The 'Nofidi' Humanitarian Award is Granted to Fatemeh Sepehri, Political Prisoner in Iran

The 'Nofidi' human rights award, from the National Union for Democracy in Iran, was awarded to Fatemeh Sepehri, a political prisoner held in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad. According to Nofidi, the '2024 Humanitarian Award' was given to Fatemeh Sepehri as 'a woman who has stood against the entirety of the Islamic Republic.' The National Union for Democracy in Iran noted: 'Iranian women have been fighting for 45 years to reclaim the rights, freedom, and progress that have been taken from them.' Previously, the organizations 'Global Alliance Against Discrimination' and 'Mahdi Amin Foundation,' named after a slain opponent of the Islamic Republic in Canada, jointly awarded the 'Majid Reza Rahnavard Courage Award' to Mashallah Karami and Fatemeh Sepehri on the anniversary of this Iranian protester's execution. Mashallah Karami, the father of Mohammad Mahdi Karami, one of the executed protesters, has been imprisoned for weeks. Fatemeh Sepehri, a political activist and one of the signatories of the '14th Statement' for the transition from the Islamic Republic and the resignation of its leader Ali Khamenei, was last arrested on September 21, 2022, shortly after the killing of Mahsa Amini and the onset of nationwide protests. The Islamic Revolutionary Court in Mashhad sentenced Fatemeh Sepehri to 18 years in prison on charges of 'propaganda against the Islamic Republic, collaborating with hostile governments, and insulting the leader,' and this political prisoner, despite being ill and having undergone several surgeries including open-heart surgery, remains in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad. On October 16 of this year, while being transferred from prison to the hospital for emergency open-heart surgery, she condemned the attack by Hamas, a militia group supported by the Islamic Republic, on Israel in a video message, stating that 'the Iranian people stand with the Israeli people.' Fatemeh Sepehri's lawyer previously warned the head of the judiciary about her life being in danger in prison and requested her 'medical release,' a request that the judiciary has not yet approved. Khosrow Alikordi emphasized that the law provides for the suspension of the execution of a sentence until the complete recovery of a sick prisoner, citing Fatemeh Sepehri's open-heart surgery, three left-hand surgeries, acute eye disease, and depression in prison. In addition to Fatemeh Sepehri, her brother Mohammad Hossein Sepehri, a teacher and political activist opposing the Islamic Republic, is also imprisoned. Mohammad Hossein Sepehri, another signatory of the '14th Statement,' was last arrested after protesting the authorities' negligence in providing timely medical care for his sister, in front of the hospital where she was hospitalized. This protesting teacher had stated before his arrest that his sister had asked him to convey a message to Ali Khamenei, saying: 'She asked me to tell Ali Khamenei that the weed that grew in the pure soil of this country in 1979, for which we gave everything, even blood, I will not rest until it is uprooted! Death to Khamenei - curse be upon Khomeini.' The extension of Mohammad Hossein Sepehri's 'temporary detention' and the 'opposition to Fatemeh Sepehri's leave' were noted. The father of the seeking justice for Pouya was summoned again on charges of 'spreading falsehoods'; the wife of Manoochehr Bakhtiari told the judiciary: 'Shame on your judgment.' Two political prisoners emphasized the necessity of 'seeking justice' in their Nowruz messages. A source informed VOA that Rahman Zahmatkesh is being tortured to confess to distributing the Lion and Sun flag. Yashar Tabrizi from Evin Prison stated: 'The path to Iran's dignity is through the transition from the Islamic Republic, not through 'fake' ballots.'