Shabtabnews In this dark night, I have lost my way – Arise from a corner, oh you the star of guidance.
Iran-HRM – Yarsan woman Shokoufeh Yadollahi, who was violently arrested and imprisoned in Qarchak Prison of Varamin needs urgent medical care and treatment.
Shokoufeh Yadollahi suffers from head injuries, broken ribs, bleeding from the mouth, ears and nose due to baton blows she had inflicted at the time of arrest. Yet she was interrogated and placed under torture as a result of which she has lost her sense of smell.
Amnesty International released a statement on March 29, calling for the release of of 11 Yarsan women, from Iran’s Gonabadi Dervish religious minority, who were arrested and jailed in a protest in February and are being detained under inhuman conditions in Qarchak, aka Shahr-e Ray Prison, without any access to lawyers.
“On 19 February, security forces violently arrested at least 60 women from Iran’s persecuted Gonabadi Dervish community for participating in a protest in Tehran which turned violent after security forces resorted to beatings, firearm use, water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowd. The women were taken to Vozara detention centre where they said they were subjected to intrusive body searches by female officers, intimidating interrogations, insults and yelling. In the following 24 hours, the authorities transferred 10 of the women to the quarantine section of Shahr-e Rey prison near Tehran and released the rest. Those transferred are Shokoufeh Yadollahi, Sepideh Moradi, Maryam Farisani, Nazila Nouri, Sima Entesari, Shima Entesari, Shahnaz Kiani, Maryam Barakouhi, Elham Ahmadi, and Avisha Jalaledin. After several days, an 11th woman, Sedigheh Safabakht, who was apparently held in Evin prison before, was also transferred to Shahr-e Rey prison. There are reports that some women are undergoing late-night interrogations involving verbal abuse and threats,” the statement reads in part.
