Human rights activist criticises the denial of medical care

According to the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR/IGFM), political prisoners in the Islamic Republic of Iran are systematically denied urgently needed medical treatment. The ISHR/IGFM is aware of a series of cases in which political prisoners have been denied life-critical medical care or have been treated far too late. Namely, we refer to the story of Hossein Ronaghi Maleki. The blogger, sentenced to 15 years in prison, suffers from an acute kidney disease. Even though he received the necessary kidney transplant, Maleki is still in a desperate situation. According to reports, after the much too late kidney transplant, he remains in extraordinarily poor health. He is denied the necessary follow-up treatment.

Similarly as dramatic as the story of Hossein Ronaghi Maleki was the fate of Moshen Dogmehchi. The political prisoner died in March 2011 due to a deliberately delayed treatment of pancreatic cancer, even though doctors had urgently ordered chemotherapy.

The ISHR/IGFM views such denial of medical assistance as a "systematic method" of the Iranian regime. ISHR/IGFM Spokesman of the Board Martin Lessenthin criticises: "Blogger Hossein Ronaghi Maleki is threatened with the death penalty without execution. The denial of necessary medical care is a massive violation of human rights, because every person has the right to life." A journalist close to the ISHR/IGFM, who shared a cell with Dogmehchi, quotes a state prosecutor’s response to his inquiries: "Not all of these [people] should die by execution." This shows traits of a planned strategy, a strategy for the destruction of the opposition, which is slower than but at least as effective as an actual execution. We call on the Iranian leadership to ensure the appropriate and medical care of critically ill prisoners and to allow independent experts to investigate all the known cases of denied treatment.