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Shabtabnews – USCIRF reported on Farzaneh Gharehassanlou imprisonment on religiously oriented charges.
On November 4, 2022, authorities in Karaj arrested Gharehassanlou, a member of the Sufi Gonabadi Order, and her husband Hamid Gharehassanlou from their home after they had participated in the 40th day commemoration of the murder of Hadis Najafi. Najafi had been killed by security forces while protesting the death of Mahsa Amini. Authorities falsely accused the Gharehassanlous of being involved in the killing of a member of a state-backed paramilitary force. During interrogations, Farzaneh was reportedly tortured into making incriminating claims about Hamid.
On November 6, 2022, state media broadcasted forced confessions by the Gharehassanlous. Both Farzaneh and Hamid reportedly had visible signs of torture on their bodies.
In early December 2022, it was learned that a court in Karaj, Alborz province, sentenced Farzaneh Gharehassanlou to 25 years of exile imprisonment for “spreading corruption on earth through committing crimes against national security.” According to a family member, authorities reportedly threatened the Gharehassanlous’ lawyers until they were forced to accept a public defender, who allegedly worked to convict them.
In April 2023, it was reported that a court in Karaj sentenced Gharehassanlou to 5 years in prison, and that prison authorities have not provided medical treatment despite her “worrying physical conditions.”
In April 2024, it was reported that Gharehassanlou is being denied family visits and phone calls while incarcerated in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad.
In June 2024, it was reported that Gharehassanlou, after beginning a hunger strike, was under severe medical duress after prison authorities denied her medical treatment.
Related Cases: Hamid Gharehassanlou
