Aging Political Prisoners Held in Inhuman Conditions

Nahid Taghavi, a 68-year-old German-Iranian national who has been arbitrarily detained in Tehran’s Evin prison for nearly 20 months has severe medical conditions that are putting her life in danger.

A fellow inmate, prominent rights activist Narges Mohammadi, on June 4 raised alarm over Taghavi’s fate, saying the prisoner of conscience suffers excruciating pain and can "barely get out of her bed."

Mohammadi's message from prison drew attention to the harrowing plight faced by aging political prisoners held in the Islamic Republic’s dungeons.

This report aims to cast light upon the situations faced by Taghavi and three other aging inmates – Mir-Yousef Younesi, Fatemeh Sepehri and Asadullah Hadi – who, despite grappling with chronic and potentially life-threatening diseases, are denied their fundamental right to access adequate medical treatment.

Nahid Taghavi: “Her Life Is in Danger”

Nahid Taghavi, a retired architect and women's rights activist, is serving a nearly 11-year sentence after being arrested in Tehran in 2020 and convicted a year later on national security charges that her family vehemently rejects. 

Mohammadi wrote on Instagram that Taghavi has now spent 220 days in isolation, and over the past few days her health has deteriorated. 

The confinement worsened an existing spinal disc condition, Mohammadi added, and Taghavi is also suffering from cervical disc problems, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Taghavi was allowed brief medical leave in October 2022, but according to her family, she was returned to jail before she could recover.

"The life of Nahid Taghavi, a political prisoner, is in danger," Mohammadi warned.

The activist said that Taghavi "goes to the infirmary, receives strong painkiller injections and returns to her bed."

"The pain is so severe it can be seen on her face," she added.

For months, Taghavi’s daughter Maryam Claren has sounded the alarm regarding the prisoner’s deteriorating health. 

In a letter, she revealed that judicial officials informed her mother's lawyers that she "would have been released if she were not German." 

Western governments have repeatedly accused the Islamic Republic of taking dual and foreign nationals hostage to use them in prisoner swaps or as a bargaining chip in international negotiations.

Mir-Yousef Younesi: “They’re Trying to Break Him Down”

On December 28, 2022, security forces arrested 70-year-old Mir-Yousef Younesi, father of imprisoned student Ali Younesi, in the north-eastern city of Shahrud.

He is being arbitrarily detained in Evin prison, where according to Amnesty International he has been kept in prolonged solitary confinement, denied healthcare and subjected to degrading verbal insults to force him to “confess.”

Reza Younesi, his other son who resides in Sweden, told IranWire that his father spent “a few weeks” in solitary confinement before being transferred to the general ward of Evin prison. 

“Although his mental state remains stable, his physical condition has worsened due to his age and various illnesses. His most significant challenge is his hearing loss in one ear."

Reza Younsei emphasized that his father already had hearing problems when he was arrested. 

"My father was seeking treatment,” he said. “However, his arrest prevented him from getting the necessary medical attention, resulting in complete hearing loss in one ear. This impedes his daily activities, and he has been denied the opportunity to continue his treatment."

On the 43rd day of his father's arrest, when he was in solitary confinement, Reza Younesi wrote on Twitter that his father’s jailers were trying to “break him down physically and mentally through constant interrogations."

"At the age of 70, confined to a 1 x 2-meter room, deprived of sufficient and nutritious food, denied access to books, television and human interaction," he said.

His son Ali Younesi, a prisoner of conscience who was studying at Tehran’s Sharif University, was sentenced in April 2022 to 16 years in prison on spurious national security charges after a grossly unfair trial. His conviction was based on “confessions” which the men retracted in court and said were obtained under torture and other ill-treatment.

Fatemeh Sepehri: “She Lost Approximately 15 Kilograms”

Fatemeh Sepehri, 59, is one of the 14 signatories of a 2019 letter requesting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s resignation, the abolition of the Islamic Republic and the establishment of a secular government.

The prominent political activist was arrested in the north-eastern of Mashhad on September 12, 2022 and sentenced in February this year to a total of 18 years in prison on charges including “propaganda against the regime,” “cooperating with hostile countries” and “insulting” Khamenei and his predecessor, Ruhollah Khomeini.

At the time of her arrest, Sepehri was experiencing pain in her left wrist and palm, and she underwent three surgeries during her imprisonment. 

Less than a week ago, while undergoing skin graft surgery from her wrist to her palm, the wound on her palm reopened. The doctor prescribed 10 days of hospitalization to allow her wound to heal, but she was sent back to Vakil Abad prison in Mashhad.

In May, her brother Asghar Sepehri raised alarm about her deteriorating health, writing on Twitter she had lost approximately 15 kilograms since her arrest.

He said his sister was experiencing intestinal bleeding, further compounding her suffering following her hand surgery.

Sepehri also suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure.

Asadullah Hadi: “The Dire Situation He Is in Exceeds His Endurance”

Asadullah Hadi, a 66-year-old political prisoner, suffers from various ailments, including heart, kidney and digestive diseases. He also suffers from neck and back disc problems and knee arthritis. But the prison authorities have denied him proper medical treatment.

Hadi was arrested on October 1 at his home in Tehran by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence. He spent 45 days in Evin Prison where he was subjected to repeated interrogations before being transferred to Greater Tehran Prison.

The Norway-based Iran Human Rights Organization reported on March 25 that Hadi had been rushed to a special care unit. 

"Asadullah Hadi was admitted to the prison two days ago due to his worsening condition,” it quoted a source as saying. “He was briefly taken to Greater Tehran prison medical center and then returned to the ward. However, due to the severity of his condition, he was transferred in emergency to Loqman Hospital in Tehran."

Another informed source told IranWire that Hadi “has a heart condition and has undergone heart surgery in the past.”

“The dire situation he is in exceeds his endurance, and his advanced age, coupled with inadequate access to good, sufficient and nutritious food, has severely weakened his body," the source added.

"Prisoners in Greater Tehran Prison rarely receive fruits, dairy products, and vegetables,” the source continued. “These items are either unavailable in the prison store or not fresh. The overall health situation is very poor."