Female prisoner dies in Iran; rights groups blame delayed medical treatment

A woman jailed in Iran over accusations she had links to a banned political group has died in the hospital, 10 days after falling ill with seizures, and human rights groups are blaming the authorities for having failed to provide her with timely care.

Authorities in Iran are sensitive to accusations of mistreatment of detainees since the death in custody of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, in 2022 sparked the biggest nationwide protests in decades.

The judiciary’s news outlet Mizan says Somayeh Rashidi, 42, had a history of seizures before she fell ill on September 15 and was treated first by prison medical staff and then taken to hospital. It says she had been visited several times by a neurologist and a general practitioner during her detention.

Rashidi was accused of being in contact with the banned opposition Mujahideen-e-Khalq group, and posting videos online of acts of sabotage, including setting fire to bases of the Basij religious militia and entrances to mosques, it says.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency HRANA says that according to hospital doctors, the main factor in Rashidi’s deterioration was a delay in providing her with care.

“Prison authorities didn’t take her condition seriously despite repeated visits to the health center and even accused her of indulging in drug abuse,” HRANA adds.

Rights group Hengaw says prison officers had beaten her and accused her of “malingering” instead of immediately transferring her to the infirmary after her seizure.

Reuters has not been able to reach her family or confirm the accounts of her medical history.