Mahshad Keshani, a 22-year-old student and political prisoner, was reportedly transferred to solitary confinement instead of being released after completing her six-month sentence in Dolatabad Prison, Isfahan.
Reports say the transfer placed her under severe psychological pressure. She later harmed herself in solitary confinement and prison authorities transferred her to Modarres Psychiatric Hospital.
Denied Release After Sentence Completion
Mahshad Keshani has faced repeated arrests since July 2023. In one of her security cases, authorities prosecuted her on charges including “propaganda against the state.”
Security forces last arrested her in Isfahan on 31 December 2025. A court later sentenced her to six months in prison. Based on the sentence timeline, authorities should have released her on 8 June 2026.
However, authorities did not release Mahshad Keshani. Reports say the head of Dolatabad Prison ordered her transfer to solitary confinement after her sentence ended. Prison officials reportedly told her that she had to spend one month in solitary confinement. Authorities have not provided a clear legal explanation for this decision.
Holding a prisoner after the end of a sentence violates the right to liberty, personal security, and human dignity. Placing a prisoner in solitary confinement after sentence completion adds another layer of abuse. When officials use solitary confinement as punishment or psychological pressure, it can amount to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.
In Mahshad Keshani’s case, the pressure reached a dangerous point. Reports say she harmed herself in solitary confinement. After her condition worsened, authorities transferred her to Modarres Psychiatric Hospital.
Her current health condition remains unclear. Authorities have not explained where and how they are holding her, what treatment she receives, or whether her family and lawyer can contact her. They have also not confirmed whether an independent medical assessment has taken place.
The lack of information about Mahshad Keshani’s health raises urgent concern. Prison authorities, the Prisons Organization, and Iran’s judiciary bear direct responsibility for her life and safety.
Hiwa Life calls for urgent attention to Mahshad Keshani’s case. Iranian authorities must clarify her legal status, guarantee immediate access to independent medical care, allow contact with her family and lawyer, and release her if she has completed her sentence.
Read more news and updates on political prisoners, women prisoners, solitary confinement, medical neglect, and human rights violations in Iran in Hiwa Life’s News section.
