In Iran, prisons have become burial grounds for the dead due to the violation of prisoners’ basic rights, including access to essential healthcare. Additionally, prisoners endure brutal torture that often results in severe disabilities and, tragically, death. According to Amnesty International, prison officials in Iran are blatantly ignoring the fundamental right to life by deliberately denying necessary medical treatment to sick inmates and neglecting to investigate or hold accountable those responsible for unlawful deaths in custody. The organisation also underscores the alarming trend of prison authorities actively causing or worsening deaths in custody, often by obstructing or purposefully delaying prisoners’ access to critical emergency medical treatment. (Amnesty International, 2022)
Recently, another incident has come to light, further confirming the dire situation that prisoners face in Iran. On February 28, 2024, reports indicated that Ibrahim Khalil Sadiqi Hamadani had a fingertip and two toes amputated due to severe diabetes, leaving him unable to withstand the prison conditions. Notably, Ibrahim Khalil Sadiqi Hamadani sewed his lips shut in Khoui Prison and began a hunger strike. Following this action, he was transferred to solitary confinement.
According to a reliable source, he undertook the hunger strike and sewed his lips shut in protest against the repeated failure of prison authorities to fulfil their promise of transferring him to his son. Ibrahim Khalil Sadiqi Hamadani suffers from diabetes, and due to its severity, he lost one fingertip and two toes while in Khoui Prison. Despite being unable to tolerate the prison conditions, authorities have not released him. The source emphasizes that Ibrahim Khalil urgently requires a companion and assistance due to his critical condition. He has resorted to multiple hunger strikes in prison to ensure that he and his son remain together, only to be met with broken promises each time.
Instances like this are just a drop in the ocean of daily occurrences within Iranian prisons. Tragically, the Iranian authorities’ callous indifference to human life has transformed these facilities into grim waiting rooms of death for ailing inmates, where manageable ailments morph into fatal tragedies. Prison officials routinely withhold adequate healthcare from prisoners, denying them vital diagnostic tests, regular check-ups, and post-operative care. This neglect exacerbates existing health issues, inflicts further agony on sick inmates, and ultimately contributes to their premature demise.
Unfortunately, the harrowing accounts from Iranian prisons underscore a profound disregard for human dignity and the right to life. The systemic failure to provide essential healthcare and the prevalence of brutal treatment within these facilities paint a grim picture of suffering and injustice. Urgent reforms are imperative to ensure the prisoners receive the necessary medical care and humane treatment they deserve and that those responsible for violations are held accountable. Without decisive action, the cycle of suffering and tragedy within Iranian prisons will persist, further eroding the fabric of justice and human rights.
Mayasa
29.03.2024
References
Amnesty International. (2022, June 13). Iran: Ailing prisoners left to die amid a crisis of impunity for fatal denial of medical care.
