The death of Somayeh Rashidi, a jailed laborer in Qarchak Prison in Varamin, once again highlighted the longstanding issue of medical deprivation in Iran’s prisons. Reviewing past cases shows that these deaths are not exceptional events but part of a systematic pattern that for decades has claimed the lives of political prisoners. Prisons under Iran’s regime, since their very inception, have not merely served as places for enforcing judicial rulings but have also been used as tools for social control and silencing dissent. Political opponents and critics, journalists, labor and religious activists, and even ordinary citizens who merely joined street protests or were convicted of other charges are kept in prisons where the conditions go far beyond deprivation of liberty. In these prisons, the health of prisoners is not only neglected but deliberately ignored. Medical deprivation, as part of a suppression strategy, can include delays in hospital transfers, confiscation of medicine sent by families, or restrictions on access to specialists. Under such conditions, sick prisoners are effectively exposed to a “gradual death,” which human rights literature refers to as “silent execution.”

Medical deprivation as white torture

Denying sick prisoners proper medical care goes beyond negligence or bureaucratic disorder. UN human rights experts consider this practice equivalent to torture. Sometimes prisoners must sign pledges or even give televised confessions in order to receive medical permission. Families send medicine, but it either never reaches the prisoner or arrives after long delays. This situation exposes prisoners to a slow death. They grow weaker each day as their hope for survival diminishes. In many cases, by the time permission for hospital transfer is finally granted, it is too late for treatment to be effective.

Reactions and the regime’s lack of accountability

Families of the victims have repeatedly raised their voices in protest, but they are often met with threats and security pressure. International bodies, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have repeatedly issued statements, but Iran’s regime has never held any judicial or prison official accountable for these deaths. Even in cases such as Sattar Beheshti or Behnam Mahjoubi, which drew global attention, the cases were eventually closed and the officials acquitted.

Somayeh Rashidi: the latest victim

The death of Somayeh Rashidi, a jailed laborer in Qarchak Prison, is a telling example. She suffered from illness for a long time, but prison authorities refused to transfer her to a hospital in time.

Iran: Political Prisoner Somayeh Rashidi Dies After Denial of Medical Care, Prisoners Commemorate Her Life

Only when her condition became critical and she fell into a coma was she transferred to a hospital. But the delayed transfer was useless, and on September 25, her death was officially announced. Human rights activists have emphasized that Rashidi’s death was not merely an “incident,” but a clear example of the policy of medical deprivation. As many describe it, she was the victim of a “deliberate slow killing.” Rashidi’s memory quickly turned into yet another symbol of structural oppression in Iran’s prisons. In the past year alone, about 30 prisoners have died in Greater Tehran Prison due to lack of doctors and medical facilities. This number is shocking on its own, but examining the details provides a fuller picture of the crisis. Ward 5 of Greater Tehran Prison is particularly in crisis. Overcrowding, lack of space, and absence of social services have forced many prisoners to live in inhumane conditions. Some do not even have beds to sleep on and spend nights on the floor or in hallways. The prison clinic lacks specialized equipment and permanent doctors, and any transfer to an outside hospital requires security permits that are often either denied or severely delayed. In just a short span between September 12 and 25, at least five other prisoners died in various prisons, including Qarchak (Varamin), Kachuei (Karaj), and Yazd. Among these victims were four women, which once again drew public attention to the plight of female prisoners. No independent supervisory body exists over prisons. A culture of impunity dominates: no guard or official fears prosecution for prisoner deaths and ultimately medical deprivation has itself become a tool of political pressure and intimidation. The death of political prisoners is not just an individual tragedy. These deaths carry broader consequences for society. The regime creates public fear, showing that even if it does not directly kill someone, it can condemn them to a slow death. These deaths are the product of a system where medical deprivation has become a tool of repression. Yet experience has shown that the deaths of these prisoners have not silenced voices but have instead strengthened symbols of resistance.