Two prisoners died in Iranian jails this week after being denied medical treatment, while a third inmate — a political prisoner recently transferred to a hospital — remains in critical condition.
Jamileh Azizi, a financial crimes inmate at Gharchak prison near Tehran, died Friday evening after weeks of ignored pleas for hospital transfer, according to information obtained by Iran International.
“Azizi repeatedly requested medical care in recent weeks and was dismissed by prison authorities each time,” a source familiar with her case said.
“She finally showed symptoms of a stroke but was told by the prison clinic she had no problem. She died hours later inside prison.”
Her death was caused by deprivation of medical treatment, the Iran Human Rights Society wrote, noting that her bail had been secured and she was due for release. Her relatives directly blamed prison officials for her death.
Mohammad Manghali, also jailed for financial crimes in Yazd, died after suffering breathing difficulties and being accused of faking his illness, the human rights group HRANA reported Friday.
“The prison doctor dismissed his symptoms as malingering and he was left untreated,” a source close to his family told HRANA.
Political prisoner in critical condition
Human rights groups reported worsening health for political prisoner Somayeh Rashidi, 42, who was moved from prison to hospital on September 16. Doctors have told her family they see little chance of recovery.
Rashidi’s level of consciousness has dropped to five, with physicians warning that if it falls to three she will not survive.
Prison authorities withheld essential medical care for Rashidi for months despite her critical condition, Iran International previously reported.
She was arrested in April while writing slogans in a southern Tehran district and later transferred to Gharchak prison after Israel’s June 23 attack on Evin prison. Fellow inmates have said she was beaten during her arrest and denied treatment for her injuries.
“Prison and clinic officials give inmates random medication without specialist diagnosis just to silence them. In many cases this causes severe complications and even death,” a former prisoner told Iran International.
Earlier this month Iran International reported the death of Maryam Shahraki, held in a prison in Karaj, after misdiagnosis and denial of urgent transfer following chest pains.
“Safeguarding the lives of political and general prisoners, stopping executions, and releasing those in need of medical care is the first step toward real change in this country,” political prisoner Ahmadreza Haeri wrote from Ghezel Hesar prison earlier this month.
Last year, Haeri and two other detainees accused prosecutors of pursuing “systematic murder” by denying treatment.
Rights organizations have long documented medical neglect in Iranian prisons. The Islamic Republic systematically withholds care to punish and silence detainees, Human Rights Watch warned in April.
Denying prisoners access to doctors and treatment, the group said, amounts to torture under international standards.
“The claim was that Afghan nationals were consuming so much bread that they were pushing prices higher. Yet even after more than 1.5 million have left, the price of Sangak [a popular traditional Iranian bread] has risen fourfold,” the paper said.
“Why should bread prices climb 300 percent compared to 2024 when no major shortage is expected?” the paper asked.
A loaf of subsidized Sangak bread cost 5,000 rials (about $0.05) in September 2024 but now sells for 200,000 rials (about $0.20), marking a 300-percent increase in one year.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA says that in Tehran Sangak priced at 100,000–150,000 rials has effectively disappeared; most customers now pay 200,000–500,000 rials per loaf, with sesame-topped bread commonly around 300,000 (about $0.30).
Official rates diverge from street prices, which vary by neighborhood and bakery. A government task force set a 600-gram sangak at 76,000 rials (about $0.07), but shoppers say loaves at that price are smaller and poorer quality.
Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni argued in August that expulsions reduced bread transactions by six percent, calling this a government achievement. Lower demand would help stabilize supply, he said.
Deportations tied to security rhetoric
The Islamic Republic intensified deportations in recent months, especially after the 12-day war with Israel, when authorities accused some foreigners, notably Afghans, of working with Mossad. Such allegations have been used to justify expulsions while deflecting blame for economic hardship.
Decades of economic mismanagement, sanctions, and currency collapse have eroded household purchasing power, leaving low-income families most exposed.
“If inflation remains unchecked … Iran could witness a bread riot,” economist Hossein Raghfar told the moderate outlet Rouydad24 earlier this month, warning that inaction could have consequences far beyond the economy.