Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN): Zeynab Jalalian a political prisoner sentenced to life imprisonment who is held at Khoy prison, is deprived of the right to medical treatment and furlough.
A reliable source told KHRN that “Unfortunately, the health condition of Zeynab Jalalian -who has been imprisoned for the past 12 years- is deteriorating. This political prisoner has been suffering from pterygium (a pinkish, triangular tissue growth on the cornea of the eye) in addition to septic boils on her tongue and severe headaches since a few months ago.“
According to the source, due to lack of medical facilities in the prison and the refusal of authorities to transfer this political prisoner to an out-of-prison hospital, she has had to take telephone advice from several medical experts who believe that her headaches may be due to migraine. Consequently, her family have handed over several packs of medication to authorities of the Visiting Room but she has still not received the medications yet after a month.
Zaynab Jalalian, has been on medicinal strike since February 2017, in protest to the authorities’ negligence of her need for medical care in the prison regarding her eyes and digestive disorder. However, with the onset of severe headaches and upon her family’s insistence, she accepted to take medication for her migraine but the medicines were not given to her.
It is worth noting that the brother of this political prisoner, Ismail Jalalian, lost his life during an accident near Moku about two weeks ago. But the authorities did not grant her permission to take part in the funeral of her brother .
Kurdistan Human Rights Network has also been informed that a delegation of inspectors including the Prosecutor of Khoy visited the ward of female prisoners at Khoy Prison several days ago. During the inspection, a member of the delegation announced to Zeynab Jalalian that her rights as a prisoner would not be restored unless she expressed her regret about her actions but Zeynab Jalalian has vehemently refused to do so.
Moreover, the Ministry of Intelligence had previously conditioned the transfer of Jalalian to the hospital to her acceptance of attending a television interview. But Zeynab Jalalian has refused to accept this condition. Therefore, despite the advice of the prison doctors regarding the need to send her to the hospital for the treatment, she is still deprived the right to medical treatment.
Zeynab Jalalian, born in 1982, is a Kurdish activist from a small village called Deim Qeshlaq which is located around Maku in Eastern Azerbaijan province in Iran. She was arrested in February 2007 by the forces of Kermanshah Intelligence Bureau on charges of membership in PJAK. She was interrogated at Intelligence Detention Centre in Kermanshah for a month while being seriously tortured both mentally and physically. She was then transferred to Kermanshah Youth Rehabilitation Centre.
On 3 December 2008, Jalalian was sentenced to death on accounts of “armed actions against the Islamic Republic of Iran and membership in PJAK” in addition to “possessing and engaging in armed action against the Islamic Republic of Iran” by Judge Moradi at the branch 1 of Revolutionary Court of Kermanshah. This sentence was later affirmed on April 2, 2009. The Supreme Court confirmed her death sentence on 26 November 2009. She was then transferred unexpectedly from Kermanshah Prison to Esfahan 209 in February 2010. She was finally transferred back to Dizelabad prison in Kermanshah again after five months.
Following many attempts to repeal Jalalian’s death sentence by her family, lawyer, and Human Rights activists, the Supreme Leader of Iran showed leniency and her death sentence was reduced to life imprisonment in November 2011. Later, in November 2014, Zeynab Jalalian was transferred to Khoy prison so her family did not need to travel to a long way to meeting her every time.
It should be noted that Amir Salar Davoodi, Jalalian’s lawyer who played an active role in her case, has also been detained by the Ministry of Intelligence since Nov 20, 2018. He was sentenced to 111 lashes and 30 years of imprisonment by the Branch 15 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court in early June. 15 years of his imprisonment sentence is enforceable. Zeynab Jalalian has strongly condemned the arrest of her lawyer and the heavy sentence against him in her letters and messages sent from the prison.
