Intensification of Fatemeh Sepehri's Pain Due to 'Psychological Pressure and Stress' in Prison Environment

Fatemeh Sepehri's brother spoke about the alarming health condition of this political prisoner in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, stating that specialist doctors attributed the main cause of her pain to 'psychological pressure and stress resulting from the prison environment.' Fatemeh Sepehri, a political prisoner opposing the Islamic Republic, is being held in inadequate conditions while requiring quarterly medical care due to severe physical issues. According to Asghar Sepehri, Fatemeh's brother, she 'needs quarterly examinations due to heart disease and previous surgery' and was examined by a heart surgeon on the fifth of Dey and by an orthopedic specialist on the eighth of Dey, receiving injections to alleviate her pain. As reported by her brother, 'the treating physician prescribed 10 sessions of physiotherapy and attributed the main cause of her pain to psychological pressure and stress from the prison environment.' He quoted Fatemeh Sepehri's statements: 'In 1401, under the order of the head of Vakilabad Prison, Hadi Ismailzadegan, structural changes were made in the prison. The windows of the wards were blocked, and due to negligence in repairing the sanitary facilities, the stench from them has made living conditions in the ward very difficult.' He added: 'Since December 15, coinciding with Bashar al-Assad's fall, under the order of the judge of Vakilabad Prison, Navid Tabatabai, and the prison chief, Hadi Ismailzadegan, all wards of the women's section of Vakilabad Prison were locked. As a result, my sister is allowed to exercise for only one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon, and even then, only in the presence of a guard.' Fatemeh Sepehri's brother further stated: 'Prison officials are clearly trying to control and isolate political prisoners even more,' and 'this unbearable situation has imposed significant psychological pressure on this political prisoner, exacerbating her physical pain.' Mr. Sepehri also noted that 'on the seventh of Esfand 1402, investigator Ali Soleimani Marshak informed my sister during a visit that she could be released from prison, provided she does not speak to any media. However, she did not accept this condition.' In recent weeks, Mr. Sepehri had informed Voice of America about new restrictions imposed on Fatemeh Sepehri and her deprivation of the right to exercise. Fatemeh Sepehri, a political prisoner and one of the signatories of the '14-signature statement' for a transition from the Islamic Republic and the resignation of its leader, after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, in a joint message with her imprisoned brother Mohammad Hossein Sepehri, who is also a signatory of the 14-signature statement, referred to Ali Khamenei as a 'real mercenary' and a 'plunderer destroying the lives of Iranians,' predicting that soon he and 'his decaying regime will be trampled underfoot by the same people.' One of the prisoners from Vakilabad Prison who was on leave for a few days recently told Voice of America about the pressures imposed on this political prisoner by judicial authorities, stating, 'Prisoners who speak with Fatemeh Sepehri are reprimanded.' The increase in pressures on Fatemeh Sepehri by judicial authorities in Vakilabad Prison, despite her multiple illnesses, comes at a time when violations of the right to medical care have previously endangered the lives of prisoners and even led to their deaths. In recent days, violations of the right to medical care by prison officials resulted in the death of a prisoner in Qarchak women's prison.