Fatemeh Sepehri Denied Visits with Her Children; Prison Officials: Her Statements in the Hospital Were a 'Crime'

After Fatemeh Sepehri emphasized her support for Israel and condemned the terrorist attack by Hamas militants, her lawyer announced that prison officials informed her children that she had committed a 'crime' and was banned from visits. Khosrow Ali-Kordi wrote on social media on Wednesday, November 1, that Fatemeh Sepehri's children visited the prison on Tuesday for a meeting, but prison officials stated that she was banned from visits due to her 'statements in Qaem Hospital' and had 'committed a crime.' This lawyer emphasized that the ban on Fatemeh Sepehri's visits 'without addressing the new accusation is contrary to the law.' In her first video message after her arrest, Fatemeh Sepehri stated that Ali Khamenei spends the Iranian people's money on bullets for Hamas, saying, 'The Iranian nation stands with the Israeli nation.' Fatemeh Sepehri thanked 'all compatriots' and 'especially Prince Reza Pahlavi' who were concerned about her situation, adding, 'I congratulate the birthday of Shahbanu Farah, the mother of the Iranian land, on October 14, and I thank all compatriots.' This political activist, opposing the Islamic Republic, sitting in a hospital bed, condemned the Hamas attack on Israel, adding, 'Since the Islamic Republic came to power, the Middle East has not seen peace,' and 'I hope that in this Al-Aqsa storm they have started, the case against them (the Islamic Republic) will be closed, God willing.' The Iranian judiciary criminalized any action supporting or endorsing Israel on social media just a day prior. This decision comes as Iranian users' reactions to the Israel-Hamas war, expressing sympathy for the Israeli people and protesting the Islamic Republic's supportive role towards Hamas militants, have turned into a new wave of protests against the government's policies on social media. The Center for Human Rights Defenders previously warned that Fatemeh Sepehri's life is in danger and 'returning her to prison just a week after surgery sends a clear message; the government intends to harm this political prisoner.' Previously, Fatemeh Sepehri's brother told Voice of America that the Islamic Republic officials, by transferring this political activist to prison shortly after her open-heart surgery, 'intended to harm' her. Fatemeh Sepehri was arrested shortly after the killing of Mahsa Amini and the onset of nationwide protests in Iran, and she has been in prison for over a year. She was one of the signatories of a letter requesting the ousting of Ali Khamenei and the transition from the Islamic Republic. Her brothers, Hossein and Mohammad Hossein Sepehri, were arrested in front of the hospital after her transfer due to a heart condition in prison and are now imprisoned in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad.