International Federation of Journalists: Judiciary Responsible for Alireza Ranjbar's Condition

The International Federation of Journalists described the 'neglect' of Alireza Ranjbar's medical treatment in prison as 'unacceptable and a severe violation of human rights' and called on the Islamic Republic to take responsibility for what happened to this journalist and to ensure the treatment of other imprisoned journalists, including Ehsan Mazandarani. Anthony Bellanger, the Secretary-General of the International Federation of Journalists, urged the Iranian judiciary and prison officials to take responsibility for the incident involving Alireza Ranjbar. According to a report from the federation's Persian website on Friday, September 8, Bellanger emphasized that 'this level of neglect by responsible officials, whether intentional or justified by any reasoning, is completely unacceptable and a severe violation of human rights.' The Secretary-General also called on the Iranian judiciary to take action regarding the treatment of other imprisoned journalists, including Ehsan Mazandarani, who 'requires special care.' Alireza Ranjbar, a journalist and national-religious activist, lost his right eye and part of the muscle and bones on the right side of his face after surgery. While Mr. Ranjbar's family reported a lack of medical attention during his imprisonment, the judiciary spokesman claimed that Mr. Ranjbar received medical services during his imprisonment and developed cancer after his release. Gholamreza Ranjbar, Alireza Ranjbar's brother, told the Etemad newspaper on Saturday, September 2, that 'five times, the prison medical staff recommended sending him outside for scans and imaging, but unfortunately, this was not permitted.' He emphasized that until Alireza Ranjbar's release from prison in 2015, 'no specific medical action had been taken for him,' and after his release and scans, doctors discovered that 'the tumor was malignant and very extensive.' Alireza Ranjbar spent four years in prison from 2011 on charges of membership in the National-Religious Forces Coalition and acting against national security, and according to his relatives, he developed sinus cancer in prison. In the late 1990s, he served as the political group editor for prominent newspapers such as 'Jameh,' 'Toseh,' 'Khordad,' 'Asr-e Azadegan,' and 'Neshat,' all of which have been banned. This journalist was a candidate for the sixth parliamentary elections in Tehran and was among the 30 elected representatives, but the Guardian Council annulled over 700,000 votes, ultimately ruling that Gholamali Haddad-Adel, a principlist figure close to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, should take his place in parliament. Alireza Ranjbar was also arrested in 2000 along with several members of the National-Religious movement and was sentenced by the Revolutionary Court to three years in prison and five years of deprivation of social rights. In recent years, numerous reports have been published regarding the lack of medical care for political prisoners. Several prisoners, including Hadi Saber and Akbar Mohammadi, died due to a lack of medical attention while on hunger strikes. Mohsen Daghighi and Hassan Nahid, two prisoners in Ward 350 of Evin Prison, also died despite severe illnesses and being denied medical leave and treatment outside the prison. Meanwhile, Maliheh Hosseini, the wife of Ehsan Mazandarani, tweeted about her husband's condition, stating that 'his stomach accepts nothing but water, and the prosecutor does not even allow medical leave.' Ehsan Mazandarani, a jailed journalist, has previously gone on hunger strikes several times in protest against issues such as illegal detention and mistreatment by prison officials. The 'Ensaf News' website also reported, citing Amir Fashakhami, the brother of Yaghma Fashakhami, a jailed journalist, that during a phone call with his brother, he learned that 'his condition is not good.' According to this report, Mr. Fashakhami's family has not been able to visit him, and he has only had one phone call with his family since his arrest. This journalist was arrested on the evening of August 21 this year. On August 12, Sasan Aghaei, the deputy editor of the Etemad newspaper, was also arrested.