Following Deteriorating Health; Hrana Reports Sending Sediqeh Vosemqei to Hospital Outside Prison

The Hrana website, the news organ of human rights activists in Iran, reported that Sediqeh Vosemqei was sent to a hospital outside of prison for treatment following her "deteriorating physical condition." According to this report, Ms. Vosemqei, a political and social issues analyst, was transferred to the prison clinic on Tuesday, April 3, with symptoms of chest burning, palpitations, and high blood pressure, and was urgently ordered to be transferred to a hospital by the prison doctor. Hrana wrote that this doctor's order faced obstruction from prison officials, but after the prisoner's condition worsened, she was sent to a medical center outside of prison. Yesterday, an Instagram page attributed to Narges Mohammadi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and imprisoned human rights activist, reported that the officials at Evin Prison prevented Sediqeh Vosemqei, a religious scholar and political activist critical of the government, from being sent to the hospital despite the emergency orders from doctors. Ms. Vosemqei was arrested by government agents at her home on March 17 of last year. This political prisoner has refused to attend the Islamic Revolutionary Court for her trial, stating that "defending in this unjust court" has no meaning. Sediqeh Vosemqei, who was a member of the first Tehran City Council, removed her hijab following nationwide protests against the killing of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the "morality police" in 2022. Along with several Iranian political activists, she issued a statement last December criticizing compulsory hijab as a pretext "for violating the dignity and rights of Iranian women" and called for an end to "oppressive policies against women in various personal and social domains." Mansoureh Hosseini-Yeganeh: Sediqeh Vosemqei considers compulsory hijab a tool for the oppression of women. Evin Prison officials, despite the emergency orders from doctors, prevented Sediqeh Vosemqei from being sent to the hospital. Sediqeh Vosemqei expressed concern about the condition of a fellow inmate in Evin: Raheleh Rahimipour is "suffering from a brain tumor." Sediqeh Vosemqei did not comply with the compulsory hijab in Evin Prison; Narges Mohammadi joined her sit-in. Statement from 17 religious reformists: The Islamic Republic is responsible for Sediqeh Vosemqei's health. Sediqeh Vosemqei refused to attend the Revolutionary Court: defending in this "unjust court" has no meaning.