A Kurdish woman prisoner named Saada Khedirzadeh was returned to Orumiyeh prison on 22 June before her treatment was completed after she gave birth by caesarean section.
The hospital medical staff reportedly reacted to the prison officers when they tied Khedirzadeh’s hands and feet to the hospital bed at the instruction of prison authorities.
The officers were forced to remove the handcuffs and fetters after the objections.
Khedirzadeh, who has been detained for eight months, is held 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.”
