Category: Prisoners

Outbreak of Cholera in Tehran and Karaj Prisons

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Prisoners
Ghezel Hesar, Rajai-Shahr prisons

HRANA News Agency – In the recent weeks, an outbreak of Cholera has been reported in Ghezel Hesar, Rajai-Shahr and Pardis prisons.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), the Ghezel Hesar prison hospital has diagnosed three cases of Cholera amongst the prisoners.Additionally, one prisoner in Rajai-Shahr Prison and another one in Pardis Prison have tested positive for Cholera.

Given the fact that the Cholera infection is caused by a bacterial toxin in contaminated food and water, and the drinking water is reported to be unsanitary especially in Ghezel Hesar and Rajai-Shahr prisons, an outbreak of Cholera in Tehran and Karaj’s prisons are highly probable.

Additionally, several times every week, debris and dirt are reported to be present in Rajai-Shahr Prison’s drinking water.Although prisoners have voiced their concerns and objected to this situation, nothing has been done so far to address the problem.

 

Political Prisoners Denied Outside Recreation

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Prisoners
Rajai-Shahr

HRANA News Agency – In an effort to increase pressure on political prisoners, since Sunday, July 17, 2011, outside recreation time has been cancelled in Rajai-Shahr Prison.

According to a report by Jaras News, prison officials have not allowed political prisoners to go to the prison yard for fresh air since yesterday.In Rajai-Shahr Prison, political prisoners were previously given four hours every day for outside recreation contrary to the Department of Corrections’ regulations giving inmates the right to have access to fresh air all day.

In response to this decision, political prisoners refused to participate in the daily roll call.It has also been reported that living conditions inside Rajai-Shahr Prison are very poor.Political prisoners suffer from poor nutrition and have no access to the prison telephone.

 

Zanyar Moradi Condemned to Death and Denied Medical Care

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Prisoners
Laqman Moradi, Zanyar Moradi

HRANA News Agency – Prison officials have refused to provide medical care for Zanyar Moradi, a Kurdish political prisoner sentenced to death on charges of killing the Friday Prayer Imam in the city of Marivan, Kurdistan Province.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Zanyar Moradi is suffering from inguinal hernia and has requested medical care several times.However, prison officials have ignored his needs thus far.

Inguinal hernias are bulges in the scrotum or thigh.Zanyar Moradi also suffers from testicular pain caused by severe physical torture.

Zanyar Moradi and Laqman Moradi are two Kurdish prisoners charged with the assassination of the Friday Prayer Imam in the city of Marivan.While behind bars in Rajai-Shahr Prison, these two political prisoners have denied the charges and written a letter to declare their innocence.

 

Kurdish Political Prisoner Anvar Khezri on Hunger Strike – Day 40

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Prisoners
Ahmad Kamal Ramzan, Anvar Khezri, Ebrahim Seyedi, Hadi Amini, Kamran Shakhi, Ramzan Saeedi

HRANA News Agency – After forty days of hunger strike in Rajai-Shahr Prison, Kurdish political prisoner Anvar Khezri is in critical condition and alarmingly poor physical health.Meanwhile, prison officials continue to ignore his requests.

According to a report by Kalame News, Anvar Khezri began his hunger strike forty days ago to protest against the conditions under which he has been locked up in Rajai-Shahr Prison, Ward 6, Hall 18.Since two years ago when he was arrested, Anvar Khezri has been in a state of limbo without any formal charges or a trial.Additionally, he hasn’t even been interrogated.

To protest against the uncertainty surrounding his case and also having been locked up amongst ordinary inmates in Rajai-Shahr Prison, Anvar Khezri continues his hunger strike.He refuses to eat any food and only drinks water and tea.

Anvar Khezri has two main demands.First, he has requested to be formally charged and tried after being in a legal limbo behind bars for two years.Second, he has demanded to be transferred to the ward housing political prisoners.

Two other Kurdish political prisoners, Kamran Shakhi and Ebrahim Seyedi, were also on hunger strike but ended it a few days ago.

Anvar Khezri, Kamran Shakhi, Ebrahim Seyedi, Ahmad Kamal Ramzan, Ramzan Saeedi and Hadi Amini are all political prisoners in Rajai-Shahr Prison who have been locked up amongst inmates convicted of violent crimes and also prisoners with dangerous communicable diseases.These six political prisoners have requested to be transferred to the ward housing other political prisoners.

 

Kamal Sharifi on Hunger Strike – Day 40

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Prisoners
Kamal Sharifi

HRANA News Agency – It has been over 40 days since Kurdish political prisoner Kamal Sharifi began his hunger strike in Minab Prison, Hormozgan Province.Amid reports of his deteriorating health, concerns over his physical condition have escalated.

In an interview with Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Kamal Sharifi’s brother confirmed that his sibling has been on hunger strike for a long time and said, “Since his arrest in 2008, we have seen him only once when he was being kept in the Intelligence Agency’s office.”

Kamal Sharif’s brother added, “He has been sentenced to thirty years in prison for the crime of Moharebeh, waging war against God.For the duration of his sentence, he is banned from having visitors.”

