Deprivation of Medical Care and Visits; Continuation of 'Punitive' Measures Against Political Prisoners

With the intensification of measures against political prisoners in Iran in recent months, several of them have faced punitive actions such as bans on visits and deprivation of appropriate medical care due to protests against prison conditions. In the latest cases, Siamak Amini, a political prisoner in Evin, who suffers from a rare autoimmune disease, has been deprived of medical care, and Kazem Ali-Nejad, another political prisoner in Evin, has been banned from visiting his family since October 6. Siamak Amini is afflicted with a rare autoimmune disease known as Behçet's, which causes inflammation of blood vessels in the patient's body and requires specialized medical attention. According to HRANA, the news agency of human rights activists in Iran, Evin prison officials have repeatedly refused to send Mr. Amini to the hospital under the pretext of his refusal to wear prison clothes, leaving him without medical care. Siamak Amini is a political prisoner from the 1980s who was sentenced to 4 years and 3 months in prison by Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran, presided over by Iman Afshari, for supporting the nationwide protests of 2022 in mid-May. In the Tehran Court of Appeals, he was sentenced to 3 years, 6 months, and one day for the charge of 'collusion and conspiracy to commit a crime against internal-external security' and 7 months and 16 days for 'propaganda against the Islamic Republic.' Other punishments announced in the court ruling against Mr. Amini include a ban on membership in political and social groups, a ban on using a smartphone, and a 2-year travel ban. According to HRANA, Kazem Ali-Nejad, a political prisoner in Evin prison, has also been deprived of the opportunity to visit his family since October 6 as a form of 'punishment' for chanting protest slogans in prison. This political prisoner self-immolated in September this year in protest against the overcrowding in Evin prison and the failure to observe the principle of separating crimes, and a day later, after dressing his wounds, he was returned to Evin prison. Mr. Ali-Nejad was sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment for 'insulting sanctities,' 5 years for 'collusion and conspiracy to commit a crime against national security,' and 1 year for 'propaganda against the regime' by Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran, presided over by Iman Afshari, in a joint case with 10 political defendants. He was also sentenced to additional punishments including a 2-year ban on residing in Tehran and neighboring provinces, a 2-year ban on membership in political and social groups, and confiscation of his mobile phone. In May, Mr. Ali-Nejad was sentenced to 5 years in prison by the Tehran Court of Appeals for 'collusion and conspiracy to commit a crime against national security' and was acquitted of charges such as insulting sanctities and propaganda against the regime. The officials of the Islamic Republic consistently resort to punitive measures against protesting prisoners and their information about the prison situation, including creating new cases, issuing additional prison sentences, transferring to solitary confinement, and depriving them of phone calls and visits with family. Such actions have faced criticism from human rights organizations. The sister of Cecile Koehler states that the situation of her sister and brother-in-law in Evin prison is concerning. The Islamic Republic has prevented Mohammad from being sent to the hospital 'three times' in a month. Anisha Asadollahi has been deprived of visits with her family for three months. Mehdi Mahmoudian was sentenced to prison for reporting the presence of bedbugs in Evin on the charge of 'propaganda against the regime.' The Syndicate of Workers of the Tehran Bus Company has called for the release of Davood Razavi, Ebrahim Madadi, and political prisoners.