Prisoner of Conscience Atena Daemi Released on Bail

The civil and children’s rights activist, Atena Daemi, has been released on bail until an Appeals Court hears the objections to her prison sentence. 

Daemi, 28, was suffering from severe headaches and weakening eyesight in Evin Prison where she was being held since her arrest on October 21, 2014 by the hardline Intelligence Organization of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

Her participation in peaceful activism resulted in the maximum prison sentence of 14 years by Judge Mohammad Moghisseh of Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court. She was convicted of “gathering and colluding against national security,” “spreading propaganda against the system,” “insulting the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Supreme Leader,” and concealing evidence.

Daemi has been released on bail for five billion Iranian rials or $166,000.

“She’s only 27 years old. How long should she stay in prison? Prison is not where she belongs,” Daemi’s mother, Massoumeh Nemati, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran in December 2015.

“She has never been a political activist. She has never been a member of any political group,” she said.

Nemati added that previous requests for her daughter’s release were rejected because the authorities feared Daemi would flee the country.

Daemi organized art classes for street children and exhibited their work. She also participated in gatherings supporting children suffering from the fighting in Syria’s Kurdish regions and posted commentary that was critical of social issues in Iran on her Facebook page, which was subsequently shut down.