Increased physical and mental pressure on a prisoner compelled him to attempt suicide at the Greater Tehran Penitentiary.
On July 4, Siamak Moghimi attempted suicide by slitting his wrists. His cellmates found him lying in a pool of blood in the bathroom and took him to the prison’s clinic. He was returned to the ward after a quick check-up.
Siamak Moghimi, 25, has previously attempted suicide five times after he was sentenced to death for taking part in November 2019 protests over a sharp rise in the price of petrol.
Siamak Moghimi was returning home from work when he was exposed to tear gas as the authorities resorted to violence against people to silence dissent in November 2019.
He was arrested and initially taken to Shahriar Police Headquarters. Then he was transferred to Intelligence Department of Shahriar, where he was beaten during the interrogation.
He was subsequently taken to the Greater Tehran Penitentiary.
In March, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for “assembly and collusion,” “propaganda against the state,” and “insulting Khamenei and Rouhani.”
But the authorities later told him that they made a mistake and now he is sentenced to death on charges of moharebeh (“enmity against God”).
The sentences has been issued by the Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court of Shahriar, presided by Judge Ramazani.
All this pressure caused by the death sentence and inhumane living conditions have had devastating impacts on him and have affected his mental health.
There have been several reports on catastophic conditions at the Greater Tehran Penitentiary, where a considerable number of peaceful protesters are being held.
To date, the Iranian regime has not provided official numbers on those killed, injured or arrested during the deadly state crackdown on mid-November protests over an increase in the price of gasoline. However, the spokesman of Parliament’s National Security Committee Hossein Naqavi Hosseini gave an early estimate of 7,000 people arrested during the November 15 protests.
According to eyewitness testimonies, state media reports, and reliable sources in Iran, at least 1,500 people were killed during the six days of protests in more than 144 cities.
Thousands were injured and arrested, including children as young as 15, during the protests.
Iranian judiciary officials have tryed and issued sentences for a number of detained protesters.
Iran’s Supreme Court has recently upheld the death sentences of three young men who were arrested by security forces during the nationwide protests.
The three men, Amir-Hossein Moradi, Saeed Tamjidi and Mohammad Rajabi, were all sentenced to flogging, prison terms and death sentence by the Revolutionary Court for various charges brought against them. They have said that they were tortured and coerced into making false confessions aired by the state-run television.