Explaining the reason for his brother’s hunger strike, Mr. Sharifi said, “He is on hunger strike because he is locked up with prisoners charged with drug trafficking, and he is asking to meet with the judge presiding over his case.Unfortunately, his requests have been ignored thus far.Prison officials also don’t allow us to see him, and since he began his hunger strike, phone contacts have stopped as well.”

Meanwhile, faced with repeated requests from Kamal Sharifi’s family, the judge handling this case said, “I won’t give you the permission to see him.Let your son die!”

Kamal Sharifi is a journalist and political activist from the city of Saghez, Kurdistan Province.Despite his rapidly deteriorating physical health and although he has been transferred to the prison medical clinic, Kamal Sharifi refuses to break his hunger strike.

 

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Political Prisoner Kamal Sharifi Transferred to Prison Hospital

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Prisoners
Kamal Sharifi

HRANA News Agency – Following four weeks of ongoing hunger strike, political prisoner Kamal Sharifi has been transferred to the prison hospital in Minab Prison, Hormozgan Province.It has been reported that he is in critical condition. Kamal Sharifi is a journalist and political activist from the city of Saghez, Kurdistan Province.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Kamal Sharifi began his hunger strike four weeks ago to protest prison conditions.Subsequently, he has been the target of prison official’s wrath and ill-treatment.

Iranian Security forces arrested Kamal Sharifi in the city of Saghez and charged him with the attempt to overthrow the government and acting against the national security.Kamal Sharifi has been sentenced to 30 years in prison and exiled to Hormozgan Province.Currently, he is serving his third year in prison with rapidly deteriorating physical health.  During the last three years of incarceration, Kamal Sharifi has not been permitted to have any visitors.

 

Behrouz Javid Tehrani and Three Others in Isolation Cells

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Prisoners
Behrouz Javid Tehrani, Farzad Maddadzadeh, Mohammad Ali Mansouri, Salih Kahandel

HRANA News Agency – Four political prisoners in Karaj’s Rajai-Shahr Prison have been transferred to solitary confinement for an unknown reason.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists for Democracy in Iran, on Tuesday, June 28, 2011, Behrouz Javid Tehrani, Mohammad Ali Mansouri, Farzad Maddadzadeh and Salih Kahandel have been locked up in isolation cells in Sepa Ward.No reason has been announced for this transfer.

It has been reported that more than sixty prisoners in Hall 12 of Ward 4 are kept in isolation and away from the general population in Rajai-Shahr Prison.

 

Hasan Hussianpour Beaten by Rajai-Shahr Prison Officials

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Prisoners
Hasan Hussianpour

HRANA News Agency – Prison officials at Rajai-Shahr Prison in the city of Karaj have beaten and battered Hasan Hussianpour and locked him up in solitary confinement.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), In mid May of this year, Hasan Hussianpour who is a regular prisoner was attacked and beaten by other inmates.He was subsequently transferred to the prison hospital and then to solitary confinement.Afterwards, because he protested to being locked up in an isolation cell, Hasan Hussianpour was beaten again but this time by prison officials.

Hasan Hussianpour was once more transferred to the prison hospital while being in critical condition.After he received stitches for his wounds, and his other injuries were treated, he was locked up in a solitary confinement in Ward 1 again.Although his wounds have not healed, prison officials refuse to provide further medical care to him.

It has been reported that after 45 days of solitary confinement, Hasan Hussianpour’s wounds have been infected, and he is in critical condition.

 

Failure to Provide Medical Care to Kourosh Kohkan in Evin

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Prisoners
Kourosh Kohkan

HRANA News Agency – Iranian government officials have denied medical care to Kourosh Kohkan who is a social activist locked up in Evin Prison since January 2010.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Kourosh Kohkan suffers from meniscus tear (torn cartilage) of the knee caused while intelligence agents were interrogating and torturing him in Evin Prison.

In April 2011, Kourosh Kohkan went on hunger strike to demand medical care and surgery for his knee.Subsequently, he was transferred to Taleghani Hospital and had a knee operation.Upon his return to Evin Prison after the surgery, due to the lack of medical care, the surgical site became severely infected.So far, prison officials have refused to provide further medical treatment to this political prisoner.

Judge Pierabasi presiding over the Revolutionary Court, Branch 26, has sentenced Kourosh Kohkan to three years and six months in prison and 74 lashes.For the time being, Kourosh Kohkan is serving his sentence in Evin Prison, Ward 350.

 

Explosive Situation at Yazd Prison

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Prisoners
Gholam Hossein Heydari

HRANA News Agency – The Chief Justice of Yazd Province has said, “Unfortunately, physical conditions in Yazd prison are very poor such that the situation has reached an explosive point.”

According to a report by the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), Gholam Hossein Heydari has visited the central prison in Yazd and toured different facilities such as various wards, exercise facilities, cultural centers, hospitals, vocational and training centers and prison cells.As a result, the Chief Justice has been abreast of issues and problems.

Gholam Hossein Heydari stated that the lack of enough physical space and especially overcrowded prison cells is the major problem and added, “The lack of sufficient physical space has reached an explosive point such that currently, there is not adequate resting and sleeping space available for most prisons.”

The Chief of Judicial Council in Yazd Province said that it was necessary to remedy the situation as soon as possible.He also expressed hope that with appropriate funding, the construction of a new prison in Yazd would take place, and by imposing alternative forms of punishment other than imprisonment, the problems could be resolved.