Amnesty International calls for urgent medical attention for Hossein Spanta, a political prisoner in Iran
Amnesty International issued an appeal expressing concern about the health condition of Hossein Spanta, a Zoroastrian citizen from Shiraz who is imprisoned, and called for immediate medical attention for this political prisoner.
Amnesty International issued this appeal on Wednesday, May 8, expressing concern about the medical condition of this Zoroastrian citizen imprisoned in Adel Abad Prison in Shiraz. It also called on people and human rights activists around the world to write a letter to Heydar Asiabi, the General and Revolutionary Prosecutor of Fars Province, demanding that Hossein Spanta be given access to medical care outside of prison.
This human rights organization, referring to Mr. Spanta's rare disease "syringomyelia", which is a spinal cord lesion that deprives the patient of mobility, says that this disease has worsened during Hossein Spanta's detention due to the lack of medical care in prison, causing the political prisoner to suffer from severe chronic pain, numbness, difficulty swallowing and defecating, and loss of physical balance, to the point that he constantly wakes up during the night and screams from the pressure of pain.
By issuing this appeal, Amnesty International called on the judicial authorities of Fars province to immediately provide special treatment and care outside prison for this imprisoned Zoroastrian citizen, in accordance with medical recommendations.
The organization also called on the authorities to investigate and investigate Hossein Spanta's allegations of torture, and to protect this political prisoner from torture and other ill-treatment, including the denial of medical care.
According to available information, Hossein Spanta was arrested by the IRGC Intelligence in 2000 on charges of “propaganda against the regime” and released from prison the same year after six months. He was arrested again in 2013 for the second time by intelligence agents after returning from a trip abroad and was sentenced to 13 years and six months in prison without a lawyer in court. This sentence was reduced to 10 years on appeal.
According to available information, Hossein Spanta was arrested by the IRGC Intelligence in 2000 on charges of “propaganda against the regime” and released from prison the same year after six months. He was arrested again in 2013 for the second time by intelligence agents after returning from a trip abroad and was sentenced to 13 years and six months in prison without a lawyer in court. This sentence was reduced to 10 years on appeal.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom once again expressed concern about the state of religious freedom in Iran in its annual report. In the section on Iran, the annual report, published on Tuesday, May 29, stated that the Islamic Republic has increasingly targeted Muslim minorities, especially Sunnis and Dervishes, as well as followers of other religions and denominations, including Baha'is and Christians.
Source: Voice of America
