Introduction
Recent reports from Tehran’s Evin Prison indicate a severe escalation in the deterioration of Fatemeh Ziaei Azad’s health—a veteran political prisoner who has spent nearly four decades between arrest, interrogation, and imprisonment. At 68 years old, she is being held in conditions that directly contradict medical orders and legal exemptions previously granted due to her critical health status. Physicians have repeatedly warned that her continued detention places her at immediate risk of premature death. Her case exemplifies the systematic neglect of ill prisoners by the ruling regime in Iran and the deliberate use of medical deprivation as a tool of repression.
Background: Arrest Record and Case History
Fatemeh Ziaei, widely known as “Hoorieh,” was born in 1957 and holds a degree in political science. Throughout the 1980s, she was arrested for political activities and subsequently subjected to recurring waves of detention in the following decades. In total, she has spent approximately 14 years in prisons across Iran.
On 20 January 2025, Iran’s Forensic Medicine Organization issued an official ruling stating that she was medically “unfit to serve a prison sentence.” Following this ruling, she was released after paying 300 million tomans to buy out the remainder of her sentence. Physicians at the time explicitly warned that incarceration posed a direct threat to her life.
Despite these medical and legal findings, she was arrested again on 6 August 2025, when Ministry of Intelligence agents stormed her home at midnight without presenting any judicial warrant. Her family reported that not only was she taken without explanation, but agents also confiscated personal items, searched the home extensively, and seized her medications.
Before being transferred to Evin Prison, she was held for 40 days in the NoPo detention facility—an environment lacking medical support—where she suffered several physical attacks related to her chronic conditions but received no treatment.
A Critical Medical Crisis: Imminent Risk of Premature Death
According to individuals close to the family, Fatemeh Ziaei’s health has deteriorated sharply in recent weeks. She suffers from advanced Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a condition requiring constant medical monitoring, psychological stability, and structured treatment. The harsh conditions of incarceration and repeated denial of care have intensified her symptoms.
A knowledgeable source states:
“Any further negligence could lead to her premature death. Doctors have repeatedly warned that even a short period of imprisonment is dangerous for her. Instead of providing care, the pressure and restrictions have increased.”
Her medical conditions include:
- Advanced MS with severe mobility impairments
- A progressive lung infection resembling tuberculosis
- Chronic bladder disease with recurrent infections
- Liver complications
- Severe physical weakness, recurring pain, and respiratory distress
Physicians warn that interruptions in MS treatment can lead to irreversible disability, while her lung infection has reached a stage that is “life-threatening without specialized hospital care.” She can no longer walk without assistance, and even basic daily tasks have become extremely difficult.
Judicial Ambiguities and Violation of the Right to Defense
On 4 October 2025, she was taken to Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Abolqasem Salavati, for formal notification of charges. During this session, her lawyer presented the forensic ruling confirming “unfitness for imprisonment” as well as documentation of the 300 million toman payment for buying out the sentence, and requested to halt the judicial process.
However, the case has remained in limbo ever since. According to legal sources, her lawyer has repeatedly attempted to submit defense statements but has been denied entry into the courthouse altogether. This obstruction constitutes a clear violation of her right to legal defense and demonstrates the judiciary’s refusal to consider binding medical and legal evidence.
Arbitrary Night Raid and Violation of Domestic Law
Her midnight arrest on 6 August 2025, conducted without a judicial warrant, represents a blatant breach of Iran’s own criminal procedure laws. A source close to her family states:
“The nighttime raid without a warrant, at a time when she was undergoing treatment for chronic illnesses, was an act of deliberate intimidation. Doctors had already warned that stress or shock could seriously harm her.”
The family has repeatedly requested that she be transferred to a hospital for essential examinations, but these petitions have either been ignored or met with intentional delays.
Legal Analysis: Violations of International Obligations by the Ruling Regime in Iran
Fatemeh Ziaei’s case represents a clear violation of several key provisions of international human rights law:
- Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) – Right to Life
Denying essential medical care to a gravely ill prisoner constitutes a direct threat to life.
- Article 7 of the ICCPR – Prohibition of Torture and Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment
Keeping an MS patient with severe lung infection in conditions without medication or proper facilities qualifies as cruel and inhuman treatment.
- Article 10 of the ICCPR – Humane Treatment of Persons Deprived of Liberty
Her detention conditions violate the requirement that prisoners must be treated with dignity and provided with humane living standards.
- Nelson Mandela Rules (UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners)
These rules require that prisoners receive the same level of medical care available to the general population—a principle entirely ignored in this case.
Human Impact: Gradual Physical and Psychological Erosion
Fatemeh Ziaei is a mother of two, a 68-year-old woman who has spent significant parts of her life under imprisonment, harassment, and deprivation. The physical and mental toll of incarceration, especially for someone of her age and medical condition—has resulted in severe, irreversible harm.
Her continued detention is a form of silent death, a method increasingly used by the ruling regime in Iran against ill political prisoners. A source close to her family reports:
“Fatemeh can no longer walk without assistance. Even basic daily activities have become painfully difficult for her.”
Broader Pattern: Denial of Medical Care as a Systematic Tool of Repression
The medical neglect of political prisoners in Iran is not an isolated occurrence but part of a broader, institutionalized pattern. In recent years, numerous political prisoners have died or suffered permanent disabilities due to deliberate obstruction of medical treatment. This pattern demonstrates the regime’s use of physical deterioration as a method of coercion and elimination.
Conclusion and Call to Action
The case of Fatemeh Ziaei Azad is a stark example of the ruling regime in Iran’s systematic violations of the rights of ill political prisoners. Despite clear medical orders and a legally approved exemption from imprisonment, she remains held in conditions that constitute a direct threat to her life.
Given the current circumstances, the risk of premature death is imminent. Her immediate transfer to a specialized hospital and the suspension of judicial proceedings are urgent humanitarian and legal necessities.
