Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN):: Ali Baderkhani, the detained Kurdish author who is currently held at the Labour ward at Orumiyeh Central Prison contrary to the principle of Separation of Crimes, is suffering from kidney disease and prison authorities have so far denied his frequent requests to be transferred to the prison’s clinic.
A source close to the prisoner has told KHRN that Baderkhani’s health condition was poor. “Mr. Baderkhani is suffering from kidney disease and he is still held in the Labour Ward which lacks basic hygiene facilities and amenities. Moreover, he has been beaten by several dangerous crime prisoners who were provoked by the ward authorities during the past year.”, this source stated about Mr Baderkhani still being held at the Labour Ward.
According to this source, Mehr Ali Farhang has been previously responsible for the Political Ward and he has been involved in making unfounded allegations against the political prisoners with the help of prison’s Intelligence Department.
The labour ward is one of the worst wards of Orumiyeh Central Prison in terms of facilities. This ward is separate from the other wards and it is located at the central courtyard of the prison. This ward is often the place where prisoners of heavy drug crimes are being held. The prisoners detained in this ward are usually given a two-day leave every week but Badarkhani has been deprived of any leaves so far. The capacity of this ward is about 150 people, but there are currently 400 prisoners in this ward. These prisoners are forced to carry out unpaid labour in the form of managing all the ward’s services and repairs including cooking and repairing equipment, building work, etc.
Ali Baderkhani, known as Shiwan and from the famous Kurdish family of Baderkhani, immigrated to Iran with his family from Iraqi Kurdistan about thirty years ago and he has Iraqi-Iranian citizenship. Some of his publications include “Turkey, Democracy and Kurds”, “Discussion of Idea”, Refugee of Love and “Kurdish Tales & Myths”.
He was barred from continuing his education while studying at the last semester of a Master’s Degree at Tehran University in 2014. He was arrested at his sister’s house in Orumiyeh on December 25, 2014, and he was interrogated at the Detention Centre of Orumiyeh for 20 days on the charge of acting against national security. During this time, he was repeatedly tortured to make false confessions.
He was transferred to Orumiyeh Central Prison on January 15 after being interrogated. Ali Baderkhani was released on bail after spending two months at Orumiyeh Central Prison. A few months later, Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court of Orumiyeh sentenced this author to five years in prison for allegedly acting against national security. Upon contesting this verdict, the case was referred to branch 10 of the Orumiyeh Court of Appeal which reduced the sentence to 3 years of imprisonment.
On March 29, 2017, Badrkhani was summoned to the Prosecutor’s Office of Orumiyeh Revolutionary Court where he was arrested and transferred to section 3-4 of the Ordinary Prisoners’ Ward at Orumiyeh Central Prison to endure his imprisonment sentence. Also mentioned earlier, he had previously gone on a dry food hunger strike during winter 2014 for nine days in protest to his illegal detention in the prison of Orumiyeh Intelligence Office.
