Sarvenaz Ahmadi, a women’s rights activist arrested in November 2022 during the ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadi’ (Woman, Life, Freedom) uprising alongside her husband Kamyar Fakour, is refusing to take her medication in protest at the Iranian government’s oppression and the denial of medical leave.
Ahmadi, a translator and advocate for children’s rights and gender equality, issued a letter from Evin Prison on 8 September protesting against the Iranian government’s oppression and its denial of medical leave. Ahmadi, who has epilepsy, announced in her letter that she is refusing to take her medication as a form of protest.
Ahmadi describes her refusal to take medication as taking a stance against the oppression of prisoners and the inhumane conditions in prison, according to news outlets from Iran
Although she has already served 16 months of a three-and-a-half-year sentence, Ahmadi has not been granted medical leave. According to Human rights Activists News agency (HRANA), a forensic doctor has deemed Ahmadi’s condition critical and requested urgent medical leave. However, the Evin Prison authorities have yet to act on this recommendation.
Ahmadi reportedly suffered an epileptic seizure during an attack by Evin Prison officers on 16 August, as female political prisoners gathered to protest against the execution of Kurdish prisoner Reza Rasaei as part of their weekly Tuesday “No to Execution” campaign.
Kolbar News has confirmed Ahmadi’s refusal of medication, noting also that despite prescriptions for high-dose medication and recommendations for medical leave, the authorities have delayed delivering the medication and refused to grant leave.
Ahmadi and her husband were arrested in November 2022, shortly after their marriage. The Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced them to three years and six months in prison each for “propaganda against the regime” and “assembly and collusion to disrupt national security”.
Reports also indicate that other prisoners, including Hura Nikbakht and Pariwash Muslimi, are engaging in hunger strikes to protest against the denial of family visits.
