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Friday, March 6, 2020

Atena Daemi: "I stand for life and humanity."




      In Iran, remaining silent is what the evil regime prefers every slave of the dictatorship to abide by. However, one such brave woman refuses to obey this requirement and her name is Atena Daemi. Atena is well known for her “anti execution” campaign and this is one of the reasons that she is treated so harshly by the government!

      Atena stands strong for life and humanity, which is the total opposite of this “culture of death!” She is passionate about fighting for women’s rights, children’s rights, and for the vulnerable victims suffering on death row. Even while in prison, she is busy writing letters to the government protesting against the inhumane conditions and letting her voice be heard all over the internet.

      Atena’s father was alongside her when she was sentenced in the Islamic’s court of justice. Her father Hosein wrote, “I’ll never forget when they brought Atena to court!”

      Judge Moghiseh: “Are you against execution?”
      Atena: “Yes, I am against execution."
      Judge Moghiseh: “It’s none of your business. We execute whoever we want! And those human rights people can’t stop us!”
      Atena: “One day you will answer for those innocent people you hang. And that day is coming soon!”

      Judge Moghiseh expelled Atena from the courtroom and sentenced her to 14 years in prison.

      For more than 41 years, this evil regime has terrorized and murdered its own people. Atena has refused to remain silent, trying to restore hope and freedom to her homeland. In her never-ending battle against this dictatorship, Atena has also been fighting a personal battle of her own. She has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, while also suffering with persistent dizziness and numbness in her right eye. The medical physician in Qarchak Prison requested that she be given an MRI to confirm his diagnosis and the prison officials vehemently denied his request. In addition to her recent suspected illness, Atena has also been suffering with high blood pressure, kidney stones, and gall bladder problems brought on by hunger strikes. Atena, now 31, has been behind bars since 2016, serving a seven-year prison sentence for meeting with the families of political prisoners, criticizing the Iranian regime on Facebook, and condemning the 1988 mass execution.

       Atena’s parents are deeply concerned about their daughter and have been publicly outspoken to the international communities, begging human rights defenders to be her voice. Her mother longs for the day when she can once again hug her daughter in a free Iran. Atena also longs for the day when her homeland will be free from gender apartheid and its rules, and where women will once again be respected instead of being treated like second-class citizens. Hosein Daemi knows how courageous his daughter is and that she will never give up in the fight.

    “Atena is strong and she will not give up against her oppressors!”





     Despite all of her chronic health issues, Atena continues her fight against a dictatorship government. She has not lost her hope and envisions a free Iran on the horizon.

      These arrests, detentions, threats, and intimidations are the sacrifices we need to make to gain our freedom and rights…..We should never stop resisting or standing up against oppression. No victory comes easily, and no injustice lasts forever!”

        Atena is shouting freedom while in chains. Do you hear her desperate cry? Stand with this fearless human rights defender and be her voice. Don’t take your freedoms for granted. We have a responsibility to stand in solidarity with those who suffer. It is our duty to humanity!

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