Fatemeh Ziaii, a prominent political prisoner, is facing a critically deteriorating physical condition inside Tehran’s Evin Prison. According to sources close to her family, the continued detention of Ms. Ziaii without access to specialized medical care now poses a serious threat to her life.
Before being transferred to Evin Prison, Fatemeh Ziaii was held for 40 days in the NOPO detention facility, a period that passed without even minimum medical attention. During this time, she suffered multiple health crises due to her chronic illnesses, yet security officers repeatedly prevented her transfer to medical centers.
Re-Arrest Despite a Legal Ruling of “Inability to Tolerate Imprisonment”
Fatemeh Ziaii, also known by the name “Hourieh,” has long battled advanced multiple sclerosis, latent pulmonary tuberculosis, and recurrent urinary tract infections linked to her condition.
In January 2025, she was released after Iran’s Forensic Medical Organization formally confirmed that she was medically unfit to endure imprisonment. The remainder of her sentence was legally commuted upon payment of a 300-million-toman fine. Physicians had explicitly warned that returning her to prison could constitute a direct threat to her life.
About Fatemeh Ziaii
On Wednesday morning, August 6, 2025, Iranian security forces raided the home of Fatemeh Ziaii Azad (Houri), a former political prisoner and supporter of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), arresting her and confiscating all her communication devices. This marked the seventh time that Fatemeh Ziaii had been arrested over the past four decades.
Fatemeh Ziaii, now 68 years old, is a survivor of Iran’s notorious political prison system of the 1980s. She has spent over 13 years in prisons and torture centers under the clerical regime. Ms. Ziaii suffers from advanced multiple sclerosis (MS), and her health is reported to be in a fragile and deteriorating condition.
Her previous arrest dates to September 10, 2022, when, despite her critical health, she was imprisoned for over a year.
The NCRI Women’s Committee expresses grave concern over Ms. Ziaii’s condition and calls on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, and all relevant international human rights bodies to take urgent action for her immediate and unconditional release.
