Help us To save jailed university student activist, Arash Sadeghi
Arash Sadeghi, a jailed university student activist, is suffering from cancer in prison in Iran. The authorities in Iran have deliberately deprived Arash of receiving specialised medical care and have sentenced him to ‘silent execution’.
Arash has been suffering from pain in his arm and shoulder for more than 18 months, but the prison infirmary in Rajaee Shahr, has been prescribing anti-inflammatory drugs. Under the international pressure, Arash received an X-ray and MRI in which they found out Arash has cancer. His life is in a grave danger.
You can send the following letter by entering your name and email address and clicking the SEND bottom. Pleased share this letter on your facebook and twitter. Thank you for your support.
“Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
Hassan Rouhani, seventh President of Iran
I/We urge you to release Arash Sadeghi who suffers from cancer in Rajaeeshar prison and is deprived of access to specialised medical care.”
your signiture would forward automaticaly to Email adresses of Federica Mogerini & Hassan Rouhani
[emailpetition id=”3″]
About ‘silent Executions’ in the Islamic regime in Iran
The regime in Iran has devised a new method of executing its political prisoners silently away from the watchful eye of human rights organizations since every time the Islamic regime in Iran has announced executions of political prisoners in the past; it has faced serious international outcries. Although depriving prisoners from medical attention has always been used as a method of torture for more than three decades; based on reports from numerous prisons, this method has been used more routinely and systematically in the last few years. The killings are effectively achieved by deliberately withholding urgently needed medical care usually required for injuries sustained during extended bouts of torture or for pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease. The authorities then simply report that the victim died of natural causes while serving time in prison. These ‘silent executions’, as dubbed by activists, are not officially reported by the authorities and therefore go undetected by the public and the international human rights bodies. Presently, hundreds of political prisoners are dying by being purposely denied medication, surgery or even the most basic medical care. Dozens of political prisoners have already died an agonizing and slow death as a result of this method. Many more are succumbing to their illnesses as their families urgently ask authorities for help to no avail.
These instances are well documented by a variety of sources. The most prominent report is that of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation on Human Rights in Iran; Mr. Ahmed Shaheed who detailed several cases in his March 2012 report. His investigation described that prisoners of conscience are arbitrarily held on vague charges in intolerable conditions and are further purposely denied access to health care. The report included instances in which prisoners had died as a direct result of lack of medical treatment.
The Lancet, one of the most respected and oldest general medical journals dedicated an article to this topic on May 5, 2012. In this feature, both Amnesty International and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) have spoken of their grave concerns on Iran’s withholding of medical care in order to silence dissidents and to make an example of these prisoners by “breaking peoples’ spirit”.
In 1955, the United Nations adopted the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners describing the minimum conditions suitable to the United Nations. Paragraph 22 requires that prison medical services should be organized in close relationship with outside medical services, as restated in a 1990 Resolution establishing Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners: “Prisoners shall have access to the health services available in the country without discrimination on the grounds of their legal situation”.
Purposely withholding urgently needed medical care from political prisoners has always been commonly used by the Islamic regime as a form of torture for both the prisoners and their families. On rare occasions where medical intervention is granted, the prisoner is subjected to humiliating physical abuse and/or torture in exchange for the treatment. According to reports received by CFPPI from prisoners; the authorities have intensified this practice in the last few years.
About Arash Sadeghi:
Arash Sadeghi, a jailed university student activist, was first arrested in July 2009, and released after 50 days in solitary confinement. He was then arrested again in December 2009 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 went on hunger strike several times while the prison authorities ignored Arash and put more pressure on him. As a result of his last hunger strike and lack of medical attention, he was in danger of losing his life. Arash’s wife, Golrokh Ebrahimi Eraeei is still in Evin prison. Arash and Golrokh are not allowed to visit each other.
Arash Sadeghi needs our support. Please send a letter to the regime in Iran and demand the release of Arash Sadeghi. Sample letter is provided below. You can also visit our website and send this letter.
How you can help
SEND A LETTER
I/We urge you to release Arash Sadeghi who suffers from cancer in Rajaeeshar prison and is deprived of access to specialised medical care.
SEND A TWEET to the regime in Iran and also to Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy:
:
@Rouhani_ir Release #Arash #Sadeghi who is suffering from cancer in #Rajaeeshar prison and deprived of accessing specialised medical care.
@FedericaMog Pressurise the regime in #Iran to release political prisoner #Arash #Sadeghi who is suffering from cancer and the authorities have deprived him of accessing specialised medical care.
SIGN please sign and share this petition in support of political prisoners who are deprived of medical care:
http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/don-t-let-their-heartbeats-stop
For more information please contact:
Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran (CFPPI)
Shiva Mahbobi, spokesperson
shiva.mahbobi@gmail.com +44(0) 7572356661