Exclusive; US State Department on the Death of a Dual National Prisoner in Evin: Seeking Additional Information

Following the death of an Iranian-American dual national in Evin prison, a spokesperson for the US State Department told VOA's Persian section that the department is currently refraining from commenting due to "privacy considerations." On Monday, October 3rd, in response to reports about the death of Faramarz Javidzad in Evin prison, the spokesperson stated to Farhad Poladi, a VOA reporter, "We are aware of reports regarding the death of an individual in one of Iran's prisons and are seeking additional information. Due to privacy considerations, we will not be making any further comments at this time." Faramarz Javidzad, a Jewish Iranian-American citizen imprisoned in Iran suffering from "heart disease, diabetes, and stomach bleeding," died in Evin. Human rights sources have cited the lack of medical care as the cause of his death. Following Javidzad's death in Evin prison, the news agency of the Human Rights Activists in Iran reported that the "delay by prison officials in sending him to the hospital" was one of the main factors in his passing. Reports indicate that Javidzad experienced "stomach bleeding and severe blood pressure drop" on Friday, September 22, but the public relations office of the Tehran prisons organization denied the cause of death, labeling it as "media manipulation by hostile outlets" and claimed that this prisoner had been sent to medical facilities outside the prison five times due to a history of gastrointestinal illness and was transferred to the infirmary on October 1st "after his condition worsened" and despite medical interventions, he "passed away." The deaths of prisoners under detention in the Islamic Republic's prisons have occurred repeatedly, and international human rights organizations have warned about the lack of adherence to the right to medical treatment for prisoners in Iran. One well-known prisoner, Fatemeh Sepahri, has reportedly been denied effective treatment by prison officials, causing her illness to worsen in Vakilabad prison in Mashhad. An informed source regarding Faramarz Javidzad's condition told HRANA about the "obstruction and delay by prison officials for adequate and timely medical care" contrary to the "judge's agreement for sending" this 63-year-old Jewish citizen to medical facilities outside the prison. According to this report, Faramarz Javidzad was arrested by the government agency "Executive Headquarters of Imam's Command" under the supervision of Ali Khamenei and "by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence." HRANA has reported that this dual national "after enduring about three months" of detention in solitary confinement, was moved from Ward 209 of Evin to the general ward of this prison, and "individuals who saw him in prison" described his physical and mental condition as poor. This is not the first time that detainees in Iran have lost their lives. For instance, last year, in addition to the killing of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police, detained protester Javad Rouhi also died in prison. Concurrently with the news of this dual national's death in prison, the sister of the justice-seeking Javad Heydari stated that judicial officials transferred her other brother, Morteza, who was on the fourth day of a hunger strike, to solitary confinement on a stretcher.