Mohammad Jarahi a prominent labor rights activist died on Thursday October 5, due to a cancer that was left untreated while he was kept in jail.
He was arrested by the intelligence agents of Tabriz in 2010 on the charge of advocating workers’ rights.
Following a two-month interrogation, during which he was tortured and mentally pressured Mohammad Jarahi was sentenced to five years and a half behind bars.
During his detention he underwent a surgery due to his thyroid cancer.
After surgery he has been sent back to prison, despite further need of treatment.
The Iranian authorities shockingly added to his pain by denying him sick leave.
He was seen by specialist doctors who prescribed him medical treatment outside prison. However, the authorities refused to authorize him adequate medical care.
His family’s pleas for treatment had been also repeatedly ignored when he was in prison.
The temporary leave typically granted to prisoners in Iran for a variety of familial, holiday, and medical reasons is routinely denied to political prisoners as a form of additional punishment.
The 60-year-old was released on August 10, 2017, and soon admitted to a hospital but it was very late and he died due to an untreated thyroid cancer.
Jarahi’s death puts a spotlight on the treatment of political prisoners in Iran who are routinely denied medical access.
The Amnesty International has warned about the health conditions of dozens of political prisoners emphasizing that Iranian authorities are putting political prisoners’ lives at risk by denying them medical care.
