Mohammad Javad Vafaie Sani, a political prisoner sentenced to death, has been denied essential medical treatment, access to prison facilities, and transfer to a ward designated for political prisoners. He has been held alongside individuals convicted of violent crimes for over five years, in violation of the principle of separating prisoners based on the nature of their offenses.
According to informed sources, Vafaie Sani has been suffering for months from severe knee tendon damage and chronic pain. Prison doctors recommended physiotherapy, a proposal that was approved by prison officials, including the prison warden and the security division. Despite this, judicial authorities, including the prison’s supervising judge, have repeatedly refused to grant permission for him to receive treatment outside the prison.
The denial of proper medical care is not the only form of mistreatment faced by the prisoner, who is a supporter of the opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). Vafaie Sani has also been prohibited from using the prison gym facilities, which could help improve his knee condition. This request, too, was declined.
Background
Born in 1996, Mohammad Javad Vafaie Sani is a former boxing champion from Mashhad. He was arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in March 2020 following the November 2019 protests. Reports indicate that he was subjected to 65 days of physical and psychological torture during interrogation.
In January 2022, the Revolutionary Court of Mashhad, presided over by Judge Mansouri, sentenced Vafaie Sani to death on charges of “corruption on earth” through alleged arson and destruction of government property, including a building belonging to the Organization for Governmental punishments (Ta’zirat).
In December 2022, the Supreme Court overturned his death sentence and referred the case for retrial. However, in July 2023, the death sentence was reinstated by the Second Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Mashhad. On June 7, 2024, the Supreme Court once again overturned the ruling, citing flaws in the lower court’s judgment.
Vafaie Sani’s lawyer, Babak Paknia, announced the development on social media, noting that the case had been returned for a new review by a different court branch.
