Security and Judicial Officials Oppose Transfer of Mahmoud Salehi to a Better Hospital

The Human Rights Campaign in Iran announced that judicial and security officials have opposed the transfer of Mahmoud Salehi, a labor activist, to a better-equipped hospital. This human rights organization noted on Twitter that doctors have recommended that this labor activist should be urgently transferred to a better-equipped hospital due to severe heart, kidney, and diabetes issues. According to ILNA news agency, previously, Mr. Salehi's family stated that his treating physician had advised that this labor activist should be sent to one of the hospitals in Tehran, Tabriz, or Urmia for continued heart treatment. He was transferred to the prison infirmary on November 12 due to the worsening of his heart condition and then to Imam Khomeini Hospital in the city, where he has been hospitalized in the intensive care unit since then. Mahmoud Salehi's family expressed concern about his health status on Tuesday, November 16. Samerand Salehi, Mahmoud Salehi's son, had previously told Radio Farda that his father had undergone heart surgery twice this year. He mentioned that his father's kidneys need dialysis twice a week and that he also suffers from diabetes. Mahmoud Salehi was arrested on November 7 after his kidney dialysis in front of a hospital in Saqqez by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence and was transferred to Saqqez Central Prison to serve his one-year sentence. Mr. Salehi had previously announced on his Facebook that he lost his kidneys while in detention at the Sanandaj Intelligence Office in 2015. So far, the Ministry of Intelligence or the government of Hassan Rouhani has not responded to Mr. Salehi's comments. Meanwhile, the Committee to Defend Mahmoud Salehi announced on Wednesday, November 17, that his physical condition is deteriorating, stating that 'according to the treating physician, Mr. Salehi's heart is severely weak and its pumping power is lower than normal, and he needs to be transferred to one of the hospitals in Tehran, Tabriz, or Urmia for treatment.' This committee, whose spokesperson is Najibe Salehi, Mahmoud Salehi's wife, stated that ignoring this request and returning Mr. Salehi to prison or pressuring him for any reason 'means nothing but issuing a death sentence for him.' Reports about Mahmoud Salehi have emerged while officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran have not provided any information about him or how his illness is being treated. Previously, a photo of Mahmoud Salehi was published showing his legs chained in the hospital. In this context, Amnesty International, the International Confederation of Trade Unions, and several independent labor organizations in Iran criticized this treatment of Mahmoud Salehi and called for his immediate and unconditional release along with other imprisoned labor and union activists.