A group of political prisoners in Rajai Shahr prison wrote a letter to Asma Jahangir, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, urging her attention to the health and medical conditions in the prison and the resulting harms. This letter was reflected in Iranian human rights media on Thursday, October 14, where the political prisoners held in Hall 12 of Ward 4 emphasized that the prison authorities have seriously exposed them to various harms and diseases and gradual death by continuously violating prison regulations. The authors of the letter complained about issues such as 'lack of medicine' in Rajai Shahr prison, 'employment of unqualified doctors', 'absence of an operating room' in the prison, and 'filthiness' of the prison's medical space, stating that there is essentially 'no effort made for real and effective treatment' in the medical facility. In cases where the families of prisoners manage to obtain permission for their sick relatives to be transferred outside the prison, they are taken 'in handcuffs and shackles and in a humiliating condition to the hospital, where they are chained to the bed'. Numerous images of political prisoners in hospitals outside the prison have been published, showing them shackled to hospital beds. Among these images is one of Omid Kokabi, a PhD student in physics, who faced security charges. The political prisoners in Rajai Shahr prison further pointed out the prevalence of specific diseases such as hepatitis and AIDS in the prison, stating that 'no effective treatment is ever provided' for those afflicted. According to them, the prison's sanitary facilities lack hot water, the prison's lighting is completely inadequate, and the food provided to prisoners is of poor quality and very scarce, so that prisoners 'are always in a state of semi-starvation'. The authors of this letter also named several prisoners held in Rajai Shahr prison who, they claim, died due to 'incomplete treatment processes and the negligence and indifference of the medical and prison authorities', including Mohsen Dokmechi, Shahrokh Zamani, Alireza Karami Kheirabadi, Mansour Radpour, Afshin Asanlu, and Mehdi Zaliyeh. The letter's writers ultimately warned about the 'dangerous' conditions of elderly and sick individuals in Rajai Shahr prison and called for medical attention to the conditions of Karim Aziz Marouf, Jamal al-Din Khanjani, Farhad Iqbali, Omar Faqipour, Asghar Qatari, and Farhad Fahendaj.
Political Prisoners in Rajai Shahr: We Are Exposed to Various Diseases and Gradual Death
Political prisoners in Rajai Shahr prison have written to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, highlighting dire health conditions and lack of medical care, which they claim expose them to diseases and gradual death. They report severe shortages of medicine, inadequate medical facilities, and mistreatment during hospital transfers. This situation raises serious concerns about human rights violations in Iranian prisons.
👥 Key Players
📰 What Happened
Political prisoners in Rajai Shahr prison wrote a letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, highlighting dire health conditions and lack of medical care. They claim these conditions expose them to diseases and gradual death.
- Prisoners report severe shortages of medicine and inadequate medical facilities.
- Prisoners are mistreated during hospital transfers, often shackled to beds.
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
Iran has a history of imprisoning political dissenters and facing criticism for prison conditions. International bodies often scrutinize these practices.
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
Translated from the original and edited for English readers. View original source →
Translation confidence: 85%