Activist Fatemeh Sepehri, who is serving a lengthy prison sentence in poor conditions in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, has been subjected to harsh punishment for calling for accountability and reform. Her health has deteriorated, including due to an untreated heart condition. She has been arrested repeatedly since 2019, including on 21 September 2022 after protests broke out in the wake of Mahsa Amini’s death. She is serving 10 years in prison for combined cases, according to the law and was also sentenced to 154 lashes. Among other cases, she was sentenced in June 2024 to 18 years and six months in prison, on charges including “insulting the Supreme Leader,” “propaganda against the state,” and “collaboration with hostile states,” similar to charges being made during the current protests that began in December 2025.