisoners and restrict their contact with the outside world. It stated that the bans make regular communication with family members and legal representatives more difficult, thereby increasing psychological pressure on the prisoners.

 

Gam called on the Iranian authorities to immediately lift the restrictions and end the repression of political prisoners. The organization emphasized that prisoners who campaign against executions and human rights violations are facing increasing pressure. The authorities have not yet disclosed how long the communication bans will remain in effect.

 

In addition to Varisheh Moradi, the visitation and telephone bans were also imposed on Elaheh Fooladi, Forough Taghipour, Sakineh Parvaneh, Shiva Esmaili, Zahra Safaei, Golrokh Iraee, Marzieh Farsi, Nasim Simiari, and Lindsay Foreman.