New Restrictions Imposed on Fatemeh Sepahri and Denial of Outdoor Time

Judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic have imposed new restrictions on Fatemeh Sepahri, a political prisoner who is in a critical physical condition following several surgeries at Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad. Asghar Sepahri, Fatemeh's brother, told Voice of America on Wednesday, December 19, that the authorities at Vakilabad Prison have "locked all the wards" and stated that "it is the judge's order," while "there is no justification for this action." According to Fatemeh Sepahri's brother, this political prisoner is protesting this situation as it has "limited outdoor time for my sister, which is not suitable for someone who has undergone open-heart surgery." Asghar Sepahri also expressed concern for the health of this political prisoner opposing the Islamic Republic, adding: "Considering that my sister's fellow inmates have been released, she is now alone in her ward, and if something happens to her, others may be informed too late." Mr. Sepahri had previously described the situation of several political prisoners, including Farzaneh Ghareh-Hosseinlou, Fahimeh Tashakori, Aghrin Sediqi, and Zahra Kohnekar, who are imprisoned in other wards of Vakilabad Prison, as "very difficult." Fatemeh Sepahri and her brother Mohammad Hossein Sepahri are political prisoners and signatories of the "14th Statement" for the transition from the Islamic Republic and the resignation of its leader Ali Khamenei, who have spent consecutive years in prison since signing this statement in June 2019. They recently sent a message to Masoud Pezeshkian stating that "the greatest imbalance and the root of all other imbalances" in Iran is "the Islamic Republic itself." Judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic had previously told Fatemeh Sepahri in response to her request for medical leave, which she needs due to her alarming physical condition after multiple surgeries, that she could only leave prison if she committed not to speak to the media; a condition that Ms. Sepahri has rejected. This political prisoner has continued her opposition to the government during her imprisonment and has faced numerous fabricated cases against her. The continued imprisonment of Fatemeh Sepahri and several other political prisoners despite their urgent medical needs comes at a time when Faezah 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 power circuit." Manouchehr Bakhtiari, the father of the activist Pouya Bakhtiari, is another political prisoner who has been returned to prison from the hospital despite suffering a heart attack after a late surgery and needing urgent medical care.