Judiciary's Condition for Fatemeh Sepehri's 'Release from Prison': Do Not Give Interviews

Fatemeh Sepehri's brother expressed serious concern for the health of this political prisoner, stating that she was told she could leave prison on the condition that she does not give interviews to news agencies, which she has refused. Asghar Sepehri announced on social media on Sunday, November 20, that this political prisoner had 'repeatedly requested medical leave' after heart surgery, but officials from 'Mashhad intelligence and prison judge, Navid Tabatabai, have opposed it.' Fatemeh Sepehri was urgently transferred to the hospital from Vakilabad prison in Mashhad in October 2023 due to her deteriorating health and underwent open-heart surgery. During her detention in September 2022, she had recently undergone surgery for a tumor in her hand, and during her imprisonment, her hand was operated on two more times. According to her brother, 'she has been told she can leave prison, but she should not have any interviews with news agencies, and she has refused.' This comes as Maya Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, expressed concern two days ago about the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, particularly regarding violations of freedom of expression. According to her brother, Ms. Sepehri has become physically very weak due to heart problems, severe pain in both hands and neck vertebrae, lack of proper nutrition in prison, and psychological pressures within the prison. Asghar Sepehri also stated, 'Due to her physical weakness, prison officials have arranged for one meal a week from outside the prison, but she has refused and requested that this condition be applied to her fellow inmates as well.' Mr. Sepehri emphasized, 'We are very worried about her health.' Fatemeh Sepehri is a political activist opposed to the Islamic Republic and one of the signatories of the '14 Signatures' statement calling for the resignation of Ali Khamenei and a transition from the Islamic Republic. This political prisoner has continued her opposition to the government during her imprisonment and has faced multiple fabricated charges. In one of her recent statements, Ms. Sepehri accused Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of the 14th government of the Islamic Republic, of having his hand in the 'pockets of the plundered nation of Iran' as soon as he arrived. Mr. Sepehri had previously warned about the health condition of this political prisoner. The continued imprisonment of Fatemeh Sepehri and several other political prisoners, despite their urgent need for medical care, comes at a time when Faezeh Hashemi, the daughter of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, was released shortly after publishing a letter from prison and making claims about other political prisoners in Evin, an action that some observers described as 'the end of Islamic reformism with repentance in exchange for remaining in the circle of power.' Manoochehr Bakhtiari, the father of the justice-seeking Pouya Bakhtiari, another political prisoner, remains in prison despite his urgent need for medical care and surgery and has gone on hunger strike in protest against the deprivation of his right to treatment.