Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran
A/HRC/37/68 para 88
Full recommendation
The Special Rapporteur notes with grave concern a pattern of denial of medical treatment to
certain categories of detainees, especially prisoners of conscience, political prisoners, and
human rights defenders, and urges the Government to investigate, address, and remedy
such allegations, in light of the imminent threat to life in many circumstances.
Assessment using Impact Iran human rights indicators1
Iran’s Prison Regulations provide for the management and supervision of all prisons and
detention centers in the country, including such aspects as access to adequate food and water and
visits and communication with family. The Regulations specify that all prisoners should have
access to medical care, including regular medical check-ups, and that their medical needs should
be addressed to the extent possible unless transfer to treatment centers outside the prison is
considered necessary.2 3
In its 2019 National Report to the Universal Periodic Review, the Government of the Islamic
Republic of Iran reported that the Citizenship Rights Watch Board carries out periodic
inspections within prisons and detention centers. According to the Government, the Board has
“received and handled 3,275 complaints and reports through the complaint system in relation to
civil rights violations. Between 2015 and 2018, 28,504 inspections were carried out in
prosecutors' offices, prisons and detention centers.”4 There is no readily available information
about the outcome of such inspections. Additionally, there is no readily available official
information as to the number of complaints, their nature, and whether they have been adequately
investigated and adjudicated in compliance with international standards. There is no readily
available information that might suggest that custodial staff has been investigated for cases of
denial of medical care for detainees.
However, a significant number of human rights defenders in poor states of health, for whom
detention may exacerbate existing health issues, have been denied medical care and kept in
detention, suggesting that medical attention is provided on a discriminatory basis in Iran, notably
with regard to political opinion. These include the situations of Mr. Farhad Meysami, Mr. Arash
Sadeghi, Mr. Soheil Arabi and Ms. Narges Mohammadi. Special Procedures of the UN have sent
1
CCPR.10.1.S.1; CCPR.10.3.P.2; CCPR.10.2.P.3; CCPR.10.1.O.2
See more: Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, https://iranhrdc.org/rights-disregarded-prisons-in-the-islamic-republic-ofiran/
3
See more: Amnesty International, https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/MDE1341962016ENGLISH.PDF
4
National Report, UPR 2019, Islamic Republic of Iran, https://undocs.org/A/HRC/WG.6/34/IRN/1
2
1