Amnesty International Criticizes 'Humiliating' Treatment of Mahmoud Salehi and Mohammad Nazari

Amnesty International described the use of handcuffs and shackles on Mahmoud Salehi and Mohammad Nazari in the hospital as 'humiliating' and expressed regret over the use of such methods instead of their immediate release. According to this human rights organization, Mahmoud Salehi and Mohammad Nazari, two prisoners of conscience, were transferred to the hospital in recent days and were shackled to their hospital beds during their stay. In this regard, Raha Bahraini, an Amnesty International researcher on Iran, stated that 'it is regrettable that Iranian authorities have shackled and shackled them like criminals instead of immediately releasing Mahmoud Salehi and Mohammad Nazari, subjecting them to harassment and humiliating treatment.' According to Amnesty International, international law permits the use of restraints such as handcuffs and shackles 'only when there is a risk of escape or harm to oneself or others, and simpler control methods cannot prevent these risks.' The organization emphasized that 'the use of chains and tools that cause pain and humiliation to prisoners and violate their human dignity is prohibited under all circumstances.' Previously, several political prisoners had refused to be transferred to hospitals in protest against the use of handcuffs and shackles or being forced to wear prisoner clothing. Meanwhile, Amnesty International, referring to its investigations, stated that judicial officials and prison authorities in Iran 'constantly act contrary to these international standards and insist on the unnecessary use of handcuffs and shackles to restrain sick political prisoners to hospital beds.' According to this organization, 'this behavior is generally aimed at harassing, punishing, and humiliating prisoners and inflicting additional pain and suffering on them, and in many cases, it has disrupted or delayed the treatment process.' Amnesty International had previously urged Iranian authorities to 'immediately and unconditionally release Mohammad Nazari and Mahmoud Salehi and ensure their immediate and regular access to specialized medical care outside of prison until their release.' Mohammad Nazari, who is in his twenty-fourth year of imprisonment, has been on hunger strike since August 8. He is calling for the application of the new Islamic Penal Code in his case. If the new Islamic Penal Code is implemented, Mr. Nazari's prison sentence will be reduced to 15 years, and he, having served 24 years, should be released. Mahmoud Salehi, a jailed labor activist, was transferred to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Sanandaj early on Friday, November 3, due to the exacerbation of his heart disease. On November 1, after undergoing kidney dialysis at Imam Khomeini Hospital in Sanandaj, he was arrested by intelligence agents and transferred to the central prison of the city to serve his one-year sentence. Mr. Salehi had previously been sentenced to 9 years in prison, but reports indicate that his sentence has been reduced to one year. He had previously announced on his Facebook page that he lost his kidneys due to lack of medical care and failure to provide his medications while detained at the Sanandaj intelligence detention center after his arrest in May 2015. This issue has never been denied by the Ministry of Intelligence or judicial authorities.