Human Rights Organization Concerned About Fatemeh Sepehri's Condition in Prison; Serious Danger Threatens Her Life

On December 23, the Iran Human Rights Organization expressed concern over the lack of access to medical services for political prisoners and called for the immediate release of Fatemeh Sepehri for medical treatment outside of prison. The director of the Iran Human Rights Organization stated: "In addition to the illegal imprisonment for expressing her opinion, the deliberate deprivation of Fatemeh Sepehri from appropriate medical services constitutes torture and endangers her life." Mahmoud Amiri-Moghaddam announced that Ali Khamenei and other government officials are responsible for the health of Fatemeh Sepehri and other political prisoners and must be held accountable. He added, "The international community must work harder to prevent the physical elimination of dissenters through deprivation of medical services in the prisons of the Islamic Republic." Fatemeh Sepehri underwent open-heart surgery on September 29 and was returned to prison on October 7. Asghar Sepehri, the brother of this political prisoner, told the Iran Human Rights Organization: "With the follow-ups of the family and her lawyer, forensic medicine only agreed to a one-week leave for Fatemeh Sepehri, of which she was kept for three days in prison and three days in the hospital under the pretext of being suspected of having COVID-19, and only spent one night at home on October 17." He added: "After her return to prison, they did not allow visits for three weeks, and after that, every Tuesday when the family went to visit, they witnessed my sister's poor condition." Mr. Sepehri emphasized that his sister's health status is concerning, stating: "Due to psychological pressure from prison officials, her heart rate is high. However, the prison medical staff only administers injections and provides sleeping pills." Fatemeh Sepehri, along with her brother Mohammad Hossein Sepehri, is among the fourteen signatories of a letter requesting Ali Khamenei's resignation, published on July 5, 2019. The signatories were arrested. Subsequently, Ms. Sepehri was released from Mashhad prison in May 2020 with a suspended sentence. Ms. Sepehri was arrested again on September 21, 2022, following an attack by security agents at her home and has been in prison ever since. According to the Iran Human Rights Organization, many reports have been published regarding the deprivation of political prisoners from appropriate medical treatment, and it seems that security officials use this method to break political prisoners and force them into silence. This human rights organization noted that several political prisoners, including Eshmatollah Saran, a civil activist; Mohsen Dokmechi, a supporter of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization; Shahrokh Zamani, a labor activist; Sasan Niknafs, a civil activist; Behnam Mahjoubi, a Gonabadi dervish; Bakhtash Abtin, a poet and filmmaker; and Javad Rouhi, a protesting citizen, have lost their lives in Iranian prisons due to deprivation of appropriate medical treatment. Khosrow Alikordi, the lawyer for the Sepehri and Adinehzadeh families, has been sentenced to prison and deprived of his legal practice. The "Courage Award of Majidreza Rahnavard" was presented to Mashallah Karami and Fatemeh Sepehri in Canada. Fatemeh Sepehri has been denied visits with her children; prison officials stated that her remarks in the hospital were a "crime." Fatemeh Sepehri was transferred from prison to the ICU of the hospital. Pressure continues on the Sepehri family; Fatemeh's brothers remain in Mashhad's Vakilabad prison without resolution. The Human Rights Defenders Center stated: "Fatemeh Sepehri's life is in danger."