Twin Sisters Face Horrifying Punishment After Joining Anti-Regime Protests

Twin sisters who joined anti-government protests in Iran while still teenagers were allegedly subjected to months of brutal treatment in prison before one was sentenced to death and the other handed a 25-year prison term, according to their family.

Taraneh and Romina Rahimi, now 20, were still in high school when they took part in massive anti-regime demonstrations in January.

Their cousin, Masoud Nourmohammadi, who lives in the United States, claims the sisters endured four months of torture while in custody, including severe beatings, broken bones and guards pulling out their hair.

“They had swollen faces and bodies, broken knuckles and elbows, and they didn’t even have hair because the guards would drag them by the hair when they were in prison,” Nourmohammadi said.

Their mother, 43-year-old Marzieh Nourmohammadi, reportedly barely recognized her own daughters when she was finally allowed to see them in prison about five months ago.

“She did not recognise her own children,” their cousin said. “She could only tell it was them when they started talking and she recognized their voice.”

The family recently learned that Taraneh had been sentenced to death after authorities said she confessed to taking part in the demonstrations.

But her mother alleges that confession was obtained only after guards threatened to sexually assault Romina in front of her sister.

Romina was sentenced to 25 years behind bars.

Nourmohammadi described Taraneh as a kindhearted athlete who dreamed of someday opening her own horse-training center. He described Romina as intelligent and courageous, saying she represented the independent spirit of a younger generation of Iranians.

The family believes the harsh sentences are intended to frighten others from challenging the government.

“There is no evidence against them, and they didn’t even let their lawyers read the case until two weeks after they were sentenced,” Nourmohammadi claimed.

“They are just looking for people to hang,” he added. “All [my cousins] did was protest and chant along with millions. They didn’t do anything wrong.”

The twins are among 16 people who were reportedly tried in Isfahan over demonstrations in the city where two people died during the unrest.

Authorities accused defendants in the case of making Molotov cocktails and attacking Iranian security forces.

However, no murder charges were brought against the group. Instead, several defendants were reportedly charged with “waging war against God,” an offense that can carry the death penalty under Iranian law.

Nourmohammadi, a healthcare IT specialist living in Utah, condemned both the proceedings and the conditions in which his cousins were allegedly held.

The sisters’ family has filed complaints over allegations of torture and threats of sexual violence, but Nourmohammadi said those complaints have made no progress through the courts in Isfahan.

Their attorneys are also preparing an appeal.

However, the family fears time could be running out for Taraneh, particularly because appeals involving other defendants in the same Isfahan case have reportedly already been rejected.

“They do not even follow their own law,” Nourmohammadi said.

He said lawyers are supposed to have an 18-day period to appeal but fears Taraneh could be executed before the process plays out.

“The regime carried out a mass killing during the protests in January, but they’re carrying out another mass murder inside their prisons,” he alleged.

Despite the terrifying situation facing Taraneh and Romina, Nourmohammadi said the family remains proud of the sisters for taking a stand during the demonstrations.

Their lawyers are now fighting to overturn the sentences as their relatives desperately push for international attention to their case.