Recently Released Iranian Activists Say They Continue To Face Pressure

Alieh Motalebzadeh says that in the 25 days since her release from prison, she has been summoned by the prosecutor twice.

Several Iranian civil and political activists who were recently released from prison under an amnesty decree signed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have been summoned again.

Photojournalist Alieh Motalebzadeh wrote on Twitter that in the 25 days since her release from prison, she had received two summons to go to the Evin prison Prosecutor's Office -- a sign of how the authorities continue to pressure her and other civil activists.

Another Iranian activist, Leila Hosseinzadeh, said she had experienced similar treatment since being released from prison in January.

She said on Twitter that Tehran’s Intelligence Department recently summoned her in a threatening phone call while the Forensic Medicine Commission has told her she must be out of prison for at least three months before she can pursue medical treatment for health issues.

"These are the most obvious cases that show violations of the law," Hosseinzadeh added.

On February 5, Iranian state media reported that Khamenei issued an amnesty for "tens of thousands" of prisoners, including protesters arrested during the anti-government rallies sparked by the September 16 death of Mahsa Amini in custody for allegedly violating the head-scarf law.

Several Iranian lawyers, human rights activists, imprisoned protesters, and former political prisoners have dismissed the amnesty decree as thinly veiled propaganda.

Amini's death, which officials blamed on a heart attack, touched off a wave of protests across the country. The authorities have met the unrest with a harsh crackdown that rights groups say has killed more than 500 people, including 71 children.

Officials, who have blamed the West for the demonstrations, have vowed to crack down even harder on the protests, which pose the biggest threat to the Islamic government since the 1979 revolution.

Several thousand people have been arrested, including many protesters, as well as journalists, lawyers, activists, digital rights defenders, and others.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda