Mr. Speaker, Maryam Shafipour is a 28-year old Iranian student who was sentenced to seven years in prison by the Iranian regime in 2014 for daring to promote change from within.
Maryam Shafipour's case is emblematic of thousands of who have fallen victim to the Iranian state's brutality. More people than ever have been executed since President Rohani took over. The regime is particularly harsh on female students. It monitors for proper behaviour and dress. Violations can result in expulsions and even beatings.
Since being imprisoned, the Iranian regime has refused the Shafipour family's repeated requests for her transfer to a hospital to seek treatment for heart, stomach and dental problems that she developed in prison. The Iranian authorities should know that the world is watching how it treats Maryam Shafipour. That treatment makes a cruel joke of their claim to be a defender of the oppressed.