An imprisoned pregnant Kurdish woman named Saada Khedirzadeh has been transferred from Orumiyeh prison, in West Azerbaijan province, to one of the medical centres in the city on 20 June.
She has had a caesarean section after experiencing severe pain, two weeks after the scheduled time for giving birth to her baby.
The detainee’s family has not been able to visit her and her child due to a lack of information about their whereabouts.
Khedirzadeh, who has been detained for eight months, was kept in a non-hygienic environment in the women’s ward of Orumiyeh Central Prison during her pregnancy.
She was also denied specialised medical care due to the opposition of the intelligence ministry and prison officials.
The civilian went on a hunger strike for 11 days this month to protest against the continuation of her uncertain situation in prison.
She had ended her hunger strike due to the promise of the prison authorities to release her on bail, but so far, for unknown reasons, the Mahabad court has refused her temporary release.
Khedirzadeh suffers from kidney, heart, and lumbar disc diseases at the same time.
Security forces arrested Khedirzadeh in Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan province, on 14 October 2021. She was transferred to a security detention centre in Orumiyeh.
After 12 days of interrogation, she was transferred to Orumiyeh Central Prison. She is currently being held in the women’s ward of the prison.
Amnesty International issued a statement stating that Khedirzadeh had not been allowed access to a lawyer since her arrest.
Amnesty said: “Her detention is contrary to the standards of a fair trial and is considered arbitrary under international law because she has been detained for a long time without knowing the reasons for her detention and has been denied access to a lawyer.”
The women’s ward of Orumiyeh Central Prison consists of four separate rooms with 36 beds. At least 40 prisoners are currently being held in each room.
Due to the recently imposed restrictions, female prisoners are kept in these rooms for about 22 hours a day, which have a small area and do not have air conditioning.
