Fourteen International Women’s Day demonstrators have been released from prison in Iran, as the Rouhani Government worries about renewed protest.
The women were among 80 people detained on March 8 at a rally outside the Labor Ministry. They were taken to the Gharchak Prison in Varamin near Tehran.
The majority of the detainees were freed by the next day, but the women and five men — who are still in custody — were charged.
After they were released on Monday, the women stood outside the prison and sang the anthem for gender equality featured in the demonstrations last week.
One woman described their detention, saying they were not given enough water to drink and were kept in unhygienic conditions, unable to get clean underwear:: “The smallest and the most ordinary requests by the inmates are answered with insults and humiliation.”
Rouhani Advisor: “Next Time Protests Might Not Be Controlled”
In the latest show of concern from the Government, Presidential advisor Masoud Nili said nationwide protests in January could “reoccur and spread” if leaders fail to win confidence.
Nili, a prominent economist, said further economic reforms without the public’s trust in the government would be “dangerous”:
Those demonstrations were a warning that further wider protests might be on the way. Next time, there may not be the chance to control them….
The continuation of current trends will expose the government to danger.
President Hassan Rouhani has pledged that he will address economic concerns, but the Supreme Leader has put the emphasis on an “enemy” fomenting unrest.
Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli has warned that the discontent behind the protests remains: “One spark can light the fire.”
But judiciary Mohammad Javad Larijani continued to stress a crackdown on demonstrations rather than an address of the causes, “There are plenty [of protests] that are not covered by the Western media but those which get violent…yes, it is the obligation of the government to fight violence.”