Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights calls upon United Nations to save Ahwazi detainees’ life
Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights received several news from reliable resources within the Ahwaz region reporting that a terrible disaster was exercised by the Iranian occupation regime against the Ahwazi detainees in Ahwaz capital prison of “Sheyban”.
The resources stated that several Ahwazi detainees in Sheyban prison have been diagnosed with Covid-19 (Delta variant) in recent days and the prison responsible officers are refusing to allow the infected detainees from being treated.
The sources that are closed to the detainees’ families expressed that the capacity of the Sheyban prison before the July protest was full and after the July protest and due to mass arrests against Ahwazi peaceful protestors, the room of prison with a dimension of 3*4 meters is occupied with 18 to 20 detainees and Covid-19 is infecting almost the majority of the prisoners within Sheyban prison.
The Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights was in contact with a detainee family and due to security issues can not mention their name, family quoting from their son in prison that “all Sheyban prisoners in section five are carrying signs of infection with Covid-19, in which everyone in section five has lost the sense of smell and taste and the situation is very dire”.
“Many detainees are not feeling well and the prison officers are refusing to allow the prisoners to get out of prison for treatment purposes or treating them within the prison. Many detainees while there is no place to sit and must stand and replace their place with other on rota bases, are losing their conscience due to Covid-19 and the prison officers are transferring the prisoners to solitary confinement without providing any means for treatment” the detainee told his family.
The Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights has identified the following Ahwazi prisoners’ names that have been diagnosed with Covid-19.
1- Reza Echresh
2- Rahim Afrawi
3- Foad Albofeteiley Nejad
4- Mohammad Cheldawi
5- Hossein Farisat
6- Nohammad Thaalabi
7- Abdulemam Zaeiri
Mr. Reza Echresh is an Ahwazi environmentalist that was arrested in 2020 and sentenced to 11 years in prison has been identified as a prisoner with Covid-19 in Sheyban prison and despite his family chase up in different departments but the prison officials have denied letting him leave out of prison even when his health condition’s worsening.
Mr. Foad Albofeteiley Nejad is an Ahwazi journalist who was arrested due to his media activities by exposing the human rights abuses in Ahwaz in 2020, also is one of the infected with the Covid Delta variant. Foad suffers from Asthma and his health condition is reported critical and denied treatment out of prison by the Iranian criminal regime prison officials.
The other prisoners including Mr. Mohammad Cheldawi, Mr. Abdulemam Zaeiri, Mr. Nohammad Thaalabi, and Hossein Farisat are all Ahwazi political prisoners diagnosed with Covid-19 and denied medical treatment out of prison. Ahwazi activists told Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights that the Iranian regime is revenging from Ahwazi detainees by not providing the basic treatment for detainees and get rid of them under the pretext of Covid-19.
The families of the mentioned prisoners demanded from the Revolutionary Court and Sheyban Prison officials in Ahwaz capital to allow their sons for sick leave, which was rejected by both authorities.
According to the reports, Sheyban prison is in a critical situation and the unprecedented spread of Covid-19 threatens the lives of other prisoners.
The families of prisoners in Sheyban Prison along with the Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights are calling on United Nations special rapporteur Mr. Javiad Rehman and human rights organizations and activists to address the dire and critical situation of their children in this prison as soon as possible. As the time pass, the life of dozens of Ahwazi prisoners will be in danger with complete media silence of the Iranian occupation regime.
Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights
18 August 2021
