Covid-19 crisis in women’s ward of Evin Prison; Niloufar Bayani goes on leave
11-August-2021
Category: Prisoners، Women
11-August-2021
Newsgroup: Women – Prisoners –
Breathing in Confinement: On Wednesday, August 11, Niloufar Bayani, an environmental activist, was sent on leave from Evin Prison, because of having Covid-19 disease. In recent weeks, at the women’s ward of Evin Prison, a number of inmates had developed severe Covid-19 symptoms and Ms. Bayani along with other prisoners who had tested positive, were transferred to quarantine ward.
According to “Breathing in Confinement”, the news organ of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, on Wednesday, August 11, 2021, Niloufar Bayani, an environmental activist, was sent on leave from Evin Prison. Two weeks ago, she had been transferred to the women’s quarantine ward of Evin Prison because of developing Covid-19 symptoms as well as having a positive test result.
Covid-19 disease has become so prevalent in the women’s ward of Evin Prison that besides the prisoners, a number of ward officials, including Shahla Berenji, the deputy officer in charge of the women’s ward in Evin, Elham Baharm-Mast and Zeinab Shirdel, two other officers in charge, have also been sent on leave because of having tested positive.
In addition, following the outbreak of coronavirus in the women’s ward of Evin Prison, Sepideh Kashani, Alieh Motalebzadeh, Zahra Jamali, Zeinab Hamrang, Arezoo Ghasemi, Mojgan Kavousi, Maryam Samghani, Giti Pourfazl and Rezvaneh Ahmad Khanbeigi have also been sent on sick leave after having positive test results as well as poor physical conditions.
Niloufar Bayani is one of the eight environmental activists arrested by the IRGC in February and March 2018.
The court hearings of these environmental activists were held in Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran, presided over by Judge Abolghasem Salavati. On February 18, 2020, Niloufar Bayani received a sentence of 10 years in prison which was later upheld by the Court of Appeal.