Mohammad Nourizada Transferred to Medical Leave from Evin Prison
On Thursday, the 17th of Tir, Mohammad Nourizada, a civil activist imprisoned in Evin Prison, was transferred to medical leave upon posting bail.
According to Hrana news agency, the news organ of the Iranian human rights activists collective, today Thursday, the 17th of Tir 1400, Mohammad Nourizada, a civil activist, was transferred from Evin Prison to medical leave.
Mr. Nourizada’s leave was granted an hour ago upon posting 800 million tomans as bail. Mohammad Hossein Aghassi, an attorney at law, confirmed this news on his personal page, writing: “What is interesting here is that they did not consider the bail of one person sufficient, therefore my client’s brother and I took on his bail responsibility. He should start treatment on Saturday.”
It should be noted that Mohammad Nourizada, who suffers from underlying illnesses such as asthma, heart problems, and high blood pressure, previously injured his head and face during a family visit in protest of lack of medical care, and said: “I will inflict deep wounds upon myself each day so that if his goal is death, it will be realized sooner.”
Mohammad Hossein Aghassi stated on the 5th of Tir in an interview with Hrana reporter: “My client, after 102 days of hunger strike and 105 days of medicine strike, has experienced a 25-kilogram weight loss and severe hearing loss and daily inflicts a number of wounds on himself in protest and has lost consciousness 37 times so far.”
According to this attorney at law, Mohammad Nourizada said in a meeting with him: “I do not want my name to be on the list of those who are indifferent to current affairs and I have sacrificed my life in this path.”
Previously, UN experts in a statement expressed their concern about the condition of Mohammad Nourizada, a civil activist imprisoned in Evin Prison, and called for his immediate release. In this statement, Javaid Rehman, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, Nils Melzer, the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and several other UN experts stated that Mr. Nourizada’s health condition is so serious that if the deprivation of medical treatment and care continues, it threatens his health with serious complications and possible death.
In mid-Mordad 98, a letter signed by 14 civil activists calling for Ayatollah Khamenei’s resignation was published. Following the publication of this letter, a number of signatories were arrested and some others were pressured. Mr. Nourizada was arrested on the 20th of Mordad 98, along with a number of labor and civil activists, in front of the venue of the appeals court of Kamal Jafari Yazdi, a university professor imprisoned in Mashhad prison, by security forces and was transferred to Vakil Abad prison in Mashhad shortly after. He was ultimately transferred to Evin Prison last year from Vakil Abad prison in Mashhad.
Mr. Nourizada was sentenced in the first part of his case by Branch 4 of the Revolutionary Court in Mashhad, presided over by Judge Mansouri, on charges including “insulting the founder of the Islamic Republic, insulting sacred figures, insulting the Supreme Leader, disturbing public opinion, cooperation with foreign media, participation in unlawful gatherings” to 15 years imprisonment, 3 years exile to Eyed and 3 years ban on leaving the country. This sentence was modified at the appeal stage by Branch 35 of the Appeals Court of Razavi Khorasan Province to 15 years imprisonment, 2 years exile to Eyed and 2 years ban on leaving the country.
In Mordad 99, in the second part of his case, he was sentenced by the Criminal Court Two of Mashhad for being present in front of the building where the appeals court of Kamal Jafari Yazdi was held, on the charge of “disrupting public order” to 8 months imprisonment, 74 lashes and exile to Tabas, and on the charge of “spreading false information” to 74 lashes. This sentence was ultimately upheld exactly by the Appeals Court of Razavi Khorasan Province.
Mr. Nourizada announced in Ordibehesht 99 the issuance of one more year of imprisonment for himself due to defending the rights of Bahai citizens living in the city of Ivanak in Semnan Province by the court of Ivanak city.
Mr. Nourizada previously had a history of arrest and conviction due to peaceful civil activities. Mohammad Nourizada is a 66-year-old Iranian film director, screenwriter and journalist. He was considered a hardline and religious journalist who joined the ranks of active critics of the Islamic Republic in the final years of the 1980s and in recent years has been repeatedly arrested and imprisoned due to civil activities and meetings with families of political prisoners.
Regarding his son Ali Nourizada, it should be noted that he was arrested on Sunday, the 22nd of Dey 98, during protest gatherings against the shooting down of a Ukrainian airplane by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps air defense and expressing condolences to the families of victims, by security forces in Tehran, and on the 13th of Bahman 98, he was temporarily released from prison upon posting bail until the end of legal proceedings. Mr. Nourizada was ultimately sentenced by the Tehran Revolutionary Court to three and a half years imprisonment and this sentence was upheld by the Tehran Province Appeals Court. He was arrested on the 12th of Mehr 99, following his appearance at the execution unit of the Evin Prosecutor’s Office and was transferred to Tehran’s major prison to serve his sentence.
Source: Hrana
