Zeinab Jalalian, a Kurdish woman from Iran, has spent the last 16 years behind bars, marking her as the Islamic Republic’s longest-held female political prisoner serving life sentence. International calls for her release are ongoing as she enters her 17th year of imprisonment.
Jalalian’s conditions remains dire, with allegations of torture, deprivation of medical rights, and illegal transfers across various prisons. Currently she fights for justice and freedom under harsh conditions in Yazd prison.
Initially arrested in February 2008 for her political and civil activism within Iran in Kermanshah, Rojhilat, Jalalian’s journey through the Iranian prison system has been tumultuous and marked by apparent violations of legal and human rights standards.
Before being moved to Yazd, she underwent sudden transfers without explanation, from Khoy to Qarchak, then to Kerman prison following a hunger strike and a battle with COVID-19. Despite her requests to return to Khoy prison in West Azerbaijan Province, she was moved to Kermanshah prison, a transfer complicated by a severe health condition, which had initially led to the Kermanshah Women’s Prison refusing her admittal.
Jalalian’s health has significantly deteriorated during her imprisonment. After contracting COVID-19 for the second time in Yazd Prison, she developed serious lung and asthma issues. Her recovery has been hindered by inadequate medical care, exacerbating existing conditions such as kidney and digestive problems, oral thrush, eye pterygium, poor eyesight, and tooth infection. Her conditions worsened as she was kept in poor conditions alongside individuals with addictions and severe health issues, without access to necessary medical care.
The distance between Yazd prison and Jalalian’s family home in Maku, coupled with security restrictions, has prevented her from seeing family for over two and a half years. Communication has been severely restricted, with phone calls limited to once a week and only with her parents.
Intelligence agents have also threatened Jalalian and her family against leaking information about her condition to the media, warning of further punitive measures.
Despite the new Islamic Penal Law of 2013, which her lawyers argue should lead to her release, Jalalian remains imprisoned. Furthermore, her family has faced harassment and temporary detention by security agents in Maku, following a video message by Jalalian’s mother discussing her daughter’s condition. The family have refused to bow to pressure from authorities to denounce Jalalian’s activities or Kurdish opposition parties.
