Sediqeh Vassemqi Expresses Concern for a Fellow Inmate in Evin: Raheleh Rahimipour is 'Suffering from a Brain Tumor'

Sediqeh Vassemqi, a religious scholar critical of the Islamic Republic who is currently imprisoned in Evin, has expressed concern for the condition of one of her fellow inmates, stating that Raheleh Rahimipour is 'suffering from a brain tumor and other illnesses.' In a post published on her Instagram account on Wednesday, April 8, she described the presence of 72-year-old Raheleh Rahimipour in the women's ward of Evin prison as 'one of the clear signs of the oppression of the judicial system of the Islamic Republic,' adding that she is 'seeking justice for her brother who was executed in the 1980s.' According to Vassemqi, Rahimipour has been sentenced to five years in prison, of which she has served five months so far. In her Instagram post, Vassemqi stated, 'When I see her suffering and ill at an age when she should be resting at home, and instead she is moving from one side to another in prison, distressed from pain and lying on the bed, my heart aches.' She has called on 'domestic and international human rights organizations' to work for the release of Raheleh Rahimipour. Rahimipour is one of the seekers of justice for the executions of the 1980s, who was pursuing the burial place of her brother before her arrest and imprisonment. Hossein Rahimipour was arrested in 1983 along with his pregnant wife on charges of membership in political groups and was subsequently executed. Rahimipour has also requested that the authorities of the Islamic Republic provide explanations regarding the fate of her young nephew, Golroo, who was in prison at the time and subsequently went missing. Golroo was born in 1984 after his parents were arrested, and when he was 15 days old, he was separated from his mother for medical care. Authorities later claimed he had died, but did not provide a death certificate or burial location. Reports indicate that Rahimipour was arrested at least twice between 2017 and 2018 and was tried in the Revolutionary Court on charges of propaganda against the regime. Amnesty International previously issued a statement calling on the Iranian authorities to stop the harassment of Raheleh Rahimipour. The protest by Amnesty International against the detention of 'Raheleh Rahimipour,' a complainant regarding the mass executions of the 1980s, has been echoed by 20 human rights organizations calling for an end to the suppression of those pursuing justice for the 'massacres of the 1980s.'