Afshin Baymani, born in 1974 in Ramhormoz, Khuzestan, is a political prisoner in Iran whose tragic and harrowing journey underscores the severe and systemic human rights abuses faced by political detainees in the country. Arrested on September 5, 2000, for aiding his brother Mehdi Baymani, a member of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), Afshin has spent 24 years in prison, enduring unimaginable hardships and injustices.
Afshin’s ordeal began with his arrest alongside his wife and children. Mehdi, his brother, was subsequently killed by security forces, and the family never received his body. In the infamous Evin Prison, Afshin was held in solitary confinement in Ward 209, subjected to months of brutal torture and interrogation. Initially sentenced to death for his alleged connections with the PMOI, his sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment after six grueling years. In 2009, he was transferred to Gohardasht Prison (also known as Rajai Shahr Prison).
Over the past 24 years, Afshin has been shuttled between Evin, Gohardasht, and Ghezel Hesar prisons, repeatedly tortured and denied basic human rights. His health has deteriorated significantly; he suffers from severe heart disease, spinal and knee problems, and his right eye is at risk of blindness due to the intensity of the torture. Despite his critical health conditions, Afshin has faced continuous neglect and obstruction in accessing necessary medical care.
In 2018, Afshin was tried in absentia and fined 12 billion rials for the supposed cost of maintaining an injured officer during his brother’s arrest. This prompted a hunger strike in protest. On May 30, 2020, authorities attempted to confiscate his land in Ramhormoz, but his family and local residents resisted.
In December 2023, while on medical leave for heart surgery, Afshin was rearrested in Isfahan and transferred to Asadabad Prison, then back to Ghezel Hesar. Despite his critical need for cardiac surgery, he remains deprived of adequate medical treatment. In July 2017, Afshin developed coronary artery disease, which has been exacerbated by the appalling prison conditions and continued neglect by prison authorities.
The cruelty of the Iranian judicial and prison systems towards Afshin reached new heights in January 2024. During a raid by prison guards, Afshin suffered a heart attack due to chest trauma and was hospitalized. The authorities’ persistent refusal to grant him proper medical care, despite his life-threatening conditions, highlights the gross violations of human rights in Iran’s treatment of political prisoners.
Afshin’s family, residing far from the various prisons he has been held in, faces tremendous emotional and physical strain. His parents live in Ramhormoz, nearly a thousand kilometers away from Ghezel Hesar Prison, and his wife and two children reside in Isfahan. This geographical separation has deprived him of regular family visits, further compounding his suffering.
Afshin Baymani’s story is a stark reminder of the brutal reality faced by many political prisoners in Iran. His prolonged incarceration, despite serious health issues and persistent denial of medical care, epitomizes the Iranian regime’s relentless suppression of dissent and the pervasive violations of human rights. As Afshin continues to languish in prison, his plight demands urgent international attention and action to address and rectify these gross injustices.
