Fatemeh Sepahri's Mother and Brother: Khamenei Responsible for the Health of Three Imprisoned Family Members

The mother and brother of Fatemeh Sepahri, a political prisoner, reported on her deteriorating health in prison and held Ali Khamenei responsible for her well-being and that of her two imprisoned brothers. Asghar Sepahri wrote on the messaging platform 'X' on Wednesday, January 6: 'During the visit on Tuesday, January 5, my sister's heart rate was so high that speaking was difficult for her.' He emphasized the imprisonment of his sister and two brothers, stating: 'Ali Khamenei is responsible for the health of Fatemeh Sepahri, Hossein Sepahri, and Mohammad Hossein Sepahri.' The mother of these three political prisoners also stated in a message that Fatemeh's multiple illnesses in prison were a result of the government's aim to prevent her treatment after her open-heart surgery. She held Ali Khamenei responsible for any incident or trouble that befalls her imprisoned children. Previously, the Iran Human Rights Organization expressed concern over political prisoners' lack of access to medical services and called for the immediate release of Fatemeh Sepahri for medical treatment outside of prison. Mahmoud Amiri Moghaddam, the director of this organization, described Ms. Sepahri's imprisonment for expressing her opinion as illegal and characterized the 'deliberate deprivation' of her access to appropriate medical care as a form of torture that endangers her life. Fatemeh Sepahri, along with her brother Mohammad Hossein Sepahri, is among the 14 signatories of a letter requesting Ali Khamenei's resignation, published on July 5, 2019. The Iran Human Rights Organization noted that reports about the deprivation of political prisoners from appropriate treatment suggest that security officials use this method to break political prisoners and force them into silence. According to this human rights organization, several political prisoners, including Heshmatollah Saran, a civil activist; Mohsen Dokmechi, a supporter of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran; Shahrokh Zamani, a labor activist; Sasan Niknefs, a civil activist; Behnam Mahjoubi, a Gonabadi dervish; Baktash Abtin, a poet and filmmaker; and Javad Rouhi, a protesting citizen, have lost their lives due to the deprivation of appropriate treatment.