Report on the latest situation of political prisoner Raheleh Rahemipour in Tehran’s Evin Prison
Hengaw: Sunday, December 8, 2024
Raheleh Rahemipour, a political prisoner in the women’s ward of Evin Prison and a justice advocate for victims of the 1980s, has spent over a year serving her five-year prison sentence. Despite suffering from multiple medical conditions, including a severe brain tumor, she has been denied the right to medical leave by the prosecutor and prison authorities.
According to a report received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Raheleh Rahemipour, a 72-year-old prisoner, has experienced severe facial swelling and loss of mobility due to her medical conditions and brain tumor. Nevertheless, she has been refused medical leave. The Legal Medicine Commission rejected her request for exemption from serving her sentence, citing her participation in a memorial event for victims of the 1988 mass executions in the women’s ward of Evin Prison.
Rahemipour was sentenced by the Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Abolghasem Salavati, to a total of six years and two months of imprisonment on charges of “assembly and collusion” and “propaganda against the state.” She has been serving the enforceable maximum sentence of five years since her arrest in November 2023. Despite qualifying for reduced sentences due to her advanced age, she remains incarcerated.
It is noteworthy that Rahemipour was previously arrested in November 2019 and spent over a month under interrogation in solitary confinement in Ward 2-A of the IRGC. Following her release on bail, she consulted a specialist for severe headaches caused by the stress of detention, where a brain tumor was diagnosed.
During her imprisonment, Rahemipour has suffered several heart attacks. Although she was transferred to the prison clinic each time, she was sent back to her ward without receiving adequate care. On one occasion, she fell semi-conscious and was taken to a hospital for angioplasty. However, her treatment was prematurely halted, and she was returned to prison without the necessary care for her heart condition.
In August this year, following persistent severe headaches, Rahemipour underwent an MRI scan, which revealed the regrowth of her previous tumor and the development of an additional 4mm tumor, leading to skull swelling.
Despite the documented evidence of her deteriorating health, including a report from the Legal Medicine Commission, her request for exemption from imprisonment was rejected due to her participation in the memorial event for the 1988 victims. Security and prosecutorial authorities have also denied her medical leave.
Medical reports submitted to the Legal Medicine Commission detail her numerous health conditions, including thalassemia minor, heart disease (requiring three angioplasties), an acute brain tumor, blood pressure fluctuations, an irregular and concerning heart rate, cataracts, diabetes, and joint pain causing swelling and deformity in her toes, leading to balance issues when walking.
Raheleh Rahemipour is an activist member of the families of victims of the 1980s. Her brother was tortured and executed by the forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and for years, she has sought justice for his execution and the disappearance of his child during that time.
