Amnesty International: Arash Sadeghi's life is in danger
Amnesty International has warned about the health condition of Arash Sadeghi, a political prisoner in Iran, and wrote that his life is at risk due to being denied treatment following cancer surgery.
On Tuesday, August 13, Amnesty International expressed its grave concern about the situation of political prisoner and human rights defender Arash Sadeghi, and issued a call calling on the public and human rights activists to support Arash Sadeghi's immediate and unconditional release.
In an appeal issued by Amnesty International to Saeed Namaki, the Iranian Minister of Health, all human rights defenders and people are asked to write a letter to the officials of this ministry asking them to address Arash Sadeghi's health condition.
Amnesty International's appeal states: "The life of imprisoned human rights defender Arash Sadeghi is at risk due to his denial of post-surgery cancer treatment. He is seriously ill and is being tortured by being deliberately and purposefully denied cancer-related treatment, which has caused him great pain and suffering."
Arash Sadeghi was arrested in July 2009 for protesting the election results. After three months, the prisoner was released on bail. He was arrested again in 2014, spent six months in prison, and was released on bail of 600 million Tomans. Sadeghi was last arrested in 2016. He is currently serving a 19-year sentence in Rajai Shahr Prison for his political and human rights activities.
After months of illness, Arash Sadeghi was admitted to a hospital outside the prison in September 2018 and underwent major surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his right arm.
Amnesty International wrote that “despite the strong advice of doctors who said that Arash Sadeghi should remain hospitalized for at least 25 days and receive intensive specialized care to prevent serious risks to his health and life, the authorities returned him to prison three days later, on September 14.”
Doctors have warned that without continued treatment, including chemotherapy, the cancer is likely to spread to other parts of his body.
Arash Sadeghi's physical condition is said to have deteriorated since his return to prison. Amnesty International said in a statement that the prisoner "has become severely infected, swollen, disabled and numb in his right arm due to being deprived of the necessary post-operative care."
Amnesty International further emphasized that "the deliberate refusal of authorities and officials to provide medical care to Arash Sadeghi constitutes torture under international law."
Amnesty International has called "depriving Arash Sadeghi of vital medical care" a "violation of the prisoner's right to life."
In 2017, Arash Sadeghi went on a hunger strike for more than three months to protest the arrest of his wife, Golrokh Iraei.
Source: DW
