A prisoner died on November 30, after being denied adequate medical treatment in a prison in Ilam, western Iran.
Ruhollah Maleki, 30, was on the fourth day of his hunger strike that day when he was taken to prison hospital after attempting to commit suicide by taking pills.
His physical condition was serious but he was returned to the ward without receiving adequate treatmetn, which led to his death.
According to the Hengaw Organization, the prisoner went on a hunger strike on November 27 to protest the 10-year uncertainty of his case. On the second day of the strike, he was beaten by prison agents and transferred to solitary confinement.
Maleki was arrested in March 2012 for murder charges and was sentenced to death two years later by the Ilam Criminal Court.
International and Iranian law require prison authorities to provide adequate medical care. Iran’s state prison organization regulations state that, if necessary, detainees must be transferred to a hospital outside the prison facility. The UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners require authorities to transfer all those held needing specialist medical treatment to specialized institutions, including civilian hospitals.
Howeve, Iran has a dismal record of providing prisoners access to necessary medical treatment. Many prisoners in Iran are in desperate need of medical treatment.
Prisoners, especially prisoners of conscience and political prisoners, are routinely denied proper medical treatment.
The death of prisoner of conscience Behnam Mahjoubi, who died on February 21, 2021, after untreated medical conditions that included serious neurological issues is just an example of the abysmal situation of prisoners in Iran.
