14 Human Rights Organizations Call for Medical Attention for Afshin Sohrabzadeh

On Thursday, May 30, 14 human rights organizations expressed concern over the physical condition of Afshin Sohrabzadeh, a political prisoner suffering from cancer, calling for "immediate medical attention for him outside of prison and free from all current restrictions." According to the Justice for Iran website, these organizations stated that the 23-year-old prisoner is suffering from colon cancer and underwent surgery in 2015, but "the failure of this operation has led to infection and internal bleeding." They noted that Afshin Sohrabzadeh's health condition is "extremely concerning" and that "according to published documents, the head of Minab prison has also stated that he has survived at least once from certain death due to illness." Reportedly, Afshin Sohrabzadeh was arrested on June 8, 2010, on the Sanandaj-Saqez road by the Intelligence Agency forces of Kamyaran and was ultimately sentenced to 25 years in prison by Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj on charges of "moharebeh (waging war against God) through membership in the Komala Party." He is currently serving his sentence in exile at Minab prison in Hormozgan province. According to these 14 human rights organizations, he sewed his lips shut and went on hunger strike for the umpteenth time on April 23 in protest against the prison authorities' failure to address his health condition. Previously, Amnesty International had also issued a statement calling for urgent action regarding Afshin Sohrabzadeh's situation, stating that he suffers from "severe gastrointestinal disease and respiratory problems." Some websites reported that Mr. Sohrabzadeh was "beaten during interrogation by the Kamyaran Intelligence Agency, which led to a hernia rupture, a broken nose, and bladder issues." Meanwhile, these 14 human rights organizations have urged the Iranian judiciary to initiate judicial investigations into Mr. Sohrabzadeh's statements and those of "many others" regarding "torture" in the Kamyaran detention center. The Human Rights Support Center, Justice for Iran Organization, Siamak Pourzand Foundation, Baloch Activists Campaign, Kurdistan Human Rights Association in Iran-Geneva, and the Kurdistan Human Rights Network are among the signatories of this statement. In recent years, reports have emerged about the deaths of some prisoners, including Hadi Saber and Akbar Mohammadi, due to lack of medical attention during hunger strikes. Additionally, forensic reports indicated that the cause of death for "Mohammad Kamrani," "Amir Javadi Far," and "Mohsen Rouh-al-Amini," prisoners in the Kahrizak detention center in 2009, was trauma to "soft tissues" 72 hours before death and poor detention conditions. Meanwhile, Omid Kokabi, a physics researcher who has been imprisoned in Evin without leave for five years, lost one of his kidneys due to advanced cancer on April 20. Amnesty International has warned that returning Omid Kokabi to prison poses a severe risk to his life. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported that Mohammad Sadiq Kaboudvand, a human rights activist who has been in Evin prison for over nine years, has been on hunger strike since April 19 in protest against what he calls "the formation of a new judicial case with fabricated charges" and "the non-application of the aggregation of crimes regarding his sentences." According to Parinaz Bagban Hassani, Mr. Kaboudvand's wife, he has been summoned to the prosecutor's office on charges such as sending messages of "congratulations for the liberation of Kobani" and "requesting peace between Turkey and the Kurds," and "a case is to be formed against him." Mrs. Hassani stated that her husband has denied these charges. She also mentioned that "the aggregation of crimes regarding Mr. Kaboudvand's charges has not been applied contrary to the law." The consideration of the aggregation of crimes usually leads to a reduction in the number of prisoners. Mrs. Kaboudvand also expressed concern about her husband's physical condition after the hunger strike, citing "gastrointestinal diseases and kidney infections." Mohammad Sadiq Kaboudvand was the Secretary-General of the "Kurdistan Human Rights Defense Organization" and the editor-in-chief of the banned newspaper "Payam-e Mardom." He has been imprisoned since July 2007. The Revolutionary Court sentenced him to 10 years for "acting against national security" through the formation and administration of the "Kurdistan Human Rights Organization" and one year for "propaganda against the regime." John Kirby, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, called for the release of Mohammad Sadiq Kaboudvand and all imprisoned journalists in Iran on Thursday, April 29. "Arrest" of Zakieh Neysi, an environmental activist in Ahvaz According to reports from several news websites, Zakieh Neysi, an environmental activist and one of the campaigners against the transfer of Karun water, was arrested by the Ahvaz Intelligence Agency agents on Tuesday, May 28. Musab Neysi, Zakieh Neysi's brother, announced this news to the Justice for Iran website, stating that the Ahvaz Intelligence Agency agents summoned their father on Wednesday morning and asked him to "deny his daughter's arrest in front of the camera," but he refused this request. Musab Neysi also mentioned that on Thursday morning, while his sister "is still in custody," a post was published on her Facebook account denying her arrest, stating that she had returned home after being "summoned" to the news headquarters and "interviewed" about her "environmental activities." According to this report, Zakieh Neysi, 26 years old, is a graduate in agricultural engineering and has been active not only in environmental issues but also in cultural activities and "preserving the Arabic language and identity."