Neglect of Prisoners and Detainees Causes Irreparable Damage

The Islamic Association of the Iranian Medical Community expressed concern in a statement regarding the neglect and "repeated indifference" of officials towards the medical conditions of "prisoners and detainees," highlighting the "irreparable damage" caused by this neglect, particularly referencing the case of Omid Kokabi, a physics researcher who has lost one of his kidneys. The statement, published on Monday, April 13, on the website Khabar Online close to Mir Hossein Mousavi, noted that Kokabi has suffered from "kidney bleeding" for "a long time" but officials have ignored his "repeated complaints." The group, consisting of reformist doctors, pointed out that the "repeated indifference" of prison officials to the medical conditions of "prisoners and detainees" has previously led to "irreparable damages," including the deaths of Hadi Saber and prisoners at the Kahrizak detention center. The Islamic Association of the Iranian Medical Community emphasized that addressing the physical and mental health conditions of prisoners, which is one of their "most basic rights," has been "repeatedly overlooked." On Wednesday, April 1, Omid Kokabi underwent surgery at Sina Hospital in Tehran and had one of his kidneys completely removed due to kidney cancer. His lawyer, Saeed Khalili, stated on Sunday, April 5, that Kokabi had been experiencing kidney pain for "a long time" but was only given painkillers in prison and was denied "basic medical services" such as "ultrasound." Following reports about Kokabi's condition, various groups of university professors, political and civil activists have sent letters to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, calling for the release and hospitalization of sick political prisoners in Iran. However, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesman for the Iranian judiciary, stated, "Doesn't anyone outside prison ever have kidney pain? One cannot say that if someone becomes ill in prison, their sentence means nothing. He has been convicted of espionage." Omid Kokabi, 30 years old, is from Iran's Sunni minority, a graduate of Sharif University of Technology, and a PhD student in atomic physics with a focus on lasers at the University of Texas in the USA. He was arrested at Tehran's Imam Khomeini Airport while trying to leave the country after visiting his family in 2009 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a court presided over by Judge Salavati on charges of having connections with "hostile governments" after 15 months of temporary detention. Kokabi later wrote in a letter from prison that his arrest and imprisonment occurred after he rejected an offer to collaborate with the military-security apparatus of the Islamic Republic on a military research project. The Islamic Association of the Medical Community recalled in its statement that it has previously called for the formation of a group of trusted and specialized doctors to periodically assess the medical conditions and health of prisoners. In 2011, the group expressed concern about the health of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi, calling for these leaders of the 2009 presidential election protests to be examined by "independent doctors." The families of these three individuals have repeatedly expressed concern about their physical conditions over the years. Meanwhile, the Human Rights Defenders Association reported on Saturday, April 4, that Alireza Rajai, a journalist who was recently released after completing his sentence, has been diagnosed with jaw and facial cancer. According to the report, Rajai "became ill during his imprisonment, and appropriate action was not taken by the responsible authorities in Evin Prison to send him to specialized treatment centers for his treatment." The Human Rights Defenders Association also stated that Zeynab Jalalian, a Kurdish prisoner, needs to be sent to specialized treatment centers for her eye treatment, and Hossein Ronaghi Maleki, a imprisoned blogger, also requires "specialized treatment."