Two Years After Death in Prison; Lawyer of Sasan Niknaf: Court Found Two Doctors of Fashafouyeh Prison Responsible for My Client's Death

The lawyer of Sasan Niknaf, a political prisoner who died two years ago in Tehran's Grand Prison (Fashafouyeh), announced that two prison doctors were found 'responsible' and sentenced to pay blood money in connection with his death. Ali Sharifzadeh Ardakani, Sasan Niknaf's lawyer, stated in an interview with the 'Emtidad' media on Tuesday, March 8, that the judges of the primary and appellate courts recognized the two prison doctors as 'responsible' for the death of this political prisoner. According to this lawyer, the courts confirmed that the prison medical staff delayed their legal duty to transfer Sasan Niknaf to medical facilities promptly during the time of his death. Sharifzadeh added: 'My client, who was a constitutionalist and political prisoner, had previously been sentenced in January 2019 by Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Salavati, to five years in prison for acting against national security, one year for propaganda against the regime, and two years for insulting the Supreme Leader. This ruling was later confirmed in the appellate court despite our follow-ups.' The lawyer stated that after the verdict was issued, Sasan Niknaf was transferred to Tehran's Grand Prison, and despite 'using psychiatric medications and undergoing a treatment cycle as prescribed by doctors, and despite our repeated visits to prison officials regarding Sasan Niknaf's inability to endure punishment and imprisonment, unfortunately, no attention was paid to this issue.' Sasan Niknaf, a political prisoner who was serving his sentence despite multiple illnesses and an inability to endure prison, died in June 2021 after a delayed transfer to a hospital. Judicial authorities at that time announced that Sasan Niknaf was transferred to the prison's medical facility due to 'bloody secretions from his mouth and nose' following 'the consumption of several pills taken from other prisoners' and 'suffered a seizure in the medical facility' before dying after being transferred to Firouzabadi Hospital in Tehran. Ali Sharifzadeh had stated after his client's death that he suffered from diabetes, liver issues, and mental health problems and could not endure imprisonment, but judicial authorities did not agree to release Sasan Niknaf even with an ankle bracelet before he had served one-third of his sentence. Meanwhile, the dietary regimen and care for him were not feasible under prison conditions. At that time, the social media account of the former U.S. special representative for Iran expressed sorrow over Sasan Niknaf's death, stating that he, aged 36 and a father of two, was unjustly imprisoned for expressing his opinions on social media and was cruelly denied medical leave.