Fatemeh Sepehri's Brother Addresses UN Fact-Finding Committee: Ask the Iranian Government What the Charges Against My Sister Are

The brother of Fatemeh Sepehri, a political prisoner, highlighted his sister's illness and her suffering from unbearable pain, urging the UN fact-finding committee to investigate the reasons behind her imprisonment by the Iranian government. Mohammad Hossein Sepehri, in a message shared on his brother Asghar Sepehri's Twitter account on Thursday, July 6, mentioned one of the accusations against Fatemeh Sepehri as 'collaboration with hostile governments' and called for an explanation from the Islamic Republic's officials regarding this charge. He quoted his sister as saying to the UN fact-finding committee, which is investigating human rights conditions in Iran, 'Ask the Islamic Republic regime what crime Fatemeh Sepehri is in prison for.' Mohammad Hossein Sepehri reported a lack of medical care and restrictions on Fatemeh Sepehri's phone contact while in prison. The UN fact-finding committee held a meeting in Geneva on Wednesday, July 5, presenting its first oral report on the human rights situation in Iran and reported ongoing human rights violations by the Iranian government. In a published message, Mohammad Hossein Sepehri described the pain from his sister's illness as 'beyond the limits of human endurance,' stating that the prosecutor conditioned the continuation of her treatment outside prison on a 'very, very long' process. Fatemeh Sepehri's left hand has undergone three surgeries since last year, and according to medical staff, the pain in her hand is due to the stressful conditions of the prison environment. Fatemeh Sepehri, a political activist opposing the Iranian government and a signatory of a petition for the resignation of Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, was sentenced to 18 years in prison in Mashhad during her last arrest last year. The Islamic Republic has consistently imprisoned opponents and critics of the government under vague charges such as 'propaganda against the regime,' 'actions against national security,' and 'collaboration with hostile governments.'