Death of a Female Prisoner in Vakilabad Prison Following Delay in Medical Treatment

Breathing in Confinement, Friday, 14 August 2026: Taktam Ramezani, a 37-year-old prisoner held in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, died after suffering severe pain caused by a gallbladder condition for several days and following a delay in her transfer to hospital.

According to reporters from Breathing in Confinement, the news outlet of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, Taktam Ramezani died on Tuesday, 11 August, in Ward 2 of Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad. According to information received, she had been suffering from severe pain in the gallbladder area for approximately four days before her death and, despite repeated requests for medical attention, was not transferred to a medical facility outside the prison in a timely manner.

It is reported that a ruptured gallbladder, together with delays in providing medical treatment and transferring her to hospital, ultimately led to the deterioration of her condition and her death. The incident has once again raised concerns about prisoners’ access to timely and adequate medical care and the responsibility of prison authorities for safeguarding their health.

Taktam Ramezani had previously been arrested in connection with drug-related offences and transferred to Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad. She was serving her sentence in Ward 2 and, while imprisoned, worked in waste collection.

Breathing in Confinement has previously documented numerous cases in which ill prisoners were denied timely access to doctors, medication, and specialist medical services, as well as cases involving delays in transferring prisoners to medical facilities outside prison. Failure to provide prisoners with prompt medical attention can have irreversible consequences.