Update – September 25, 2025

Somayeh Rashidi, who had been jailed simply for writing slogans in support of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising, passed away on September 25 in hospital. The Islamic Republic killed her through torture, severe beatings, and deliberate medical neglect, denying her timely transfer to hospital — only because she dared to write words of hope and freedom on the walls of her city.

Update – September 24, 2025

Hossein Ronaghi has announced that starting tomorrow, he will escalate his hunger strike from a wet strike to a dry strike (no food and no water). This drastic step highlights both the urgency of his demands and the critical danger to his life. His health is already fragile after 21 days without food, and without water, his life may be at risk within days. The need for immediate international attention and pressure is now more urgent than ever.

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Since September 3, 2025, Hossein Ronaghi has been on a wet hunger strike. Hossein is an Iranian human rights activist who has already spent years in prison for defending freedom of expression. Today, he is once again jailed and now risking his life not for himself, but for his fellow political prisoners, for freedom of speech, and for the Iranian’s right to self-determination. His condition is critical, and his life is in imminent danger.

Hossein is not alone: 

• Matlab Ahmadian has spent 16 years in prison without a single day of furlough, suffering from illnesses caused by torture.
• Fatemeh Sepehri, who is imprisoned for criticizing state-imposed religious policies and sentenced to 10 years, suffers from a heart condition, and her family has warned about her declining health.
• Somayeh Rashidi, jailed simply for writing slogans in support of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising, is now in critical condition, and doctors have lost hope of saving her life (see Update – September 25, 2025)
• Families of other political prisoners, including Hamid Qarahasanlou, fear for their loved ones as news of their condition disappears.

These names are only a few among hundreds. Recently, lists of 343 men in Evin Prison and 64 women in Qarchak Prison were published. But beyond these, there are many prisoners whose very existence the Islamic Republic denies, and countless others whose names we may never even know. Behind each number is a life, a family, and a story of courage.

Zeynab Jalalian, who has been imprisoned for 18 years without medical care, reminds us: “The death of freedom fighters comes only when they are forgotten.”

We hold international human rights organizations, the United Nations, and democratic governments accountable: silence is complicity, and every hour without action pushes political prisoners closer to death. The world can no longer claim ignorance!

#SilenceIsComplicity

#ActNowForIranianPrisoners