Shabtabnews In this dark night, I have lost my way – Arise from a corner, oh you the star of guidance.
Iranwire – Sepideh Gholian, a young civil rights activist jailed twice for her peaceful defense of Haft Tappeh Sugar Factory workers, has contracted Covid-19 in Evin Prison.
According to news sources inside Iran, the prisoner of conscience has been unwell for more than two weeks, suffering from a fever, body aches and vomiting. She has also experienced diarrhoea, vomiting, kidney pain and intestinal bleeding.
After testing positive for Covid-19, Gholian was transferred to the prison quarantine ward but has yet to receive treatment. She was previously taken to hospital and underwent tests that concluded she needed surgery. Her family have repeatedly requested she be given medical leave, which has so far been denied.
Gholian has spent much of the past five years in detention for sympathetically covering the Haft Tappeh protests as a citizen journalist. Her latest period of incarceration began last October, when she was taken away in a violent raid on her home while officially on medical furlough. Her diaries on life in Ahvaz Intelligence Detention Center and Sepidar Women’s Prison were published by IranWire in July 2020.
