NEWS CENTER - Activists and human rights organisations warned about Zeinab Jalalian's health condition and called for the unconditional fulfilment of her right to treatment. 

 

Thirteen names and 22 organisations, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, writer Nasrin Parvaz and Richard Ratcliffe, issued a joint statement on the health condition of Kurdish political prisoner Zeinab Jalalian. 

 

In the statement, it was stated that Zeinab Jalalian is the only woman political prisoner sentenced to life imprisonment in Iran, and it was reminded that on 1 May, the United Nations Special Rapporteur drew attention to Zeinab Jalalian's health condition and called on the Iranian authorities, but the authorities did not respond despite the time that passed. 

 

“Rather than provide appropriate care, Iranian authorities have allegedly intimidated her, pressuring her to sign a letter of repentance in exchange for treatment or release. This coercion is part of a broader pattern in which Iranian authorities condition medical care on political silence or remorse. Zeinab has refused to give in to such tactics.”

 

The statement drew attention to the Iranian regime's increasing repression against the opposition, especially after the "Jin, jiyan, azadi (Woman, life, freedom)" resistance, and emphasised that the fact that one thousand 23 executions took place in 2024 alone is the reason for this repression. The statement reminded that Kurdish political prisoners Werîşe Muradî, Pexşan Azîzî and Şerîfe Muhammedi are at risk. 

 

DEMANDS

 

The following demands were listed in the statement:

 

“*Immediately transferring Zeinab to a civilian hospital and providing unconditional access to adequate medical care; 

 

*Ending harassment and intimidation, including efforts to force confessions or repentance in exchange for medical care; 

 

*Releasing Zeinab – in line with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s 2016 finding that her detention is arbitrary – and putting an end to her ongoing ill-treatment.” 

 

SIGNATORY ORGANISATIONS AND NAMES 

 

The names of the activists and organisations who signed the statement are as follows:

 

“*Organisations Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights 

 

*Ahwaz Human Rights Organization (AHRO) 

 

*All Human Rights for All in Iran Association for the Human Rights of the Azerbaijani People in Iran (AHRAZ) 

 

*Baloch Activists Campaign 

 

*Balochistan Human Rights Group (BHRG) 

 

*Ensemble Contre la Peine de Mort (ECPM) 

 

*International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) 

 

*International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) 

 

*Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) 

 

*Iran Human Rights Documentation Center 

 

*Justice for Iran

 

*Kurdistan Human Rights Association-Geneva (KMMK-G) 

 

*Kurdistan Human Rights Network 

 

*Kurdpa Human Rights Organization 

 

*League for the Defence of Human Rights in Iran (LDDHI) 

 

*Omega Research Foundation Rasank 

 

*REDRESS 

 

*Siamak Pourzand Foundation (SPF) 

 

*United against Torture Consortium (UATC – as REDRESS, IRCT, OMCT, Omega) 

 

*World Organisation against Torture (OMCT)

 

*Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, Co-Founder of Iran Human Rights

 

*Farkhondeh Ashena, socialist workers' rights activist, former political prisoner 

 

*Elika Ashoori, actress and activist, daughter of former hostage Anoosheh Ashoori 

 

*Nazanin Boniadi, actress and activist 

 

*Ladan Boroumand, historian and human rights activist 

 

*Roya Boroumand, Executive Director of Abdorrahman Boroumand Center 

 

*Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize winner 

 

*Karin Karlekar, Director of Writers at Risk initiative at PEN America 

 

*Shaparak Khorsandi, comedian and author 

 

*Ramita Navai, journalist 

 

*Nasrin Parvaz, activist, writer of 'One Woman's Struggle In Iran, A Prison Memoir' 

 

*Richard Ratcliffe, human rights activist 

 

*Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe, human rights activist, former hostage and political prisoner”