Medical Care Denied for Manirah Arabshahi in Kachwaran Prison, Karaj
Manirah Arabshahi, a civil activist detained in Kachwaran Prison in Karaj, has been denied medical care despite physicians’ recommendations for a thyroid gland scan and the need for surgery. On Sunday, December 14, the prison’s specialist physician ordered the necessary tests to be completed within 48 hours, but this has not yet been carried out. Manirah Arabshahi and her daughter Yasmin Aryani, who oppose mandatory hijab, are serving their sentences in Kachwaran Prison, Karaj.
According to a report by Hrana News Agency, the news organ of the Human Rights Activists in Iran collective, Manirah Arabshahi, a civil activist detained in Kachwaran Prison in Karaj, has been denied medical care despite physicians’ recommendations for a thyroid gland scan and the need for surgery.
An informed source familiar with the health condition of this imprisoned civil activist told Hrana: “Last week, the prison’s general physician, after examining Mrs. Arabshahi for thyroid gland enlargement, referred her to a specialist physician. The prison’s specialist physician also on Sunday, December 14, after examination, emphasized the necessity of surgery and the need for a scan within 48 hours; currently, Mrs. Arabshahi’s breathing is difficult due to swelling in the throat area, but nonetheless the physician’s order for the test has not yet been carried out.”
On the other hand, Mrs. Arabshahi and her daughter Yasmin Aryani have been denied furlough due to the negligence of officials in transferring the case file from Evin Prison to Kachwaran Prison. According to this informed source, the Aryani family has been following up on their release on furlough over the past month, particularly after Yasmin Aryani contracted coronavirus, but the Karaj prosecutor’s office opposed this request, citing that one-third of their sentence has not been completed.
This informed source continued: “Yasmin Aryani and Manirah Arabshahi have served more than one-third of their prison terms. The family, after following up, discovered that Evin Prison had not sent their file, which was transferred to Kachwaran Prison in Karaj on September 21 of this year, and now the start date of imprisonment is registered as September 21 of this year, the date of transfer to Kachwaran Prison in Karaj. The problem that has arisen is due to the negligence of Evin Prison officials and the result of their haste in transferring without coordination to Kachwaran Prison.”
Yasmin Aryani was released from Evin Prison on February 14, 2019, upon completion of her sentence for a previous conviction, but was arrested again on April 10, 2019, and transferred to the Ministry Detention Center in Tehran. She, along with her mother Manirah Arabshahi, who was arrested one day after her daughter, were transferred to Qarchak Varamin Prison. They were ultimately transferred on August 13, 2019, from Qarchak Varamin Prison to the women’s ward of Evin Prison and again on September 21 of this year were exiled from the women’s ward of Evin Prison to Kachwaran Prison in Karaj.
This imprisoned mother and daughter were tried in August 2019 by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court presided over by Judge Mohammad Moghisseh, and each was sentenced to 16 years of retributive imprisonment on charges of “gathering and conspiracy with intent to act against national security, propaganda against the system, and encouraging and facilitating corruption and lewdness.” Upon appeal, each was sentenced to a total of 9 years and 7 months imprisonment. Pursuant to Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, the most severe penalty of 5 years and 6 months imprisonment is applicable to each of them.
Source: Hrana
