Kamran Ghaderi's Poor Health Condition as an Austrian-Iranian Citizen Imprisoned in Iran

Kamran Ghaderi is one of the dual nationals who has been sentenced to prison in recent months. This Austrian-Iranian citizen, who was active in the sales and support of future IT projects, was arrested fifteen months ago following a trip to Iran. Mr. Ghaderi, who is 53 years old, was sentenced to ten years in prison in a case involving other imprisoned dual nationals, as announced in October 2016. According to his wife, Harika Ghaderi, he was one of about two hundred economic activists who traveled to Tehran during the visit of the former Austrian president. Now, Harika Ghaderi, in an interview with Radio Farda, states that her husband's health condition in prison is poor. Harika Ghaderi mentioned that she knows that his lawyer has approached the Supreme Court and is waiting for their response. However, she is still aware that his physical condition is not good at all. He suffers a lot of pain in his legs and says he cannot walk properly, sit, or stand, resulting in pain with every movement. She also confirmed that he underwent an MRI a few weeks ago, which revealed a tumor in his left leg and a disc problem. The doctor stated that surgery is needed for the disc issue. Harika had previously sent the MRI results from Austria to his brother in Iran for comparison. The doctor indicated that the tumor is not problematic, and the pain is related to the disc issue that requires surgery. She mentioned that he was taken to the hospital for a few hours for examination and was immediately returned to prison. When asked if the authorities agreed to his surgery outside of prison, she expressed uncertainty, noting that Kamran has not agreed to the surgery yet. He wants to be transferred to the general ward before undergoing surgery. Harika expressed concern that if he has the surgery and is returned to prison just a few days later, it would be very detrimental. Regarding communication, she stated that he can only contact his mother in Iran, and they have only spoken on the phone twice during his fifteen months of imprisonment. Harika is hopeful that there will be a change in the ten-year sentence, as she believes the evidence against him is based on a confession he signed after three months of torture. She hopes that upon reviewing the case, they will see that there is no evidence against him and that he will be released immediately. She mentioned that the Austrian authorities have been in contact with her for ten months, stating they are working on the case, but she is unsure of the specifics. Harika, who has three children, shared that they are very worried about their father. She has told her youngest child, who is four years old, that his father is away for work, while the two older children, aged 14 and 11, are taken to a psychologist every two weeks. She herself has lost weight due to stress and is constantly worried about her husband’s situation. When asked if she considers going to Iran to see her husband, she expressed distrust due to a previous experience where she felt used during her last visit. She concluded that she must stay and take care of their children while doing everything possible from afar for her husband’s release.