Death of a Prisoner in Urmia Due to Officials' 'Delay' in Transferring Him to Hospital

According to a human rights organization, a citizen imprisoned in Urmia prison, who was transferred to the prison clinic after falling ill, lost his life due to the 'delay' of officials in sending him to the hospital. The media outlet of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, Hrana, reported on Wednesday, August 8, that 'Rouhollah Mohammadi, 48 years old,' a prisoner for 'ordinary crimes' in Urmia prison, was transferred to the prison clinic in 'bad condition' and despite the prison doctor recommending that he needed to be sent to the hospital, he died before being transferred due to the negligence of prison officials. According to this report, prison officials announced that Rouhollah Mohammadi 'died of a heart attack before the possibility of being sent to the hospital was arranged.' The report states that this citizen had been serving a seven-year sentence related to drug charges for the past two years in Urmia prison. The delay in transferring prisoners to medical facilities and the failure to respect their right to medical treatment by the prison organization and the judiciary has repeatedly endangered the lives of these citizens and in some cases led to their deaths. Additionally, see: The judiciary confirmed the death of a 'security' defendant during a trial in the Revolutionary Court. Mousa Barzin, a lawyer and legal expert, previously told Voice of America that the negligence of judicial officials and the prevention of timely medical services causes most prisoners to face serious physical problems or, in some cases, lose their lives. This legal expert, who previously interviewed Voice of America following the 'secret surgery' of Ayoub Ghaibi Pour, a political prisoner in Ahvaz, stated that depriving prisoners of the right to medical treatment is a 'double suffering' for them and emphasized: 'The right to health is a right that cannot be taken away from anyone, even someone who has committed the most serious crimes and is in prison.' The judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic not only neglect the health status of prisoners, including political prisoners opposed to the Islamic Republic, putting their lives at risk, but in some cases, they prosecute family members for pursuing the health status of these prisoners. For example, Fatemeh Sepahri, a political prisoner, who has undergone several hand surgeries under substandard conditions in Vakilabad prison in Mashhad, was transferred to the emergency room of a hospital in Mashhad after months of enduring prison due to vascular blockage; however, the judiciary arrested her brothers, Hossein and Mohammad Hossein Sepahri, in front of the hospital and sentenced them to years in prison.