The silence of international human rights bodies exposes six political prisoners imprisoned in Iran to another "intentional crime"
Wednesday, March 11, 1402 - The government's continued treatment of political prisoners and civil activists in need of medical treatment and care, from deliberately opposing sending these prisoners on medical leave to depriving them of access to medicine and medical services, is a prelude to repeating the "intentional crime."
The deteriorating physical and health conditions of Soheila Hijab, Sepideh Qolyan, Zeinab Jalalian, Arsham Rezaei, and Abbas Vahedian Shahroudi in recent days have put the lives of these imprisoned political and civil activists in serious danger. The continued treatment of political and ideological prisoners by the judiciary is a clear example of the systematic behavior and policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran government in dealing with political and ideological prisoners and their elimination and suppression. It is feared that as the current conditions for these political prisoners in need of urgent medical treatment and care continue, the tragedy of the "murder" of Bektash Abtin, a poet and filmmaker imprisoned in Evin Prison, will be repeated.
Hadi Ghaemi, director of the Human Rights Campaign in Iran, referring to political and ideological prisoners who have been deliberately deprived of medical treatment and care by the government, said: "These individuals, each of whom is the voice of a large group of voiceless people in Iranian society, are being victimized by the unjust judicial system and its security structure. This issue doubles the need for international institutions and organizations to pay attention to them and follow up on the health status of these prisoners."
According to Hadi Ghaemi, "The responsibility for the lives of political prisoners who are sick and in need of medical treatment and care lies directly with the Iranian government, and judicial authorities must act as soon as possible to release these prisoners, regardless of the inhumane demands of security officials."
The Human Rights Campaign in Iran considers the government’s behavior and the imposition of additional pressure on political and ideological prisoners, from the judicial authorities’ deliberate opposition to the prisoners’ medical leave to the deliberate delay in providing them with medical care, to be a perfect example of planning and planning for the criminal act of “murder,” which is being carried out using all means. The Human Rights Campaign in Iran calls on international human rights institutions responsible for human rights, as well as the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, to condemn the judicial authorities’ behavior towards political prisoners in need of medical care and to force government officials to stop the gradual killing of political and ideological prisoners. The international community’s silence regarding the inhumane and unjust treatment of political and ideological prisoners in need of medical care and services is the main demand of the Islamic Republic government and gives them a free hand to continue the process of applying pressure on prisoners and repeating other deliberate crimes.
Concerns over the deteriorating physical condition of several political and ideological prisoners
In recent days, news has been published about the illness and worsening condition of several political and ideological prisoners in Iran; on Thursday, March 25, 2021, political prisoner Soheila Hijab was transferred to the hospital from the women's ward of the Kermanshah Correctional Center due to her worsening condition. Ms. Hijab had previously been infected with COVID-19 in Kermanshah Prison, but her treatment was suspended due to the "lack of a specialist doctor" and "the closure of the medical center." On Saturday, March 27, Abbas Vahedian Shahroudi, a teacher and civil activist imprisoned in Mashhad Prison, was transferred to the hospital due to his poor physical condition, but a few hours later, despite his illness and failure to complete the treatment process, he was returned to the detention center by security officers. While Vahedian Shahroudi was in the hospital, security officers and guards prevented him from contacting his family. On Sunday, March 29, the physical condition of Arsham (Mahmoud) Rezaei, a civil activist imprisoned in Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj, deteriorated on the 21st day of his hunger strike. Arsham Rezaei has gone on a hunger strike and medication to protest the lack of medical attention and his opposition to being sent on medical leave. On Monday, March 29, reports were published that Sepideh Gholian, a civil activist imprisoned in Bushehr Prison, had deteriorated after contracting the coronavirus. Despite many concerns about Ms. Gholian’s physical condition and her family’s repeated requests, the prisoner’s release was not approved. Also, on Tuesday, March 1, news was published about the deteriorating physical condition of Zeinab Jalalian, a political prisoner sentenced to life imprisonment. Zeinab Jalalian has been in prison for fourteen years without a single day of leave, and despite her numerous illnesses, she has also been denied the right to medical treatment.
This is while a look at the cases of these prisoners and the trial process of these detainees shows how baseless and at the behest of security institutions the issuance of long-term prison sentences to political and ideological prisoners has been.
In addition to these cases, the kidnapping of civil activist Hossein Ronaghi and the imposition of security pressures on him and his family, including several days of insecurity and uncertainty about the arresting agency and the prevention of his release, are evidence of the recklessness of security agencies in dealing with civil, political, and ideological activists. The arrest (kidnapping) of Hossein Ronaghi was carried out while this civil activist is facing numerous physical problems and for this reason, he should not have been sentenced to imprisonment based on the permission to not tolerate punishment pursuant to Article 502 of the Criminal Procedure Code. However, he has been on a hunger strike since the moment of his arrest to protest this illegal action. Hossein Ronaghi was kidnapped because of his criticism of the plan to restrict access to the Internet (known in Iran as the Protection Plan). Ronaghi wrote on his Twitter page, “If you cannot write the truth about the Internet Protection and Censorship Plan, do not spread dirt on the truth.” Ronaghi emphasized that "the plan to protect the decision of the entire system was based on the opinion and wishes of the Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran."
Source: Iran Human Rights Campaign
