Somayeh Rashidi, a 42-year-old political prisoner, was transferred to the hospital in critical condition after several severe seizures and neglect by the authorities of Qarchak Prison in Varamin. According to informed sources, her level of consciousness has dropped to “4,” and she is in a coma. Doctors have almost lost hope for her recovery.
Rashidi, who had struggled with epilepsy for years, repeatedly complained during her detention of severe headaches and sudden seizure attacks. However, the prison infirmary staff and the prison doctor dismissed her symptoms as “malingering” and denied her specialized treatment. According to one of her cellmates, “Somayeh collapsed and had seizures many times in front of other inmates, but the prison doctor told her she was faking it. Only when her condition became critical did they transfer her to the hospital, and even then with delay.”
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In May 2025, Somayeh was arrested while writing slogans in Javadieh, a neighborhood in south Tehran. Immediately after her arrest, she was transferred to the Shapour Police Investigation Center, located on 15 Khordad Street in Tehran. Shapour Investigation Center is notorious as one of the most infamous police facilities in Iran.
Transfer to hospital and critical condition
On Tuesday, September 16, the seizures became so severe that authorities were forced to transfer her to Mofatteh Hospital in Varamin. Doctors at the hospital described her condition as “critical and unpredictable.” Rashidi’s family has faced severe restrictions in accessing information about her treatment and visiting her.
Arrested for writing slogans
She was initially held in Evin Prison, but after an Israeli missile strike on the prison and the mass transfer of inmates, she was moved to Qarchak Prison in Varamin. Her official charge has been announced as “propaganda against the regime.”
Dire conditions in Qarchak Prison
Qarchak Prison is known as one of the most notorious women’s prisons in Iran. The lack of sanitary facilities, shortages of medicine, and severe overcrowding have repeatedly drawn criticism from human rights organizations. Rashidi’s cellmates have emphasized that even before her condition deteriorated, she needed help from others to carry out daily tasks.
