19 women political prisoners in Qarchak Prison, Tehran, have launched a two-day hunger strike beginning today to mourn for their fellow inmate, Somayeh Rashidi, and to protest against the irresponsible conduct and lack of accountability by prison authorities.
Somayeh Rashidi tragically lost her life after being repeatedly denied timely medical care by prison authorities. Despite suffering from serious health complications, her requests for treatment were ignored until her condition deteriorated severely. She was transferred to a hospital only when it was too late to save her life. Her death is a direct consequence of systematic medical neglect in Qarchak Prison and reflects the broader pattern of abuse and denial of fundamental rights faced by political prisoners in Iran.
For the past three months, the conditions in Qarchak’s quarantine ward, where many women political prisoners are held, have sparked serious concern. In addition to systematic mistreatment and coercive practices, prisoners face severe medical neglect and inhumane living conditions. These conditions are especially alarming for sick women, whose health is gravely endangered by the lack of access to proper treatment.
These women were originally transferred to Qarchak Prison in Varamin after Israel’s attack on Evin Prison damaged the women’s political ward. Since then, they have consistently protested their conditions of detention and demanded to be returned to Evin. Yet, while some male political prisoners from Tehran Prison have been transferred back to Evin, the authorities of the Prisons Organization and the Judiciary have so far refused to grant the same right to women political prisoners.
Families of the prisoners describe their relatives’ conditions in Qarchak as dire, noting that they are deprived of even the most basic necessities and are denied adequate medical care.
Femena calls for:
- The immediate transfer of all women political prisoners from Qarchak to the women’s political ward of Evin Prison.
- Urgent and unhindered access to adequate medical care for all prisoners, particularly those suffering from serious health conditions.
- An independent investigation into the inhumane treatment, negligence, and abusive practices in Qarchak Prison, including the circumstances that led to the deaths of Somayeh Rashidi and two other women prisoners.
- Accountability for prison officials and judiciary authorities who have failed in their duty to ensure the safety, health, and dignity of prisoners.
- Concrete guarantees that women prisoners will not face reprisals for exercising their right to protest and hunger strike.
Femena stands in solidarity with the women political prisoners and their families, and urges the international community to hold Iranian authorities accountable for these grave violations of human rights.