Afghan political prisoner Hamira Sharifi attempts suicide for sixth time at Evin Prison

Hengaw – Monday, July 13, 2026

Hamira Sharifi, an Afghan political prisoner held at Evin Prison, was hospitalized after attempting suicide for the sixth time since her arrest.

According to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Sharifi attempted suicide on the evening of July 10, 2026, by drinking a corrosive cleaning liquid in the women's ward of Evin Prison. After her condition deteriorated, she was transferred first to Loghman Hospital and later to Taleghani Hospital in Tehran, where she remains under intensive medical care.

Sources familiar with the case said fellow prisoners found Sharifi in a corridor of the women's ward, vomiting blood and a dark-colored liquid. Sharifi has attempted suicide at least six times since her arrest because of severe psychological distress and the lack of effective psychiatric care. Prison authorities returned her to the ward after previous attempts without addressing her underlying mental health needs.

Sharifi was recently sentenced to five years in prison by the Iranian judiciary. The charges against her and the court that issued the sentence have not been disclosed. She has also developed a skin condition while in detention and that prison authorities had previously refused to transfer her outside the prison for specialized medical treatment.

Sharifi, an Afghan national without identity documents, was arrested in Tehran during the January 2026 protests. She was initially transferred to Qarchak Prison before being moved to the women's ward of Evin Prison on February 16, 2026. She has remained in detention without access to independent legal counsel since her arrest.