Draft:Elham Modaressi

Elham Modaressi (Persian: الهام مدرسی: born December 28, 1990) is an Iranian artist, and peaceful protester, who was arrested in 2022 for participating in the Woman Life Freedom movement in Iran, that arose from discontent after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini who had been detained by the Islamic regime's Morality Police in Tehran, Iran. Elham attended peaceful demonstrations and when government forces began to wound, assault and kill people; she began to voice her discontent on social media. The repression was so great that the United Nations Human Rights Council formed a fact finding mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran. Elham is one of the detainees of the Mahsa Amini protests.

She was brutally arrested for participating in protests. She imprisoned at Kachooie Prison in Karaj. She was tortured in prison and her health declined severely. To protest the abysmal conditions of the prison, she went on a hunger strike  with 14 other women. She was denied medical treatment until her condition became dire. She was released in 2023 on bail.

Early Life
Elham was born on December 28, 1990, in Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province, Iran. She is the youngest of 7 children. Her first run in with the morality police was when she was 12 years old. This was a year after her father died. At the time of her arrest, she was living in Fardis with her mother and her brother. Her sisters were living abroad.

Arrest
Elham had been a peaceful protester in the demonstrations that began after the death of Mahsa Amini. On the night of November 2, 2022, agents of the Islamic regime violently entered into the home she shared with her mother and brother. Twelve agents from the Islamic regime with guns attacked the family. They blindfolded Elham and abducted her. They also took the family's phones and computer. She was taken to the intelligence detention center but because there was no room, she was transferred to Kachooie Prison. Her family was not told where she was. After a few days, her family found out where she was through the efforts of another prisoner.

Charges
Elham was charged with "moharebeh" which is waging war against god. This charge carries the death sentence. The interrogators tried to force her into a false confession. They wanted her to say that she was a member of the Komala party and that she had weapons. She did not. She was only a peaceful protester. She was not given a lawyer.

Torture
Elham was tortured severely in prison. She was taken from the prison to the intelligence detentions center daily for interrogation. There she was physically and mentally tortured. Another way they tortured her was by denying her medical care. Elham was also injected with unknown substances.

Hunger Strike
On January 1, 2023, Elham along with 15 other inmates including Armita Abbasi and Hamideh Zeraei began a hunger strike to protest against the horrible conditions in the prison. As the hunger strike went on, Elham's condition deteriorated.

World Recognition
During Elham's imprisonment, her sisters led a campaign to speak out about her situation in an effort to gather support to free her. Her sister's Nahid, Zhila, and Rose gave interviews with the media and participated in demonstrations to get politicians to take note of Elham's plight. Her sister started a petition on Change.org to free her. This resulted in celebrities bringing light to Elham and others who were in similar situations. Several politicians became political sponsors for Elham, including: the United Kingdom's Caroline Lucas, Germany's Kerstin Vieregge, France's Nathalie Goulet, and Canada's Emanuela Lambropoulos.

Release from Prison
On January 22, 2023, Elham was released on bail from prison.

Fleeing to Turkey
On August 1, 2023, Elham left Iran for Turkey. She decided to leave because she and her family was being constantly harassed by agents of the Islamic regime. She had difficulties getting medication. And, she found out that she was she had liver cirrhosis and was unable to get proper treatment. Elham gave interviews with media about what she had experienced. In August 2023, Elham was in acute liver failure and doctors in Turkey told her that she needed a liver transplant as soon as possible. Friends realized that because Elham was a refugee in Turkey, she was not eligible for medical insurance and would have to pay all medical costs herself. So, a gofundme campaign was launched. Her sister, Nahid, searched for a hospital in Turkey that would do a live donor liver transplant.

Elham received a live donor liver transplant on February 22, 2024 in a hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. It was successful and she recuperated there under care of her surgeons. The donor wished to remain anonymous. They were an altruistic donor.

Canada
During the search for a hospital to find a hospital, activists in Canada ran campaigned to get Elham treatment in Canada. The Iranian Justice Collective was instrumental in getting Elham a visa to Canada.

Elham arrived in Canada on May 8, 2024.