Lawyer of the Qareh-Hassanlu Couple: My Clients Have Developed Severe Illnesses in Prison

The lawyer of Hamid and Farzaneh Qareh-Hassanlu, a political prisoner couple, has reported that his clients have developed acute illnesses and criticized the lack of medical attention they are receiving. Mohsen Bayat stated in an interview with the Iran Watch website that Hamid Qareh-Hassanlu has developed a lung disease during his detention, and Farzaneh Qareh-Hassanlu is suspected of having malignant breast cancer. According to this lawyer, prison officials, despite being aware of the possibility of Farzaneh Qareh-Hassanlu having severe breast cancer, continue to neglect sending specialist doctors and properly addressing her condition. Previously, the Qareh-Hassanlu family had released a letter detailing Hamid Qareh-Hassanlu's vision impairment and rib fractures resulting from torture during detention. A family member also mentioned in a conversation with Voice of America last December that judicial authorities had rejected requests for monthly lung examinations for Hamid Qareh-Hassanlu, who has a history of heart disease and lung issues, including two heart attacks. Hamid Qareh-Hassanlu and his wife were arrested after attending the memorial ceremony for Hadis Najafi, a protester killed in Karaj, when security forces raided their home. The judiciary initially sentenced Hamid Qareh-Hassanlu, a radiologist, and Farzaneh Qareh-Hassanlu, a laboratory sciences expert, to death and imprisonment for their alleged involvement in the case of the killing of a Basij member named Rouhollah Ajamian. After the death sentence was revoked, Hamid Qareh-Hassanlu was sentenced to 15 years in prison in Yazd, while his wife Farzaneh received a 5-year sentence in Mashhad. The couple's lawyer has described the charge of 'moharebeh' (waging war against God) against his clients as 'baseless' and stated that this accusation is in no way related to the couple. According to this lawyer, Hamid Qareh-Hassanlu is currently imprisoned in the central prison of Karaj, while his wife Farzaneh is held in Kachoui prison in Karaj. Hamid Hosseini stated that Hamid Qareh-Hassanlu is in the hospital; it seemed there was an intention to eliminate him. The family of Hamid and Farzaneh Qareh-Hassanlu emphasized their innocence by releasing a 'letter of suffering.' The new rulings are from the same previous branch of the Revolutionary Court; Hamid Qareh-Hassanlu was sentenced to 15 years, and his wife to 5 years in prison. The judiciary of Alborz stated that none of the defendants in the Ajamian case have been pardoned. A family member of Hamid Qareh-Hassanlu told Voice of America: 'All treatment options have been closed off to him.'