In September 2020, Mozhgan Kavousi, the Yarsani Kurdish activist and documentary filmmaker, went on a hunger strike to protest against the denial of medical care in prison. Kavousi suffers from several illnesses, including type-2 diabetes and arrhythmia. According to her family, although she was in immediate need of surgery, the Evin prison officials did not agree to send her to the hospital. A while ago, Kavousi had gone on another hunger strike protesting her lack of access to healthcare resources.
The Evin prison officials have a gross pattern of violation of prisoners’ rights. As a source close to Mojgan Kavousi ‘s family described, imprisoned women who need medicines and other necessities have to go through a long correspondence process in order to obtain their needed items. Also, and contrary to the regulations governing Iran’s Prisons Organization, biometric features are taken from women prisoners in order to give them some medicine and clothing.
Mozhgan Kavousi was arrested in Noshahr, Mazandaran Province, by the IRGC intelligence unit on November 18, 2019. Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court in Noshahr found her guilty of “spreading propaganda against the government” and “inciting people to disrupt the country’s order and security” in connection with two posts on her Instagram account about the November 2019 protests. She was sentenced to 5 years and 9 months in prison. The court of appeals later increased her sentence to 6 years and 3 months’ imprisonment, which 3 years of it is enforceable.