Iranian Woman Protester Attempts Suicide in Prison

A woman protester who is serving a long-term prison sentence in Karaj, near Tehran, has attempted to take her own life, local media and human rights groups reported on May 28.

They said that Masouma Senobari cut her wrist inside Fardis prison to protest cruel treatment by prison staff.

Senobari resides in Karaj but is originally from the north-western city of Tabriz.

She was arrested during street rallies in Karaj on December 13, 2022, and sentenced to seven and a half years in prison on charges of leading protests.

According to reports emerging from Farid prison, Senobari was kept in solitary confinement for months, was denied any contact with her family and was deprived of fresh air.

Iranian authorities have cracked down hard on months-long nationwide protests sparked by the September death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody.

More than 520 people were killed during demonstrations and over 20,000 others were unlawfully detained, activists say. Following biased trials, the judiciary has handed down stiff sentences, including the death penalty, to protesters.