UN Experts Express Concern Over Condition of Mohammad Nourizad
United Nations experts on Tuesday, May 4, expressed their concern regarding the condition of Mohammad Nourizad, a civil activist imprisoned in Evin Prison, and called for his immediate release. In this statement, Javaid Rehman, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Nils Melzer, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and several other UN experts stated that Mr. Nourizad’s health condition is so serious that if the deprivation of medical treatment and care continues, it poses a threat of serious complications and possible death to his health.
According to Hrana, the news agency of the Iranian human rights activists collective, on Tuesday, May 4, 1400 (2021), United Nations experts expressed their concern regarding the condition of Mohammad Nourizad, a civil activist imprisoned in Evin Prison, and called for his immediate release.
In this statement, Javaid Rehman, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Nils Melzer, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and several other UN experts stated that Mr. Nourizad’s health condition is so serious that if the deprivation of medical treatment and care continues, it poses a threat of serious complications and possible death to his health.
UN experts described Mr. Nourizad’s condition as “emblematic of the situation of many detained political activists in Iran” and called for his immediate release. The statement reported that Mohammad Nourizad was transferred on April 14, 2021, while unconscious, to Loghman Hospital in Tehran, and added that when Mr. Nourizad regained consciousness, he was confronted by a person who injected him with substances from eight ampoules without his consent or disclosure of their contents. Despite requests for clarification and information about the contents of these syringes, no information has been provided to him in this regard.
According to these experts, it is clear that Mohammad Nourizad’s medical condition does not permit him to remain in detention. Particularly as the Medical Examiner’s Organization had previously issued an order for his release on medical grounds.
Mohammad Nourizad suffers from underlying diseases such as asthma, heart problems, and high blood pressure.
In mid-August 2019, a letter signed by 14 civil activists calling for Ayatollah Khamenei’s resignation was published. With the publication of this letter, several signatories were arrested and others were pressured. Mr. Nourizad was arrested on August 20, 2019, along with a number of labor and civil activists in front of the courthouse where Kamal Jafari Yazdi’s appeal trial was being held. Jafari Yazdi is a university professor detained in Mashhad Prison. He was later transferred to Vakil Abad Prison in Mashhad. He was eventually transferred from Vakil Abad Prison in Mashhad to Evin Prison last year.
In the first part of his case, Mr. Nourizad was sentenced by Branch 4 of the Revolutionary Court in Mashhad, presided over by Judge Mansouri, on charges including “insulting the founder of the Islamic Republic, insulting sanctities, insulting the leader, disturbing public opinion, collaborating with foreign media, and participation in illegal gatherings” to 15 years imprisonment, 3 years banishment to Aideye, and 3 years ban on leaving the country. This sentence was modified in the appeal stage by Branch 35 of the Court of Appeals of Razavi Khorasan Province to 15 years imprisonment, 2 years banishment to Aideye, and 2 years ban on leaving the country.
He was sentenced in August 2020 in the second part of his case by the Criminal Court Two of Mashhad for his presence in front of the building where Kamal Jafari Yazdi’s appeal trial was held, on charges of “disturbing public order” to 8 months imprisonment, 74 lashes, and banishment to Tabas, and on charges of “spreading falsehoods” to 74 lashes. This sentence was ultimately upheld by the Court of Appeals of Razavi Khorasan Province.
Mr. Nourizad announced in May 2020 another one-year prison sentence for himself due to his defense of the rights of Bahai citizens residing in Ivankuh city in Semnan Province, issued by Ivankuh District Court.
Mr. Nourizad has previously had a history of arrest and conviction due to peaceful civil activities. Mohammad Nourizad is a 66-year-old Iranian filmmaker, screenwriter, and journalist. He was considered a hardline and religious journalist who joined the ranks of active critics of the Islamic Republic in the late 1980s, and in recent years has been repeatedly arrested and imprisoned for his civil activities and meetings with families of political prisoners.
Source: Hrana
