Keyvan Samimi's life is in danger; Illegal insistence on deportation despite medical problems
Keyvan Samimi, a 73-year-old political prisoner imprisoned in Evin, is on the verge of being “deported” to another prison in Iran, despite his poor medical conditions and a history of heart disease. A source familiar with Mr. Samimi’s condition told the Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, “Given Keyvan Samimi’s advanced age and medical history, as well as the forensic medical opinion and the agreement of the prison governor, legally, Mr. Samimi’s prison sentence should be commuted to another condition and the law should be implemented in this regard, but Amin Vaziri, the deputy prosecutor and assistant prosecutor supervising political prisoners, insists that Keyvan Samimi be deported to another prison.”
According to Article 502 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, if the convicted person suffers from a physical or mental illness and the execution of the sentence will aggravate the illness or delay his recovery, the judge executing the criminal sentences will postpone the execution of the sentence until he recovers, after obtaining the opinion of a forensic doctor, and in some cases, will replace imprisonment with an appropriate punishment. A source familiar with the Keyvan Samimi case told the Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, “Amin Vaziri not only insists that Keyvan Samimi must continue serving his sentence, but also insists on the transfer (deportation) of Mr. Samimi, which will certainly have a direct impact on the deterioration of the health of this elderly prisoner.”
The brutal and inhumane treatment of political and ideological prisoners has put the lives of many of them at serious risk. In recent days, the death of Bektash Abtin, a poet and filmmaker imprisoned in Evin Prison, has once again shown how the policy of judicial authorities in dealing with political and ideological prisoners who suffer from medical problems leads to the loss of their lives.
Hadi Ghaemi, director of the Human Rights Campaign in Iran, expressed concern about Keyvan Samimi's situation and said: "Although the authorities of the Islamic Republic are trying to present a positive image of respecting human rights standards, the reality is that the Iranian government has no limits in repeating and continuing to suppress and silence the voices of its critics and opponents, and uses every method to impose pressure and harassment on them."
The Human Rights Campaign in Iran strongly condemns the direct and blatant role of human rights violators such as Amin Vaziri, Deputy Prosecutor and Assistant Prosecutor in charge of political prisoners, in dealing with prisoners of conscience and political prisoners, and warns that the continuation of human rights-violating and illegal policies, such as deporting prisoners and preventing and opposing the provision of appropriate medical and treatment conditions, will put the lives of more political and conscience prisoners at risk.
Amin Vaziri, the deputy prosecutor and assistant prosecutor overseeing political prisoners, insists on deporting Keyvan Samimi to another prison in the country (probably Rajaei Prison in Karaj) while today, Tuesday, January 11, the Iranian Prisons Organization issued a circular on the rights of prisoners and detainees, which also mentions issues such as sending sick prisoners to medical centers and the right to access a lawyer. In response to this circular, which was published just a few days after the death of Bektash Abtin, a poet and filmmaker imprisoned in Evin Prison, and coincided with the prison authorities’ insistence on deporting Keyvan Samimi, Saeed Dehghan, a lawyer, wrote on Twitter: “The S. Prisons’ circular on prisoners’ rights is one step forward: an admission of violating the laws. Three steps back: repeating the show and generalizing and replacing the circular with unenforced laws. These days, instead of understanding Keyvan Samimi's heart disease and his inability to tolerate punishment, Amin Vaziri is insisting on his deportation from Evin!
Keyvan Samimi was initially arrested after participating in a protest rally on International Workers’ Day in front of the parliament building in May 2019 and sentenced to three years in prison a few months later on charges of “gathering and colluding with the intention of acting against national security.” This sentence was confirmed in its entirety by the Court of Appeal. Mr. Samimi has been serving his sentence in Evin Prison since December 7, 2019. During his sentence, this political prisoner frequently published news and issues related to the prison and prisoners and was the voice of the prisoners.
Amin Vaziri is the deputy prosecutor and assistant prosecutor supervising political prisoners, based in Evin Prison. His footprints can be seen in many cases of political and ideological prisoners, and his record includes issuing orders to deport prisoners to other prisons.
Source: Iran Human Rights Campaign
