Fariba Adelkhah transferred to Evin Prison Hospital amid fears of coronavirus

Fariba Adelkhah, a French-Iranian researcher, was admitted to Evin Prison Hospital due to her deteriorating health as a result of her hunger strike. Adelkhah's lawyer said her condition is worrying. Fears of contracting the coronavirus have added to these concerns.

Fariba Adelkhah, a French-Iranian researcher who has been imprisoned in Iran since last year, was transferred to Evin Prison Hospital due to her deteriorating health after a hunger strike.

Saeed Dehghan, Fariba Adelkhah's lawyer, told AFP on Tuesday, February 25, that his client's physical condition was worrying and that Ms. Adelkhah's kidneys had been damaged.

Fariba Adelkhah and her partner and colleague Roland Marchal, two researchers from the Paris-based University of Sciences Po, have been imprisoned in Iran for the past year. Ms. Adelkhah has been charged with “propaganda against the regime” and “collusion with the aim of acting against national security,” and Mr. Marchal with “collusion with the aim of acting against national security.”

The trial of these two researchers is scheduled to take place on March 3rd.

The AFP news agency, citing her lawyer, reported that the reason for Ms. Adelkhah's deteriorating condition was the prisoner's hunger strike. Adelkhah had been on a hunger strike to protest charges of acting against national security. She ended her hunger strike on February 12.

Adelkhah is a scholar and researcher in the field of Islamic studies, specializing in Shiite history, and director of research at Sciences Po in Paris. He was arrested in June 2019 and has been held in Evin Prison since then.

Marshall, Adelkhah's French partner and colleague, is also an expert on African affairs. After Adelkhah's arrest, he traveled to Iran, was arrested, and sent to Evin Prison.

Dehghan, who is representing the researchers, said that given Ms. Adelkhah's worrying condition, he has requested that she be transferred to a hospital outside Evin Prison. Ms. Adelkhah is currently hospitalized in Evin Prison Hospital.

Saeed Dehghan described Roland Marshall's physical condition as good, but at the same time said that he, like Ms. Adelkhah, was very angry about his "illegal detention process."

Concerns about the spread of coronavirus to prisons

In its report, the AFP also referred to the spread of the coronavirus in Iran and concerns about prisoners contracting the virus.

Dehghan stated that “there are also concerns about the safety of hospitals outside the prison,” adding that “prisoners’ wives can also infect other prisoners during visits.” He has asked authorities to cancel the visitation program with prisoners until further notice.

Asghar Jahangir, head of the Iranian Prisons Organization, announced today that to prevent the transmission of the coronavirus to prisons, until further notice, meetings with prisoners will be held in private.

As of the time of writing, the Ministry of Health announced the number of coronavirus victims in Iran at 19. 44 new cases of the virus have also been identified. This brings the total number of infected people in Iran to 139. The number of infected provinces in Iran has also increased to 15.

Fariba Adelkhah and Roland Marshall are not the only foreign researchers imprisoned in Iran. Kylie Moore-Gilbert, an Australian researcher at the University of Melbourne, has also been sentenced to 10 years in prison on espionage charges.

Source: DW