Iranian political prisoners face harsh sentences and denied medical care

Abbas Vahedian Shahrudi, a writer and civil‑rights activist imprisoned in Vakil‑abad, Mashhad, suffers from psoriasis, lung and gum infections, diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol. Despite medical assessments confirming his need for specialist treatment, prison authorities have refused to transfer him to external medical facilities, leaving him with limited medication supplied by his family and inadequate prison nutrition and hygiene.

Ahmed Seyed‑Abdollahi, a consultant and psychologist from Borujan, was recently arrested and transferred to the local prison to serve a sentence of five months and seven days after a court upheld a seven‑month prison term for “activities against national security.” He was previously detained for distributing an English‑language video addressed to the U.S. president and for sending it to an opposition network, resulting in a five‑year ban from public services. Seyed‑Abdollahi has faced multiple arrests, solitary confinement, and bail payments ranging from 3.5 billion to 18 billion rials.