Iranian political prisoner Zeynab Jalalian has not been allowed a furlough even after eight years in jail, says her lawyer, Mohammad Sharif.
Sharif told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that he has submitted a request for his client’s temporary release on several occasions but officials have consistently denied the request.
Sharif maintained that the officials may have put conditions on her release, such as having to participate in a televised interview.
There were earlier reports of pressure on Jalalian to take part in “scripted confessions on television”.
Zeinab Jalalian was arrested in 2007 at the age of 24 and, in 2009, was sentenced to death for the charge of membership in Pejak, which the Islamic Republic sees as a terrorist Kurdish group.
A year later, her sentence was reduced to life imprisonment, which she is currently serving at Khoy Prison.
In September, a group of Iranian activists expressed concern regarding Jalalian’s health and released a statement calling on the authorities to recognize her right to furloughs.
Sharif added that they have also filed an application to reduce Jalalian’s sentence to 15 years in jail.
