20 days after the end of Nasrin Sotoudeh's hunger strike, the Islamic Republic has still not allowed her health condition to be examined.
The husband of Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer imprisoned in Iran, says that although it has been twenty days since Ms. Sotoudeh was transferred back to Evin Prison, her physical condition is still poor.
Reza Khandan, speaking to Voice of America on Tuesday, October 12, emphasized that Ms. Sotoudeh ended her 45-day hunger strike about 20 days ago and was returned to prison. According to Mr. Khandan, although the medical commission at the hospital had said that her angiography test should be performed as soon as possible, no action has been taken so far and Ms. Sotoudeh's physical condition is not good.
Mr. Khandan added that after being transferred back to Evin Prison, his wife was quarantined in Evin Prison for two weeks in the same poor physical condition, and after two weeks, she was transferred back to the women's ward and left to her own devices.
"It is true that my wife's general condition has improved since she broke her hunger strike, but her heart condition and shortness of breath still remain. She needs to be sent to a safe hospital so that her health condition can be re-evaluated and, if necessary, she can be treated with tests or any special measures," Reza Khandan told VOA.
According to Ms. Sotoudeh's husband, although the imprisoned human rights defender requested sick leave or transfer to a trusted hospital two weeks ago, and her family has also sent requests to the prosecutor's office, no response has been given to these requests to date.
Reza Khandan continued to tell VOA: "Not only us, but many people who have had close contact with the security institutions and the judiciary are aware that these institutions do not have specific laws and regulations. Most of the time, they do not agree to requests for leave out of spite with prisoners and their families."
In response to the failure to respond to Ms. Sotoudeh's requests, Mr. Khandan says that the stubbornness of the Islamic Republic authorities is not only due to Ms. Sotoudeh's hunger strike, but rather has a history of doing so, and they have either opposed the requests of this imprisoned human rights defender or have not responded to them at all.
Reza Khandan told VOA that judicial authorities are willing to grant leave privileges to other prisoners and send them on leave to ease the pressures on the Islamic Republic; however, this is not the case with Nasrin Sotoudeh and some other prisoners, and they are being treated with stubbornness.
Voice of America previously reported that Nasrin Sotoudeh, who had been on a hunger strike since August 12 in protest of the lack of response to all her correspondence with prison officials, the Prisons Organization, and judicial officials regarding the rights and entitlements of prisoners, the living conditions of prisoners inside prison, in-person visits, prisoners' leave, and the issuance of long-term prison sentences for political prisoners in prison, ended her strike on Friday, October 25.
On the day Ms. Sotoudeh was transferred from the hospital to prison, a spokesperson for the US State Department expressed concern about the situation of Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer imprisoned in Iran, and condemned her unjust imprisonment by the Iranian regime as "barbaric."
Morgan Ortagus wrote on Twitter on Wednesday, October 2: "The United States is deeply concerned about the health of Nasrin Sotoudeh, who was recently admitted to prison."
Earlier, US Senator Robert Menendez, the top Democrat, tweeted on September 10 that Iranian human rights defender Nasrin Sotoudeh should never have been imprisoned in the first place. He continued his tweet by writing, “Iran must immediately and unconditionally release Nasrin Sotoudeh and end her hunger strike before her condition worsens.”
Previously, the US State Department's Office of Women's Affairs also announced its support and expressed deep concern for the health of Nasrin Sotoudeh, calling on the Iranian regime to release this imprisoned human rights lawyer and all political prisoners who have been unjustly detained.
The United States of America has also repeatedly and on various occasions condemned the violent confrontations and widespread repression of protesters and civil activists, as well as the repeated and persistent violations of the rights of Iranian citizens by the ruling regime in that country.
Source: Voice of America
