Meydan website - Saghi Lagha'i, one of the activists who participated in the peacefuldemonstration in front of the Revolutionary court and was released earlier, spoke to our reporter about the many aspects of her 48 hour detention. She wasarrested during the demonstration, along with her sister Sarah, on the morningof Sunday, March 4. While shewas gone, her 14 months old twins were impatient for her return. During thedetention, Lagha'i was kept in ward 209 of the Evin prison, a place familiar tomany political prisoners and women’s movements activists. This ward is reservedfor the Ministry of intelligence, and being there does not add the detainee'sname to the Evin prisoners list.
HungerStrike
“Mahboubehand I are losing weight.” This is what Nasrin Afzali told her husband NimaNamdari. It is past seven o’clock now and Saghi Lagha'i admits and insists that “everyone has gone on a hunger strike since noon.” She adds, “We were all in thesame hall with a corridor between us. Four people were kept in one cell andseven in the other. We could hear each other’s voices, and so we decided to goon a hunger strike, to protest against the fact that Shahla Entesari was insolitary confinement, the fact that some couldn’t make phone calls, and that wewere supposed to be freed, but weren’t.”
Thedetainees' condition is getting worse
In the 48hours that passed, even though most of the detainee were in good health and adoctor would visit if he were called upon, some of the women were affected withsicknesses and difficulties. Parvin Ardalan’s sickness has worsened. Shehas Multiple Sclerosis. Shahla Entesari, who is kept in solitary confinement, issuffering from high blood pressure and Rezvan Moghaddam has got shingles. Thecondition of Mahnaz Ahmadi who was sick before the events has worsened.
Makingphone calls is forbidden
During thistime more than ten detainees have called home. The prison has also called thefamilies of some of the prisoners letting them know of the arrest. However, Lagha'i says, “Some of the arrested women are forbidden to use the phone.”
Interrogation
During herdetention, Saghi Lagha'i was interrogated once and was explained hercharges. The reasons behind her sisters and her charges is article 618 of theIslamic penal code and she has been told that her charge is conspiring againstnational security. Even though section 618 of the Islamic Penal Code does notmention anything about national security and states: "Whoever disrupts thepublic peace and order or hinders others from their work by causing uproar andtumult and with uncommon acts or aggression, will be sentenced to imprisonmentfrom three months to a year and up to 74 lashes."
By applyingthis section the authorities asked for a business license as bail to let SaghiLagha'i and her sister Sarah Lagha'i. Others have been interrogated more thanonce.
Freedom
She wasfreed at 5pm today, March 6, and she immediately fled to her house in Karaj tosee her twins. Other than her mother who was taking care of her twin boys duringthe time Saghi was detained, the other members of her family were waiting behindthe doors of Evin prison and Amaken office.
From Saghi's Blog:
I, Saghi Loghayee, along with Paratoo Dokoohaki, Parastoo Sarmadi, Niloufar Golkar, Farideh and Nahid Entesari, and Sara Imanian were released from Unit 209 of Evin Prison at five in the afternoon today, March 6, 2007. Since noon today, our cellmates have begun a hunger strike in protest of their illegal attention, the barring of a number of people from contact with the outside, and the solitary confinement of our honorable friend Shahla Entesari. This hunger strike will continue until everyone is released.
Generally everyone is well. Only the cases of Parvin Ardalan, who has Multiple Sclerosis and Rezvan Moghadam, who has shingles, are cause for worry.
Shahla Entesari has been in solitary confinement since the moment we were transferred to Evin and she has been threatened that if she does not cooperate and if she disrupts the order of things she will be transferred to a place where she will not have contact with humankind. Her lawyer Shadi Sadr is currently in Evin as well.
Everyone's spirits are high. They sing songs and protest their situation by shouting slogans. Interrogations are carried out from eight in the evening until the early hours of the morning. When outside the units everyone is made to wear blindfolds.
Today, after forty eight hours of detention, we were permitted to contact our families. Four people were denied this permission. Today they also provided access to showering facilities for everyone.
Here is to the hope of freedom for the freedom seekers and for the twenty five honorable women in detention.