Worsening Illness of Fatemeh Sepahri; Prison Supervising Judge Prevents Timely Medical Transfer

Mohammad Hossein Sepahri announced the complete return of his sister's illness in Vakilabad prison in Mashhad, relaying a message from this political prisoner to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, stating, "If you are a man and have honor, say what collaboration Fatemeh Sepahri has had with which hostile country." According to Fatemeh Sepahri's brother, who visited her in prison on Monday, August 2, her illness has fully returned, with lumps observed on her palms and wrists. Fatemeh Sepahri, a political prisoner opposing the Islamic Republic, has undergone three surgeries on her left hand in the past year, but according to her family, despite the treating physician's recommendation for continued treatment in a calm environment, she has been returned to prison and deprived of access to the necessary conditions for recovery. Mohammad Hossein Sepahri, a political activist in Mashhad, stated in a video after visiting his sister that "the clawing of her fingers and the lumps on her palms and wrists indicate a complete return of the illness." He noted that "the reason for the return of the illness is the severe psychological and emotional pressures of the prison environment and the supervising judge's opposition to timely medical transfer." This political activist, who has recently been released from prison himself, explained that the treating physician had prescribed 15 sessions of physiotherapy for Fatemeh Sepahri on December 1 and February 4, 2022, but each time was prevented from "transfer and treatment" due to the supervising judge's opposition, resulting in this political prisoner being forced to undergo surgery again at the beginning of 2023. Mohammad Hossein Sepahri emphasized that again on July 9, the treating physician issued a treatment order, but it was prevented by the supervising judge. He also conveyed a message from Fatemeh Sepahri to the Supreme Leader, stating, "Today my sister asked me to address Ali Khamenei and say, 'You, who have cut Fatemeh Sepahri's salary and insurance to create economic hardship and unjustly accused her of collaborating with hostile governments, sentencing her to 10 years in prison, I don't care about your religion and faith; if you are a man, if you have honor, come and say which hostile country and what collaboration Fatemeh Sepahri has had with them.'" He also reiterated Fatemeh Sepahri's assertion that "China and Russia" are currently the "only hostile countries" to Iran that are "friends" of Ali Khamenei, and that "Iran is indirectly at war with Ukraine" as a result. In recent days, Mohammad Hossein Sepahri discussed his sister's health status with the Persian section of Voice of America, citing medical documents that indicate her illness has recurred, and efforts to initiate treatment outside of prison have not yielded results.