Iran's Female Political Prisoner Deprived Of Medical Care

Zeinab Jalalian, the longest-serving female political prisoner in Iran, is facing dire conditions as she marks the end of her sixteenth year behind bars without proper medical attention.

Despite suffering from multiple physical ailments, Jalalian has been denied furlough and has not been segregated from common prisoners according to regulation in Yazd prison.

According to reports from the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) citing a source close to Jalalian's family, she was supposed to be transferred to Yazd hospital for the treatment of an eye infection on Tuesday. However, due to negligence from prison authorities, she was not sent to the hospital.

Jalalian's health continues to deteriorate, with her vision severely declining due to the progression of the eye infection. Additionally, she suffers from kidney and digestive diseases, but she has not received proper medical care.

Arrested in 2008, Jalalian was initially sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court on charges of belonging to an armed opposition group. The sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment in 2011.

Throughout her detention, Jalalian has repeatedly denied the accusations and has spoken out about torture and harassment she has endured, including physical assaults and threats of sexual assault.

Jalalian's case highlights the broader issue of the lack of medical attention given to political prisoners in Iran and the denial of their right to proper treatment by prison authorities. Many political prisoners, including activists like Sasan Niknafs and Behnam Mahjoubi, have lost their lives in similar circumstances, with the Islamic Republic refusing to accept responsibility for their deaths.