Jailed Activist Sepehri Accuses Islamic Republic of Exploiting "Martyrs"

Fatemeh Sepehri, a prominent political activist imprisoned in Iran, accused the Islamic Republic of "capitalizing on the blood” of the victims of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.

Sepehri, who lost her husband during the conflict, made the comments in a message posted on her brother's Twitter account on June 26 after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei met with families of “martyrs.”

"I wanted to scream when he spoke about the martyrs, but I realized it would negatively impact other prisoners,” she wrote, denouncing what she called the Islamic Republic's exploitation of martyrs’ families over the past 45 years.

Using her own situation as an example of the deep-rooted injustice inflicted upon martyrs’ relatives, the activist questioned the justification of her incarceration.

"What crime have I committed to be here?" Sepehri asked.

The activist, who is facing severe health issues, is held captive in Mashhad’s Vakil Abad Prison.

The activist was arrested in the north-eastern city on September 12, 2022, and was sentenced in February this year to a total of 18 years in prison on charges including “propaganda against the regime,” “cooperating with hostile countries” and “insulting” Khamenei and his predecessor, Ruhollah Khomeini.

She is one of the 14 signatories of a 2019 letter requesting Khamenei’s resignation, the abolition of the Islamic Republic and the establishment of a secular government.