Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN): An increasing number of people with coronavirus in different cities of Iran have raised concerns about the health of prisoners. Although the Judiciary has issued a new rule with regard to granting furlough to prisoners on February 24, KHRN’s investigation has revealed that not even a single Kurdish political prisoner has been included in this new rule.
In recent days, a number of families of Kurdish political prisoners have told KHRN that the prosecutor’s office and the Intelligence department of various cities have opposed to sending Kurdish political prisoners on furlough.
In recent years, several Kurdish political prisoners suffering from gastrointestinal diseases, asthma, kidney bleeding, heart disease, and heart failure have been reportedly deprived of the right to medical treatment and their family’s efforts to pursue the release them have so far been in vain.These political prisoners have been deprived of furlough despite their formal request for a furlough and even though the prisoners doctors have officially confirmed their critical health condition due to the limited medical facilities.
According to the new judiciary rule, prisoners accused of “acting against national security” with an imprisonment sentence of less than five years are entitled to furlough. However, KHRN has found that more than 50 Kurdish political prisoners who satisfy the afore-mentioned requirement have not been sent on leave.A number of political prisoners sentenced to more than 5 years in prison, who need medical treatment and whose condition has been reported to be severely ill due to various illnesses by the prison doctors, have been also deprived of medical leave.
The report is being published by the KHRN while the families of Kurdish political and religious prisoners are not able to release full information about these prisoners due to pressure from security agencies.
Therefore, it should be noted that the number of Kurdish political and religious prisoners with serious health risks due to lack of access to medical care in Iranian prisons are far more than what has been mentioned in this report.
1- Zeynab Jalalian, a Kurdish political prisoner sentenced to life imprisonment who is now serving her twelfth year of imprisonment, suffers from intestinal infections and internal bleeding. She also suffers from the conjunctiva
According to reports from informed sources, this political prisoner also suffers from intestinal infections and digestive problems. Despite serious concerns about her health, she has been deprived access to medical care due to opposition from security agencies and Khoy prison officials.
2- Parvin Adwai, a Kurdish political prisoner, has been sent to Sanandaj Correctional Centre (Women’s Prison) since January 30, 2010 to serve her two-year sentence. She was transferred to prison while security and judicial authorities were aware of her thyroid malfunction.Parvin Advaei was arrested on July 27 at her home in Marivan but she was released from the Sanandaj Correctional Center on October 24 on bail of 500 million Tomans. She was later sentenced by the Marivan Revolutionary Court to five years in prison. The sentence was reduced to two years on appeal.
3- Mohammad Ghanbardoost, a religious prisoner with a history of asthma, is being held in Orumiyeh Central Prison. He was transferred from Orumiyeh Prison to a hospital outside the prison on March 3, due to shortness of breath and the risk of contracting the coronavirus.
Although the authorities of Orumiyeh Central Prison agreed to send him on leave subject to a bail of 200 million Tomans, he has been returned to Orumiyeh Central Prison due to his family’s inability to secure the bail.
Ghanbardoost was arrested by security forces in Piranshahr in late June 2017 and then transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence Detention Centre in Orumiyeh. He was later sentenced by Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court of Orumiyeh to five years in prison on charges of “membership in takfiri groups.”
4. Hassan Rastegari Majd, a Kurdish political prisoner suffering from asthma, is currently serving the sixth year of his fifteen-year imprisonment sentence. Officials at Orumiyeh Central Prison have insisted on not granting this political prisoner a furlough while several prisoners suspected of suffering from Coronavirus have been transferred from Orumiyeh Central Prison to the hospital during recent weeks.
5 – Ayoub Asadi, a Kurdish political prisoner imprisoned at Kashmir prison, was transferred to prison clinic last week due to shortness of breath and recurrence of asthma. Although doctors reported his condition as serious and stressed the need for medical furlough, prison officials opposed his leave and returned him back to the ward.
6- Muzaffar Sekanvand Lakran, a Kurdish political prisoner, is serving the 8th year of his 20year imprisonment sentence in exile at Borazjan Prison. This political prisoner suffers from heart and gastrointestinal diseases. Despite repeated requests for medical treatment and medical leave, the prison officials have rejected his request.
7. Changiz Ghadam Khair, a Kurdish political prisoner imprisoned at Masjed Soleiman prison, suffers from severe kidney bleeding. He has been on hunger strike since March 4 in protest to the lack of medical care and the opposition of the Kamyaran Intelligence Agency to his medical leave.
The political prisoner was transferred from Masjed Soleiman Prison to the hospital on March 4, following a severe kidney bleeding, but he was returned back to prison a few hours later despite his deteriorating physical condition.
Earlier in December, he went on a 13-day hunger strike to protest the lack of medical care. Following the strike, prison officials promised to help him follow up on his medical treatment and send him on medical leave, but they have taken no action so far.
8- Mohammad Moradi, a Kurdish civilian who has been on an indefinite detention situation since May of last year, is suffering from internal bleeding. Moradi is currently being held in Naqadeh prison, and the Mahabad Revolutionary Court has recently changed his temporary detention warrant to release subject to a 40 billion toman bail.
9 – Mataleb Ahmadian, a Kurdish prisoner imprisoned at Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj, is serving his 10th year of a 30-year imprisonment sentence. The political prisoner suffers from a severe testicles infection and fractures of the vertebrae in his back.
The fractures of his lumbar vertebrae were caused by torture during his detention, but prison officials in addition to the Judiciary officials and security agencies did not take any responsibility in this regard and left him unattended until his illness led him to the point of complete paralysis.
10 – Qasem Abasteh, a religious prisoner sentenced to death at Rajaei Shahr Prison and suffering from thyroid cancer, has been deprived of medical treatment although there is a risk of spreading the disease to other parts of his body,
He went on a hunger strike on July 17 in protest to the lack of medical care. The religious prisoner suffered from low blood pressure, weight loss, vomiting of blood and anesthesia during the hunger strike, but prison officials continued to ignore his demands.
