Fatemeh Ziaii, a political prisoner suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) and a lung infection resembling tuberculosis, remains deprived of access to essential medical treatment. Despite her deteriorating condition, she has been denied both release and medical furlough.
Fatemeh Ziaii’s MS treatment has been postponed due to her advanced lung infection, exacerbating her fragile health. She is largely unable to walk and faces severe respiratory difficulties caused by the infection. Physicians at Evin Prison have recommended that she receive treatment outside the prison, but judicial authorities refuse to grant her release.
Recent tests have confirmed that Fatemeh Ziaii is battling a severe lung infection akin to tuberculosis. Her condition makes it impossible for her to endure the harsh prison environment. She urgently requires specialized medical care and suitable facilities outside the prison.
Born in 1957, Fatemeh Ziaii is married and the mother of two children. She was first imprisoned from 1981 to 1986 for supporting the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). In January 2009, she was arrested for visiting her children at the PMOI headquarters and released a year later in December 2009 after serving her sentence.
In subsequent years, Ms. Ziaii faced repeated arrests and imprisonment in 2013, 2015, and 2019 on similar charges. Most recently, on September 10, 2022, she was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for “assembly and collusion” and “connection with the PMOI.” She was transferred to the women’s ward of Evin Prison.
Due to her critical health condition, Ms. Ziaii was granted medical furlough in September 2023 to undergo treatment for MS. However, she was abruptly re-arrested and returned to prison before completing her treatment, leaving her health regimen disrupted.
Denying prisoners access to medical care is a recognized form of torture and inhumane treatment, condemned in numerous human rights documents as a violation of human dignity. Fatemeh Ziaii’s continued suffering highlights the ongoing disregard for basic human rights within Iran’s judicial and prison systems.
