Iranian Political Prisoner Falls Into Coma After Months of Seizures in Prison

Kokcha News Agency – Somayeh Rashidi, a seamstress and political prisoner in Iran, has been hospitalized in a coma after enduring months of epileptic seizures while in custody. Arrested in March for writing anti-government slogans in Tehran’s Javadiyeh neighborhood, Rashidi was initially held at the Shapour Intelligence Center, known for its harsh interrogation methods, before being transferred to the notorious Evin Prison.

In June, Rashidi was moved to Qarchak Prison’s quarantine section following an Israeli airstrike on Evin. Qarchak, described by former inmates as one of the most inhumane facilities in Iran, exacerbated Rashidi’s already precarious health. Despite her documented epilepsy, prison authorities repeatedly denied her adequate medical care, subjecting her to harsh conditions and interrogations.

On September 16, Rashidi was taken to forensic medicine to confirm her epilepsy and obtain a certificate stating she was unfit for punishment. However, on the way back to prison, she became severely ill and vomited. Upon returning to Qarchak, she suffered another seizure while changing clothes. This was not her first medical emergency; sources report that Rashidi had multiple seizures in both Evin and Qarchak prisons, with prison medical staff administering unidentified medications that failed to stabilize her condition.

When Rashidi was finally taken to Mofteh Hospital in Varamin, her condition rapidly deteriorated. Medical staff administered intravenous fluids, but within 30 minutes, her consciousness declined, and she was rushed to the intensive care unit. Her level of consciousness has since dropped to four on the Glasgow Coma Scale, indicating a deep coma with no verbal or eye response, typically requiring artificial respiration.

Dr. Rouzbeh Esfandiari, a former Tehran emergency physician, explained that Rashidi’s condition could be attributed to prolonged seizures, potential head trauma, or respiratory complications that deprived her brain of oxygen. He also noted that stress from prison conditions and interrogations could have worsened her seizures.

Rashidi’s family has reportedly come under pressure from authorities to blame hospital negligence rather than prison conditions for her deteriorating health. However, human rights advocates argue that Rashidi should never have been kept in prison, especially in Qarchak’s harsh quarantine section, given her serious medical condition.

Rashidi’s case is part of a broader pattern of medical neglect in Iranian prisons. In recent weeks, multiple prisoners have died due to delayed medical care, including an unnamed woman at Qarchak and Jamileh Azizi, who died after her heart attack symptoms were dismissed.

Under Iranian law, prison authorities are required to safeguard prisoners’ health and ensure access to adequate medical care. However, Rashidi’s treatment violates both Iranian regulations and international standards for prisoner healthcare.