Kamāl Sharifi, political prisoner, still deprived of leave and family visits after 16 years in prison

On Wednesday, March 14, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network reported on the health status of Kamāl Sharifi, a Kurdish political prisoner, stating that during his 16 years of imprisonment, he has only met his family once. This political activist from Saqez and a member of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2008 on charges of moharebeh (waging war against God). According to the judge's ruling, he is deprived of leave and parole. Mr. Sharifi, who is serving his sentence in Minab prison in Hormozgan province, has suffered from various illnesses during his imprisonment and has had two strokes and heart attacks since his arrest; however, each time he was returned to prison without completing his treatment after being transferred to the hospital. In a letter of suffering he sent outside the prison in 2021, he explained that he had submitted more than 20 written requests for leave to the prosecutor, head of the judiciary, and judicial officials in Hormozgan and Kurdistan provinces, but after much passing around, they remained unanswered and fruitless. This political prisoner added regarding his mental and physical condition that 'after suffering a stroke, the effects of which are still visible on my face, I suffered a heart attack, and after angioplasty, I returned to the same cell and room as before.' In this letter, he described the dire conditions of prison and exile and the lack of leave, stating that during this time he has 'dealt with gastrointestinal diseases and the poor quality of prison food and the smell of opium and hashish.' In a ruling published on the Kurdistan Human Rights Network website, it is stated that this political prisoner 'has no right to socialize and communicate with others during his sentence and is deprived of the benefits of visiting and corresponding with others and must spend the entire duration of his sentence in prison.' This political prisoner was able to meet with his family only once in 2021 after a 48-day hunger strike in protest of his harsh conditions in Minab prison. Mr. Sharifi's ruling indicates that the first branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Saqez, presided over by Judge Shayeg, sentenced this political prisoner to 30 years in exile in Minab prison on charges of 'moharebeh' through armed uprising against the Islamic government and membership in the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, citing Articles 186 and 190 of the Islamic Penal Code. The court session and issuance of the verdict occurred after six months of detention and torture of Kamāl Sharifi. Amnesty International stated in a statement in January 2022 that this political prisoner was sentenced to this heavy punishment after an unfair trial in a five-minute court session and based on 'forced confessions under torture.' This human rights organization called on the head of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic to investigate the complaints of this political prisoner regarding torture and other abuses in prison and the reason for his deprivation of adequate medical facilities. Amnesty International noted in its statement that officials of the judiciary and the prison organization of the Islamic Republic often deliberately deprive political and ideological prisoners of access to adequate medical facilities, which is a 'cruel act aimed at intimidating and punishing prisoners further.' 'Abuse' in prisons and the deprivation of political prisoners of adequate medical facilities have repeatedly been criticized by the United Nations and human rights defenders.