Around 500 Iranian political activists call for release of prisoners infected with coronavirus
Approximately 500 Iranian political activists have issued a letter to Ibrahim Raisi, head of the judiciary, demanding the release of prisoners infected with coronavirus, including Narges Mohammadi, a human rights activist.
The letter, signed by prominent figures such as Mehrdad Amannat, Emadeddin Baghi, Faezeh Hashemi, Ahmad Montazeri, Alireza Beheshti Shirazi, Reihane Tabatabaei, Fakhrosoldat Mohtashami Pour, Keyvan Samimi, Kazem Alamdari, Massoumeh Dehghan, and Minoo Mortazavi Langaroudi, expresses concern about the spread of coronavirus in Iranian prisons.
The signatories, noting the confined nature of prison environments and “failure to comply with health and medical standards,” have warned that “exposing prisoners to fatal danger and dangerous epidemics is unjustifiable.”
Recent reports have emerged of Narges Mohammadi and several of her cellmates at Zanjan women’s prison being infected with the virus, raising concerns about their health, but responsible authorities have refused to grant them medical leave.
Previously, in the month of Ordibehesht, the infection of Sam Rajabi, an environmental activist, with coronavirus at Tehran’s Evin Prison was confirmed, and he too was unable to benefit from a furlough.
This is while Islamic Republic officials state that to prevent prisoners from contracting coronavirus, they have extended furloughs for “100,000” prisoners and will grant furloughs to other inmates as well.
The letter’s signatories, referring to these statements by Iranian officials, have asked the head of the judiciary to ensure that “the granting of furloughs and release of prisoners of conscience and political prisoners continues to be taken seriously and continues.”
The letter concludes: “We particularly demand that Ms. Narges Mohammadi be granted medical leave, as reported by her family, she is currently experiencing symptoms of this disease at Zanjan public prison and, given her underlying lung disease, is at serious risk.”
Other signatories include Mansoure Shojaei, Niree Tohidi, Zahra Rabani Amlashi, Sohrab Mokhtari, Shiva Nezarahari, Masoud Bastani, Mahdi Hajati, Farshad Ghorbanpour, and Mahdi Mahmoudi.
On Thursday, Iranian television released a video of Ms. Mohammadi at Zanjan prison clinic in an attempt to portray her condition as favorable. The video appears to have been filmed covertly and Narges Mohammadi’s remarks were also edited.
Ms. Mohammadi had previously stated in a letter that due to “lack of medical attention” and “the application of unbearable prison conditions,” she is legally filing complaints against the authorities.
Source: Radio Farda
