Kurdish woman political prisoner Khadijeh Mehdipour was beaten by three prisoners of ordinary crimes in Iran’s western Ilam province on 10 February.
Prison officials had incited these prisoners to attack Mehdipour on the pretext that she “insulted” the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force.
Reportedly, while watching the news on television, the inmates first insulted Mehdipour, then beat her and blackened her eye.
In the last few months, the prison authorities’ failure to abide by the segregation of crimes principle has resulted in the political prisoner being repeatedly insulted, threatened and harassed by ordinary crime prisoners on various pretexts.
The public relations department of the Ilam Prisons Organisation has confirmed the incident through a statement: “On 10 February, the prisoner started insulting Imam Khomeini [the first Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran], the current Supreme Leader, and commander-in-chief Soleimani, after a documentary about Soleimani and the presence of people in last year’s march was broadcasted on the national TV. One of the prisoners reacted to her and the issue was then resolved after the intervention of prison officials. No harm was done to either side and according to the medical staff and the prison doctor, there were not even any signs of beatings.”
Mehdipour, who suffers from gastrointestinal disorders and eye problems, has been denied access to medical care.
On 4 January, she was taken to a hospital outside the prison and was returned to prison after receiving medication and glasses for her eye problems.
The Intelligence Organisation of the IRGC arrested Mehdipour in Ilam on 10 October 2021.
After two days of interrogation by this military-security organisation, she was transferred to the central prison of the city.
A few weeks later, Branch 2 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Ilam, headed by Judge Parvaneh, sentenced her to 20 months in prison.
The court charged her with “propaganda against the state”, “insulting the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran”, and “insulting the [Supreme] leadership”.
She was previously arrested by security forces on 10 October 2020 and was later sentenced to pay a fine in exchange for imprisonment.
