prosecutors' offices, prisons and detention centers.”5 There is no readily available information
about the outcome of such inspections. Additionally, there is no readily official and available
information as to the number of complaints, their nature or 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
where the prisoner was forced to pay for personal transfer to a specialized institution or outside
hospital or for cases of denial of medical care due to the inability of the prisoner to pay for such
transfer.
Recent cases of prisoners who had to pay for their own medical expenses, or were denied
medical care due to their inability to pay, indicate that the Islamic Republic of Iran has not
ensured that all prisoners requiring specialist or any other treatment not available within prison
are transferred free of cost to specialized institutions or outside hospitals to receive such
treatment.6 Other cases indicate that the Islamic Republic of Iran has not ensured that all
prisoners requiring specialist or any other treatment not available in prison are transferred to
specialized institutions or outside hospitals, regardless of medical expenses. Among these
instances, in 2019, Mr. Arash Sadeghi was denied hospitalization, despite urgent need to receive
specialized treatment in a hospital outside prison, following the diagnose of a rare form of bone
cancer. When Mr. Sadeghi finally began radiotherapy treatment, his health condition reportedly
had already seriously deteriorated. He has been denied temporary medical furlough despite his
worsening health condition.7 8
Ms. Nasrin Sotoudeh was granted temporary medical furlough on 7 November 2020. However,
despite medical experts recommending otherwise, Ms. Sotoudeh was returned to prison on 2
December 2020.9 10 Ms. Sotoudeh’s case indicates the Islamic Republic of Iran has not ensured
that all prisoners requiring specialist or any other treatment not available within prison remain in
specialized institutions or outside hospitals for as long as such treatment is deemed necessary by
specialist doctors.
Recommendation Status:
This recommendation has NOT been implemented.
5
National Report, UPR 2019, Islamic Republic of Iran, https://undocs.org/A/HRC/WG.6/34/IRN/1
Front Line Defenders, https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/womens-rights-defender-saba-kord-afshari-sentenced-15years-prison and https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/continued-detention-iranian-blogger-soheil-arabi-and-judicialharassment-his-mother
7
Front Line Defenders, https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/case-history-arash-sadeghi
8
United For Iran, https://ipa.united4iran.org/en/prisoner/1931/
9
Front Line Defenders, https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/nasrin-sotoudeh-arrested
10
United For Iran, https://ipa.united4iran.org/en/prisoner/4445/
6
2