Exclusive | Mahdi Maskinnavaz Still in Hospital; Informed Source: Judicial Officials Reject His Bail for Medical Leave

Mahdi Maskinnavaz, a political prisoner, has been in the hospital for over a month following a self-immolation protest in prison, under 'intense security measures.' An informed source told Voice of America that judicial officials are preventing his medical leave in exchange for bail. On Wednesday, March 9, the source reported that due to severe burns and significant damage to some cellular tissues, a skin graft surgery 'from the back of his thigh' to the burn areas has been performed. According to the source, the level of pain Mahdi Maskinnavaz has experienced has been such that 'until a few days ago, he was enduring the pain with morphine.' Mahdi Maskinnavaz, a political prisoner held in Evin Prison, self-immolated on January 17 in protest against a wave of 'executions and the repeated cutting off of phone contact with his family.' Since then, he has been hospitalized. The source informed Voice of America that his care at the Motahari Burn Hospital in Tehran is under 'the presence of an officer and soldier and intense security measures,' and during this time, his family has been allowed to visit him 'once or twice' after 'handing over mobile phones.' The informed source explained that judicial officials are 'harassing' him by preventing his medical leave in exchange for bail, stating that a 'five billion tomans' bail has been set, which this political prisoner cannot afford. Efforts by his family and lawyer have not yielded results, and judicial officials have said they will not accept less than five billion tomans. According to the informed source, Mahdi Maskinnavaz can afford a bail of about 'one and a half billion tomans,' but 'Niri and Eliasi (the deputy prosecutor), in coordination with the IRGC Intelligence, are harassing Mahdi Maskinnavaz and are not accepting the bail,' whereas in other cases, 'when they want to grant leave, they do so with a pay slip.' Previous reports from Voice of America indicated that Mahdi Maskinnavaz self-immolated in protest against 'the severe pressures he faced in prison.' He was sentenced to 11 years in prison by the Tehran Revolutionary Court in connection with a case opened during his imprisonment. He was first arrested in May 2019 for 'activities in cyberspace and managing a Telegram channel with a subversive theme' by the security forces of the Islamic Republic in Bandar Anzali. This constitutionalist political prisoner was sentenced on December 9 of that year by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court to a total of 13 years and two months of imprisonment, two years of forced residence in Faharj, Kerman, and a ban on membership in political parties and groups for charges including 'collusion and conspiracy, acting against national security, insulting the leadership, and propaganda against the regime.' Details of the charges against Mr. Maskinnavaz included 'communication with expatriates, teaching slogan writing, how to act in street protests,' as well as 'uploading content and posts in cyberspace and on the Telegram channel.' Pressure on prisoners in various Iranian prisons in recent months has led to protests, including long hunger strikes by some prisoners, and has resulted in self-harm and suicides among some prisoners. In some cases, prisoners' suicides due to pressure from judicial and prison officials have resulted in their deaths.