Iran: Narges Mohammadi and other detainees with life-threatening conditions need urgent medical treatment, say experts

GENEVA – UN human rights experts* today expressed dismay that Iran continues to deny access to timely and appropriate healthcare to human rights defender, Narges Mohammadi and other detainees, despite repeated appeals.

“Our deep concerns about the physical and mental integrity of Narges Mohammadi have been communicated to the Iranian Government,” the experts said. “Once again we call on Iranian authorities to release her immediately and ensure her access to full medical care without delay, along with other detainees.”

Over the past eight months, Mohammadi has been suffering from acute back and knee pain, including a herniated spinal disc, according to medical specialists and MRI and CT scan examinations.

On 6 August 2024, Mohammadi was reportedly subjected to physical violence during an incident in the women’s ward of Evin Prison. She allegedly lost consciousness, and sustained injuries to her ribcage and other parts of her body. Mohammadi requested access to her lawyer to file a complaint about the physical violence as well as a forensic examination of her injuries. Both requests were allegedly denied by the Evin Prison authorities.

“The denial of medical care appears to be used to punish and silence Mohammadi inside prison. These reports raise serious concerns regarding her right to health and physical well-being,” the experts said.

“The healthcare of prisoners, as well as the obligation not to expose any prisoner to ill-treatment, is the responsibility of the State, ” they said, recalling that the Islamic Republic of Iran is party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). “Prisoners have the right to equivalent healthcare available in the community and must be given prompt access to medical attention in urgent cases,” the experts said.

They pointed to a pattern of ill-treatment of Iranian detainees, including lack of access to adequate medical treatment. "Such deprivations may amount to torture and inhuman treatment, which is an absolute right not liable to exceptions and derogations, and a jus cogens norm of international human rights law,” they said.

“We are equally concerned for Fatemeh Sepehri, Mahmoud Mehrabi, Davood Razavi, Hasan Saeedi, and Reza Shahabi Zakaria, who have been denied access to appropriate healthcare, despite medical tests and reports indicating the urgency of their cases,” the experts said.

“We reiterate our calls for the immediate release of human rights defenders and all other individuals in Iranian detention facilities who are currently being held arbitrarily.”