Iranian artist/activist Atena Farghadani
CRNI’s Nik Kowsar has received news from Atena Farghadani‘s lawyer that the charges of “indecent conduct” and “illegitimate sexual relationship short of adultery” — which were brought against her after she shook hands with her lawyer during a prison consultation — have been dropped.
There is now a 20 day window during which the Iranian prosecutors could petition another appeal court to reject the judgment.
Artist and activist Atena Farghadani was jailed for three months in 2014 for posting a cartoon critical of the Iranian parliament’s move to curtail women’s rights. Upon her release, Ms. Farghadani posted a video on YouTube recounting the abuse she was subjected to in Tehran’s Evin Prison, which led to her re-arrest in January, 2015.
On June 1, 2015, Atena Farghadani was sentenced to 12 years, nine months in prison for “insulting members of parliament through paintings,” “insulting the Iranian Supreme Leader,” “insulting the President,” “gathering and colluding against national security,” and “spreading propaganda against the system.”
In January, 2016, Atena Farghadani will for the second time be celebrating a birthday while imprisoned. She will be 29.