Lack of Medical Care for Saeed Eqbali’s Condition in Evin Prison

Saeed Eqbali, a detained civil activist serving a five-year sentence in Evin Prison, has been denied hospital admission and medical treatment despite a seventy percent rupture of his right eardrum and the resulting severe infection and pain.

According to a report by Hrana News Agency, the news organ of the Iranian Human Rights Activists Network, Saeed Eqbali, a detained civil activist, has been denied hospital admission and medical treatment despite a seventy percent rupture of his right eardrum and the resulting severe infection and pain.

A source close to Mr. Eqbali’s family told Hrana regarding his latest condition: “Saeed Eqbali was beaten with handcuffs by one of the arresting officers during his detention in 2017 and while in Ward 209 of Evin Prison, he suffered bleeding from his right ear. At that time, the prison doctor stated that his ear was injured. He ultimately consulted with a specialist after his release, and the doctor said his eardrum had suffered serious damage and after eardrum repair, he would need surgery.”

The informed source added: “Mr. Eqbali has been serving his sentence in prison since June of this year, and the prison doctor has issued four hospital referral orders for him since July of this year. Last night, Mr. Eqbali was transferred to Evin’s medical ward due to severe ear pain, and an ear, nose, and throat specialist examined him and wrote a letter to Amin Vaziri, the judicial officer overseeing political prisoners, stating that he must be urgently sent to hospital for treatment and surgery due to ’70 percent rupture of the right eardrum and progressive infection moving toward the cerebellum,’ and if not treated soon, he will completely lose hearing in his right ear.”

A source close to Mr. Eqbali continued: “Mr. Eqbali told the prison doctor this is the fifth time a hospital referral letter has been written for him, but he has never been sent. The prison doctor told him that because Evin Prison is indebted to Taleghani Hospital and Martyrs of Taleghani Hospital, these hospitals refuse to accept prisoners, and will only admit him if the prisoner bears the treatment costs himself. The prison will only transfer a prisoner to hospital in emergency cases when they attempt suicide. Mr. Eqbali told him that because Ministry of Intelligence officers caused this injury to him during his arrest, they should bear the costs. Now Mr. Eqbali is being held in prison without receiving medical care.”

In recent years, many political prisoners in the country have been denied hospital admission or have been returned to prison without medical treatment due to contracted hospitals’ refusal to admit them because of the Prison Organization’s debt to these hospitals and the prisons’ failure to cover costs. This action by hospital officials has been attributed to the Prison Organization’s outstanding debts to hospitals and the prisons’ refusal to bear the costs.

Source: Hrana