Iranian security authorities have escalated pressure on Kurdish political prisoner Zeynab Jalalian by denying her yet another family visit, further increasing the isolation endured during her 17-year incarceration at Yazd Central Prison, Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) reported.
KHRN revealed that Jalalian has been systematically denied family visits, with only one permitted in the past five years. The de facto ban on visits, imposed arbitrarily by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence, exacerbates the isolation of her life sentence.
Recently Jalalian and her family were told they had been granted a family visit, but this was denied at the eleventh hour. Prison officials informed her that the denial was on direct orders from the Ministry of Intelligence. Her family members were stopped and turned back in the neighbourhood of Isfahan, having travelled over 1100 km of the 1500 km journey from Maku near the Turkish border to the prison.
On 25 July, the Human Rights Activists’ News Agency (HRANA) reported that Jalalian had been suffering from multiple physical ailments over an extended period, yet her condition worsened as her pleas for medical treatment were consistently ignored by the authorities.
Finally, on 25 September, she was transported to Yazd’s Farokhi Yazdi Hospital, where she underwent a CT scan after months of severe pain in her right chest, albeit while handcuffed. However, there is no information forthcoming with regard to treatment.
Jalalian’s mistreatment has been consistently condemned internationally, including by the United States and the United Nations. The UN has called on the Iranian authorities to respect her fundamental human rights and provide the medical care she desperately needs. US officials have echoed these concerns, urging Iran to end its oppressive policies towards political prisoners like Jalalian, who face isolation and denial of basic rights.
In June, Ministry of Intelligence officials met with Jalalian twice, putting pressure on her to sign a letter of repentance. They promised that signing the document would lead to discussions on her medical treatment and a potential conditional release. She has steadfastly resisted these demands, holding up against the ongoing mistreatment.
Jalalian was originally sentenced to death in 2009 for her involvement with the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), charged with ‘waging war against God’ (moharebe). Her sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 2011. Despite the passage of time, her basic rights remain severely restricted, and her health continues to deteriorate under the harsh prison conditions.
