Update:  May 3, 2016, Atena Farghadani has been released from jail after an appeals court last month reduced her initial 12-year prison sentence to 18 months.”

Atena Farghadani is an Iranian cartoonist who was sentenced in February, 2015 to twelve-and-a-half years in prison over a cartoon of the county’s parliament as animals, drawn in protest of a law which would restrict women’s access to birth control. Farghadani was charged with “insulting members of parliament through paintings” and “spreading propaganda against the system” for her drawing.

In prison, Farghadani has reported being subjected to repeated and systematic abuse while in prison, and has additionally required frequent medical attention which has gone unmet. In her first year in prison Farghadani has suffered from low blood pressure, frequent fainting, a heart attack resulting from a hunger strike, and symptoms of lymphatic disease.

Furthermore, Farghadani and her lawyer Mohammad Moghimi are face charges of indecency for shaking each other’s hand in prison, a crime punishable by lashing at the hands of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

Farghadani has reported frequent verbal abuse from prison guards suggesting that she had sexual relations with her lawyer, in addition to reported beatings at their hands. After drawing on cups and napkins, the artist has also been denied access to basic sanitary supplies.

Online, the #Draw4Atena campaign has seen a great number of artists from around the world create art in Farghadani’s support and numerous human rights organizations have petitioned for her release. Atena Farghadani and her lawyer are planning an appeal based on her mistreatment, although the date of the appeal is unknown.

Atena Farghadani is currently being held in Evin Prison in Tehran, and is scheduled to remain there until August 2027.