Reports indicate increasing pressure and restrictions against female political prisoners in Iran, particularly women arrested for supporting the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). According to these reports, the process of imposing new restrictions, opening new judicial cases, and issuing additional sentences against these prisoners has intensified in recent weeks.
In this context, Shiva Esmaeili and Elaheh Fouladi, two political prisoners held in Tehran’s Evin Prison, faced a new case after protesting the death of Somayeh Rashidi and were each sentenced to an additional six months in prison on charges of insulting the supreme leader. Somayeh Rashidi, 42, had previously died in October 2025 in Qarchak Prison in Varamin due to lack of medical treatment, an incident that at the time sparked reactions among political prisoners.
Iran Intensifies Pressure on Families of PMOI Prisoners Amid Expanding Crackdown
It has also been reported that seven female political prisoners — including Zahra Safaei, Forough Taghipour, Marzieh Farsi, Elaheh Foladi, Arghavan Fallahi, Shiva Esmaeili, and Golrokh Iraee — have been denied family visitation rights due to participating in protest activities inside prison and taking part in the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign, including singing songs and chanting slogans against executions.
In Yazd Prison, another political prisoner and supporter of the PMOI/MEK, Parisa Kamali, is reportedly under severe pressure. According to informed sources, prison authorities, citing special conditions, have refused to provide her with necessary medication and transfer her to medical centers, raising concerns about her health condition. Reports also indicate that she is facing an order to be transferred to Khash Prison in Iran’s southeastern Baluchestan region.
In response to these developments, several human rights organizations and advocacy groups have called for greater international attention to the situation of political prisoners in Iran, especially women, and emphasized the need for an independent investigation into prison conditions.
