Political Guardian of Majid Khademi Calls for His Immediate Release; German MP: Torture and Execution Have Become Normalized in Iran

Helge Lind, a German lawmaker who has taken on the political guardianship of Majid Khademi, a political prisoner in Behbahan prison, has called for his immediate release, citing his deteriorating health and deprivation of medical care. Following a report of a severe skin condition affecting Khademi, Lind stated on her Instagram account that as global media attention wanes, the people of Iran continue to suffer under a 'ruthless regime,' where 'arbitrary arrests, torture, and death sentences' have become commonplace. This German politician emphasized that Khademi has been imprisoned on 'baseless charges' and requires 'immediate attention.' According to Lind, Khademi 'suffers from severe skin problems and is deprived of medical treatment.' She stressed that 'we must not be bystanders and forget Majid,' highlighting that the political prisoner is in dire need of medical care. A knowledgeable source recently informed Voice of America that Khademi has developed a type of 'skin disease' in Behbahan prison, exhibiting symptoms such as 'bruising, itching, and bleeding' in the abdominal and leg areas. This source close to Khademi noted that despite his complaints about his condition, prison officials have only given him 'antihistamine pills' once, and although he has served one-third of his sentence, his lawyer is pursuing his 'conditional release,' which is legally applicable to him, but judicial authorities have so far obstructed it. Khademi, who was previously imprisoned from 2019 to 2021 under 'temporary detention,' faces multiple cases in the judiciary. In one of these cases, he was sentenced to '10 years in prison,' of which 'six years and three months are enforceable,' and he was also sentenced to over four years in prison and 45 lashes in a new case this summer. This political prisoner was granted a seven-day leave on bail of five billion tomans and four salary slips but was then returned to prison. Helge Lind has previously criticized the 'brutal repression of the Iranian people by the regime,' stating that this political prisoner is incarcerated in Iran 'on baseless charges in an unjust judicial process.'