New Covid-19 case has created greater risk of infection for political prisoners in Rajaei Shahr Prison, Karaj.
Political prisoner Iraj Hatami who suffers symptoms similar to the Covid-19 disease, was sent to a civic hospital on Tuesday, June 16.
Mr. Hatami is presently detained in the political prisoners’ ward in Rajaei Shahr Prison of Karaj. He had been sent on furlough in March, but returned to prison after two weeks and sent to Hall No. 10, ward 4. The week after, he developed symptoms similar to the Covid-19 symptoms. Upon diagnosis of the doctor and head of the dispensary he was sent to a civic hospital.
Other political prisoners with serious illnesses are detained in the same ward and are in greater danger of contracting the disease after diagnosis of the new Covid-19 case.
They include Arash Sadeghi who suffers from chondrosarcoma (bone cancer), Afshin Bayemani and Abolqassem Fouladvand who have a heart condition. These political prisoners have already been denied of access to adequate medical treatment.
With the possibility of Iraj Hatami testing positive, the lives of other prisoners in this ward are in danger. To bring down the risk of infection, prison authorities should have allowed prisoners to remain a longer period on furlough. The prisoners who returned from furlough, were not held in quarantine for a sufficient period of time
Allah Karam Azizi, the warden of Rajaei Shahr Prison, also known as Gohardasht, and Amin Vaziri, the supervisor for political prisoners, are notorious for hindering medical treatment of detainees and their dispatch to civic hospitals.
Iraj Hatami was arrested in 2010 on charges of collaboration with the hostile U.S. government and sentenced to 10 years in jail.
Mr. Hatami had been previously detained for two years in a military detention center, but this has not been counted as time he served in prison. And three months after completing his ten years, he is still being detained.
