Lack of medical attention for the condition of 21 prisoners infected with coronavirus in Qarchak Prison, Varamin

After Saba Kord Afshari, a civil rights activist, was infected with the coronavirus, today, Wednesday, March 17, the prison health department confirmed that 20 other prisoners in Ward 6 of Qarchak Prison in Varamin, including Maryam Ebrahim Vand, a writer and film director, had contracted the virus. These prisoners are currently being held in this ward without medical attention. Earlier this week, HRANA reported that many prisoners in Ward 6 of Qarchak Prison in Varamin had developed suspicious symptoms of coronavirus. This was due to poor management and the direct transfer of newly arrived prisoners to the ward without observing screening, social distancing, and going through a quarantine period, under the pretext of lack of space.

According to HRANA News Agency, the news agency of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, after Saba Kord Afshari, a imprisoned civil activist, was infected with the coronavirus, today, Wednesday, March 17, 2020, the prison's health department confirmed that 20 other prisoners in Ward 6 of Qarchak Prison in Varamin, including Maryam Ebrahimvand, a writer and film director, were infected with the virus.

These prisoners are currently being held in this ward without medical attention. In addition, no measures have been taken to quarantine sick prisoners. Earlier this week, HRANA reported that many prisoners in Ward 6 of Qarchak Prison in Varamin were showing suspicious symptoms of COVID-19. This was due to poor management and the direct transfer of newly arrived prisoners to the ward without observing screening, social distancing, and quarantine periods, under the pretext of lack of space.

According to an informed source, Saba Kord Afshari's blood oxygen level has dropped below 70 percent and she is suffering from severe chest pain. The informed source added regarding Ms. Kord Afshari's condition: "Saba has been put on oxygen several times due to low blood oxygen. She has also been injected with medication to prevent her from falling into a coma due to a severe drop in blood pressure."

In addition to these individuals, a number of other prisoners held in Ward 6 of Qarchak Prison in Varamin are also experiencing suspected symptoms of coronavirus, including fever, chest pain, and dry cough, and have not yet been tested for coronavirus.

It is said that at least three new arrivals are transferred directly to Ward 6 every day without observing screening, social distancing, and going through a quarantine period. Some of these people are released after a day to a week with an appointment. On the other hand, hygiene items such as masks, gloves, and disinfectants are not provided to the prisoners. In addition, improper nutrition, lack of necessary health and medical facilities, and high population density in the ward have put the health of the prisoners at risk. Currently, about 100 prisoners are held in Ward 6 of Qarchak Prison in Varamin.

In August this year, Amnesty International said it had seen copies of four letters written by officials from the Prisons Organization, which operates under the judiciary, to the Ministry of Health, raising the alarm about severe shortages of personal protective equipment, disinfectants, and key medical supplies. The Ministry of Health has left these requests unanswered, and Iran’s prisons remain catastrophically short of essential equipment to combat the spread of infectious diseases.

This is while Asghar Jahangir, the head of the Prisons Organization, claimed in April this year regarding the protection of prisoners' health that "Iran should be recognized as the pioneer in protecting prisoners' rights in the world."

Earlier in October of this year, HRANA published a report describing the situation of political prisoners imprisoned in Qarchak Prison in Varamin after the outbreak of the coronavirus, and warned of the possibility of the spread of the coronavirus among prisoners imprisoned in this prison.

Since the arrival of Soghari Khodadadi, the new warden of this prison, the pressures and restrictions on political prisoners have increased significantly.

Source: HRANA