The attorney of Hengameh Shahidi, the incarcerated journalist, announced that despite the order of the prosecutor to send Shahidi to Taleghani hospital, Evin prison officials have sent her to the Amin Abad psychiatric hospital. According to Tork Hamedani, after Shahidi’s resistance, she was returned to Evin prison again.

This took place after the medical examiner had approved of her temporary leave for medical treatment for two months.

Shahidi was arrested in 2018 in Kish Island on the charge of “insulting judiciary officials on social media”. She was sentenced to 12 years and nine months in prison by Judge Salavati.

In recent months at least three more similar cases have been reported where political activists have been transferred to a mental hospital instead of receiving medical treatment in a hospital.

Kianoush Sanjari, former student activist and blogger, who has also worked for Voice of America, had reported that he was transferred to Amin Abad psychiatric hospital in handcuffs and shackles and he was chained to a bed for two weeks.

According to the family of Saha Mortezaei, the incarcerated student, she has also been transferred to a psychiatric hospital. Mortezaei ranked 10 on the national exam for Ph.D. in political science in 2019, but she was denied higher education.

Sending political prisoners to psychiatric hospitals is one of the measures taken by the Islamic Republic regime of Iran to suppress political dissidents.