28 June 2013
Mr John Baird
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Canadian Government
URGENT
Re: political prisoners, Mohammad-Reza Pourshajari and Arash Sedighi
Dear John Baird
I, along with Mitra Pourshajari, daughter of political prisoner Mohamad-Reza Pourshajari, am writing this to draw your attention to the cases of two Iranian political prisoners, Mohammad-Reza Pourshajari and Arash Sedighi. These political prisoners are in an urgent need, but have been deprived of, the medication and medical attention by the leaders of the Islamic regime in Iran. I would like to appeal for an action from Canadian government to exert pressure on the Islamic regime to provide an urgently needed medical attention to these two prisoners and to free them immediately and unconditionally.
Depriving political prisoners of medication and medical attention and silently killing them has become a widespread practice by the authorities of the Islamic regime to silence dissidents in Iran. The international community cannot turn a blind eye to this method of silent execution operated by the Islamic regime in Iran, and need to act now before more political prisoners lose their lives.
I was one of the panellists in Defending Rights, Diversity and Equality for Women panel at the Global Dialogue on the Future of Iran which was held in May 2013 in Toronto. I am well aware of the fact that the
Canadian government has rightly closed the Islamic regime’s embassy in Ottawa. This has been the demand of Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran (CFPPI) as well and we would like to see this act of Canadian government is followed suit by other governments around the world. The human rights abuses by the Islamic regime, which is a well-known fact, are on-going occurrences therefore pressurising the regime should also be on-going action.
A related recent incident of Afshin Osanloo, a jailed worker and a political prisoner, who died on 21 June 2013 in the notorious Rajai Shahr prison in Iran, portrays the urgency of a needed action by the human rights organisations and the international community such as the EU parliament. Afshin Osanloo lost his life because of the deliberate withdrawal of the necessary medication by the prison officials which resulted in him suffering a heart attack. He was also repeatedly tortured in prison.
Afshin’s death, once again, refreshed the memories of those political prisoners who died in prison as a result of torture and inhuman condition including deliberate denial of medication and medical attention by the leaders of the Islamic regime. Afshin’s death has also put the spotlight on the current vicious situation of hundreds of political prisoners, who are suffering from torture and lack of medical attention, in Iran. Purposely withholding urgently needed medical care from political prisoners has been commonly used as a form of torture and execution by the authorities of the Islamic Republic in Iran.
According to the eye witnesses including former political prisoners, in the face of an international condemnation for executing prisoners the regime has changed tactics from execution to silently killing prisoners by depriving them of the medical attention. Hundreds of political prisoners are currently suffering from medical conditions such as prostate problems, cancer, blood pressure, severe headache, AIDS, arteritis, severe backache, joints disease, kidney problem, skin disease, stomach and intestine problems, depression, mental health problem and other medical conditions.
Mitra Pourshajari, daughter of Mohamad-Reza Pourshajari (one of the political prisoner below) and I would like to draw your attention to the two political prisoners, below, who are facing a similar condition and are in need of an immediate medication and medical attention. I would like to appeal for an urgent action from you and the Canadian Government to put pressure on the Islamic regime to provide medical attention and to free Mohamad-Reza Pourshajari and Arash Sadeghi immediately.
Mohamad-Reza Pourshajari, a writer who blogged about the situation inside Iran under the alias Siamak Mehr, was arrested at his home on September 12, 2010 and taken Rajai-Shahr prison. There he was subjected to the most brutal torture methods for 7 months. He was sentenced to 4 years in prison for ‘insulting the Supreme Leader’, ‘acting against national security’ and ‘insulting Islam’. He later tried to commit suicide using broken lenses of his spectacles. According to a letter by Mr. Pourshajari’s daughter, dated Febraruy 18, 2013 her father suffered a heart attack in prison and has been denied medical intervention. The letter also states that three prison doctors urged prison officials to transfer Mr. Pourshajari to a city hospital or sudden death may occur due to the ongoing tightening of the prisoner’s arteries. The request of the doctors, who also signed a decree deeming the denial of medical has been largely ignored to date. Mr. Pourshajari’s daughter warns that if her father dies in prison it will be solely due to refusal of the medical care he so despereatly needs. According to the latest news Mohamad-Reza Pourshajari is in the verge of another heart attack.
Arash Sadeghi:
Arash Sadeghi, a university student activist, is now on hunger strike and his condition and whereabouts is unknown. Arash was first arrested in July 2009, and released after 50 days in solitary confinement. He was then arrested again in December 09 following the Ashura protests and released on March 2010. Arash was arrested for the third time in January 2011, while visiting the grave of his mother. Arash’s mother died as a result of a heart attack due to the stress and shock of her home being raided by the security forces. Arash was kept in the infamous ward of 209 in Evin prison where he was beaten-up and was put under pressure. As a result of torture and beating, Arash has suffered from broken ribs, broken front tooth, and dislocated
shoulder-blade. Most of the time, as he told his family, he was not even given painkiller or medication. To protest his condition, Arash has started a hunger strike since June 1st 2013. His body is deteriorating and he is in danger of losing his life.
Sincerely
Shiva Mahbobi
Spokesperson- Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran (CFPPI)
Mitra Pourshajari
Daughter of Mohamad-Reza Pourshajari (one of the above political prisoner)
