Shiva Esmaeli, a political prisoner held in Evin Prison, is suffering from a severe spinal condition that has left her in excruciating pain. Despite her critical condition, prison authorities have deliberately obstructed her transfer to a hospital and denied her access to specialized medical care.
The pain has reportedly become so intense that Esmaeli struggles to breathe and is now nearly incapacitated.
Returned from the Hospital Door Due to Lack of Funds
After weeks of suffering and neglect, authorities finally approved her transfer to a hospital. However, during the process, guards discovered that her bank card had no remaining balance. Despite her insistence that she could contact her family to cover the medical costs; prison officials intentionally prevented her from making the call.
Following the prison warden’s direct order, Shiva Esmaeli was returned to the prison gates without receiving any medical attention.
This incident underscores how Evin Prison authorities systematically use medical deprivation as a tool of psychological torture and coercion against female political prisoners.
Who is Shiva Esmaeli?
Born in 1965, Shiva Esmaeli holds a degree in agricultural engineering and is a resident of Tehran. She was arrested on political grounds without legal transparency and has since endured years of imprisonment and resistance behind bars.
On May 14, 2023, after months of uncertainty, Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court handed down her sentence: five years for “assembly and collusion against national security,” one year for “propaganda against the state,” and four years for “acting against national security.” As supplementary punishment, Shiva Esmaeli was also banned from leaving the country and from engaging in political and social activities for two years.
