In Iran, one of twin sisters sentenced to death for taking part in protests
In Iran, Taraneh Rahimi has been sentenced to death for taking part in anti-government protests in January, while her twin sister, Romina Rahimi, was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Both sisters were 19 at the time of their detention and are now 20. As The Guardian World reports, the family has not seen either of them since the sentences were handed down.
Detention and custody
According to the publication, the sisters took part in protests on January 8 and 9 in Isfahan. About a month later, masked men came to their home at night and were later identified as people sent by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The sisters were taken from the house with sacks over their heads without any explanation.
The mother of Taraneh and Romina, Marzieh Nourmohammadi, searched for her daughters in hospitals and government institutions for four months. She later learned that they were being held in Dovlatabad prison in Isfahan. During a visit in May, according to the sisters’ cousin Masoud Nourmohammadi, who lives in Utah, the mother did not recognize her daughters because of their condition.
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The relative said that the sisters had swollen and battered faces, bruises on their bodies, and injuries to their elbows, knuckles and feet. According to him, they were held in solitary confinement and dragged by their hair from one cell to another.
Claims of forced confessions
According to Masoud Nourmohammadi, Taraneh was allegedly threatened that Romina would be raped in front of her if she did not sign a confession. The sisters’ lawyers said that Taraneh told the court that the confessions had been obtained under torture. The article notes that no evidence of the sisters’ involvement in violence was presented and that they had not previously taken part in protests before the January events.
According to The Guardian World, more than 500 people have been executed in Iran since the beginning of the year, at least 29 of them in connection with the anti-government protests in January. Last month, the United Kingdom and 30 other countries signed a joint statement condemning the executions of protest participants.
