Iran: Report on appalling condition of Rajaie Shahr political prisoners

According to a new report from Rajaie Shahr Prison, aka Gohardasht Prison in Karaj, 20 km west of Iran’s capital, around 21 political prisoners are being kept in appalling conditions and are deprived of their basic rights, including the right to medical treatment. A report published today by the Human Rights Activists News Agency said that Rajaie Shahr political prisoners were banned from freely using their right to fresh air which can pose serious problems for their already failing health.

The political prisoners have also been denied cooling appliances like air conditioners and even fans.  

According to the report, the prisoners don’t have access to proper showering facilities and are forced to warm hot water in kettles to bathe in winter.

Rajaie Shahr political prisoners are also deprived of suitable food and nutrition despite their poor health. All protein, vitamins and vegetables are banned from the political prisoners’ section.

Rajaie Shahr political prisoners are not allowed access to their lawyers. They are only allowed to meet their lawyers with the approval of the head of prison. This limitation does not exist for nonpolitical prisoners who have regular access to their lawyers.   

Political prisoners are only allowed 10-15 minutes of phone calls a day. The telephone is automatically disconnected every five minutes, giving prisoners less than 15 minutes of talking time.  

Rajaie Shahr political prisoners are banned from visiting their loved ones and prison furloughs. For example, political prisoner Hassan Sadeghi has been banned from visiting his political prisoner wife. Another political prisoner, Arash Sadeghi, only saw his wife Golrokh Iraie twice since last year before she was recently released from Evin Prison. According to Iranian law, prisoners that are family members are allowed to visit each other even if they are detained in different prisons.

Reports indicate that political prisoners are also banned from bringing books, newspapers and any other kinds of entertainment to the section.

Since May, prisoners have also been banned from using the prison library, gym and workshop.

In December 2018, the head of prison ordered a ban on the transfer of Rajaie Shahr political prisoners to hospitals outside of prison. The ban still exists today despite the many political prisoner who are waiting in line for medical treatment.

Yesterday, UN human rights experts “expressed serious concern that Iran continues to deny appropriate healthcare to detainees, despite repeated calls.”

“Over several months we have communicated to the Iranian Government our deep concerns about the physical and mental integrity of detainees,” the experts said. 

“Despite Government assurances, we are frustrated to still receive reports of denial of medical treatment, including in life-threatening situations. These no longer appear to be isolated incidents, but a consistent pattern.”

The UN experts expressed concern over the health of Arash Sadeghi and said that prison authorities at Rajaie Shahr Prison had denied him access to medical treatment.

“Sadeghi’s health condition deteriorated after he was returned to prison against the advice of doctors and following an operation in September 2018,” they wrote in their statement.

List of political prisoners detained in Section 10 in Rajaie Shahr Prison:

Saied Masouri – Charged with “enmity with God” for membership in the PMOI. Life sentence. He is serving his 19^th year of prison without furlough.

Afshin Baimani- “Enmity with God” for cooperating with the PMOI. Life in prison. Serving his 19^th year of prison without furlough.

Shahram Pourmansour- Charged with airplane theft. Life in prison. Serving his 19^th year of prison without furlough.

Farhang Pourmansour – charged with airplane theft. Life in prison. Serving his 19^th year of prison without furlough.

Hamzeh Savari – charged with “enmity with God” and “acting against national security”. Life in prison. Serving his 14^th year of prison without furlough.

Mohammad Ali (Pirouz) Mansouri- “enmity with God” for supporting the PMOI. Sentenced to 20 years of prison. Serving his 12^th year of prison without furlough.

Hassan Sadeghi – “Enmity with God” for supporting the PMOI. Sentenced to 15 years of prison. Serving his 6^th year of prison without furlough.

Abolqasem Foulandvand – “Enmity with God” for supporting the PMOI. Sentenced to 15 years of prison. Serving his 6^th year of prison without furlough.

Houshang Rezaie – Charged with “enmity with God” for membership in Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, espionage, murder and adultery. Sentenced to 15 years of prison without furlough. Serving his 9^th year of prison.

Abdolreza Ghanbari – sentenced to 15 years of prison.

Arash Sadeghi – Sentenced to “propaganda against” the regime, “assembly and collusion”, “insulting the leader” and “publishing lies”. Sentenced to 11 and a half years of prison. Serving his 3^rd year of prison without a furlough.

Asghar Padashi – Charged with espionage for MOSSAD. Sentenced to 10 years of prison. He was supposed to be released 10 months ago but has been denied his freedom because he has not paid his fine. He is serving his 10^th year of prison without furlough.

Latif Hassani – Charged with “establishing illegal group with the aim of acting against national security”. Sentenced to eight years of prison. Detained in 2012.  

Ibrahim Firouzi – Christian convert charged with “assembly and collusion” and “spreading propaganda” against the regime. Sentenced to seven years of prison. He is serving his 6^th year of prison without furlough.

Saied Shirzad – Charged with “assembly and collusion to act against national security”, “destruction of prison property” and “disruption in prison order”. Sentenced to six and a half years of prison. Serving his 5^th year of prison without furlough.

Payam Shakiba – Charged with “acting against national security by assembly and collusion and propaganda” against the regime. Sentenced to five years of prison. Serving his 3^rd year without a furlough.

Majid Assadi- Charged with “assembly and collusion”. Sentenced to five years of prison. Serving his 3^rd year without a furlough.

Mohammad Banazadeh Amirkhizi – Charged with “acting against national security” for supporting the PMOI, “assembly and collusion” and “propaganda” against the regime. Sentenced to five years of prison. Serving his 3^rd year without a furlough.

Saied Safaie- Charged with “acting against national security”. Sentenced to five years of prison. Has been denied probation or a leave despite being qualified.

Gol Mohammad Jonbeshi – Charged with cooperating with the Taliban. Sentenced to four years of prison. Serving his 3^rd year of prison without furlough.

Babak Dadbakhsh – Charged with “enmity with God” and “corruption on earth”. Awaiting trial.

List of political prisoners suffering from serious ailments

1. Majid Assadi – Suffering from various illnesses including endocrine، gastrointestinal, eye and spinal complications.
2. Shahram Pourmansour – Suffering from spinal disk inflammation and water retention in spine. Doctors have ordered immediate surgery.  
3. Mohammad Banazadeh Amirkhizi – 72 year old prisoner is suffering from a meniscus tear in his leg.
4. Hassan Sadeghi – Suffering from joint pain including in knees.
5. Abolqasem Fouladvand – Suffering from severe cardiac complications. Has to be hospitalized on doctor’s orders.
6. Arash Sadeghi – Suffering from, candro sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, infection in right hand where he had received surgery and digestive problems.
7. Saied Shirzad – Suffering from spinal disk inflammation, severe spasm in lower back and kidney complications. Doctors have ordered immediate treatment.  
8. Hamzeh Savari – Has a tumor in back of right knee which has created complications in his movement along with severe pain.
9. Babak Dadbakhsh – Suffering from severe mental and physical complications which have been ignored by prison authorities.
10. Saied Safaie– Suffering from eye complications. He has lost his eyesight in his left eye due to lack of medical treatment and is on the verge of losing his right eye as well.
11. Afshin Baimani – Suffering from cardiac arrest after years of prison in appalling conditions. Doctors have said that he needs to be hospitalized.
12. Farhang Pourmansour – Sustained severe complications in his knees while in prison.

The lack of medical attention to Rajaie Shahr political prisoners is tantamount to torture and endangers their lives.