CNN
—
An Iranian physician and rights activist has been launched from Tehran’s notorious Evin jail one week after images of his severely emaciated situation emerged on social media.
Farhad Meysami was launched from jail on Friday, in accordance with the Iranian pro-reform outlet Shargh Each day. Information of his launch got here as France introduced that the French-Iranian educational Fariba Adelkhah had additionally been launched from Evin.
Meysami was jailed in 2018 after voicing his assist for girls protesting the obligatory hijab legislation. He was charged with “meeting and collusion to behave in opposition to nationwide safety” and of “propaganda in opposition to the regime.” in accordance with a bunch targeted on Iran, Human Rights Activists (HRANA).
Photographs displaying his frail physique, protruding bones and shaved head triggered outrage on social media once they surfaced final week. Previous to the emergence of the pictures a human rights lawyer claiming to characterize Meysami mentioned his weight had decreased to 52 kilos (115 lb) and that he had been “crushed because of his resistance” to being transferred to a unique jail.
The textual content of a letter allegedly written by Meysami and offered to CNN by the lawyer, Mohammad Moghimi, confirmed that Meysami had gone on starvation strike to protest the execution of prisoners, to name for the discharge of a number of protesters and to demand the tip of enforcement of the obligatory hijab legislation. CNN couldn’t confirm the authenticity of the letter.
After the pictures of Meysami circulated on-line, state affiliated media final Friday denied the activist was on starvation strike, and mentioned that he was in “good situation.”
Information of Meysami and Adelkhah’s launch comes after Iran’s Supreme Chief Ayatollah Khamenei issued an amnesty masking numerous prisoners on Sunday.
The amnesty included some individuals who had been arrested in recent anti-government protests which have swept the nation since final fall, in accordance with HRANA.
Nationwide dissent erupted late final yr, as a long time of bitterness over the regime’s therapy of ladies and different points boiled over after the dying of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini whereas within the custody of the nation’s morality police.
Authorities have violently repressed the months-long motion, which has posed one of many greatest home threats to Iran’s ruling clerical regime in additional than a decade.
CNN has reached out to Iran’s authorities for touch upon Meysami’s launch.
For many years, Evin jail within the Iranian capital of Tehran has housed political prisoners and twin nationals whom Iran refuses to formally acknowledge.
Meysami’s launch got here because the French Ministry of International Affairs introduced that French-Iranian educational, Fariba Adelkhah, had additionally been additionally launched from Evin.
The ministry mentioned in a press release Friday that “France rejoices on the launch this night of Madame Fariba Adelkhah, researcher on the Worldwide Analysis Centre at Sciences Po who was unjustly detained in Iran in Evin jail.”
It added it was “important” that Adelkhah have the ability to recuperate all of her freedoms “together with (being allowed) to return to France if she needs.”
Adelkhah was arrested in Iran on June 5, 2019, in accordance with the Sciences Po official web site, alongside her colleague and fellow researcher, Roland Marchal.
Adelkhah was accused of “propaganda in opposition to the Islamic Republic’s political system” and “collusion to undermine nationwide safety.”
Whereas Marchal was launched on March 20, 2020, Adelkhah was served a five-year jail sentence on Might 16, 2020.
French International Minister Catherine Colonna referred to as Adelkhah’s launch a “nice pleasure” in a tweet Friday night.
The director of French college, Sciences Po, Mathias Vicherat additionally responded in a tweet: “What pleasure, what aid to be taught of the affirmation of the discharge of our good friend, our colleague, Fariba Adelkhah.”
France reiterated its demand for the “fast launch” of all French individuals arbitrarily detained in Iran, with the international minister demanding her Iranian counterpart instantly launch seven French “hostages.”
A ministry spokesman mentioned it’s “extraordinarily involved” in regards to the well being of French nationwide Benjamin Brière and French-Irish nationwide Bernard Phelan particularly.
“It’s evident that this politics of state hostages carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran is reprehensible and can’t however contribute to a profound degradation in our bilateral relations just like the relations of Iran with Europe,” the spokesperson mentioned Thursday.
