Amid an ongoing escalation of judicial pressure against female political prisoners in Iran, authorities have imposed an additional six-month prison sentence on two inmates held in Evin Prison, Shiva Esmaeili and Elaheh Fouladi.
The new ruling follows the initiation of a legal case against the two women, which was opened last year in response to their protest to the death of fellow detainee Somayeh Rashidi. The charge brought against them has been described as “insulting the leadership.”
This latest verdict directly extends the sentences of Esmaeili and Fouladi and is widely viewed as a continuation of repressive policies targeting female political prisoners in Evin Prison.
The Death of Somayeh Rashidi and Its Aftermath
Somayeh Rashidi, a 42-year-old political prisoner held in Qarchak Prison in Varamin, died on September 25, 2025, after spending ten days in a coma at Mofatteh Hospital in Varamin.
Prior to her transfer to the hospital, Rashidi had reportedly suffered multiple seizures while in custody. However, prison medical staff allegedly dismissed her condition as feigned illness and refused to arrange her immediate transfer to a medical facility. This delay ultimately led to a deterioration in her condition and her death.
Following the incident, Shiva Esmaeili and Elaheh Fouladi publicly protested the handling of Rashidi’s medical condition and called for accountability. Instead of addressing the circumstances surrounding Rashidi’s death, authorities responded by filing new charges against the two female political prisoners and issuing additional sentences.
About Shiva Esmaeili
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.
Who is Elaheh Fouladi?
Born in 1978 in Khalkhal, Elaheh Fouladi is married and the mother of one child. She was a senior university student when she was arrested alongside her husband, Sattar Babaei, at an airport on January 23, 2020, and transferred to Evin Prison. After several months of interrogation, she was released on bail in August 2020.
Later, the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced her to eight years in prison on charges of “collusion and conspiracy through connections with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI)” and “propaganda against the state.”
