Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders A/HRC/28/63/Add.1 para
263
Full recommendation:
The Special Rapporteur urges the authorities to provide information on the remaining three
detainees, as well as those included in other communications during the present reporting
period, as soon as possible as grave concern is expressed about their state of health and limited
access to medical treatment.
Assessment
The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders (HRDs) sent a
communication on 15 July 2014 to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the
alleged denial and inadequate provision of medical care to HRDs in detention. In the
communication, the Special Rapporteur refers to seven HRDs in detention,1 reportedly in poor
states of health and in urgent need of adequate treatment. The Government of the Islamic
Republic of Iran responded to the communication, informing the Special Rapporteur on the
health conditions of four of the seven detained HRDs concerned, with no mention of the three
remaining detainees: Mr. Hadi Esmaeilzadeh, Mr. Behnam Ebrahimzadeh and Mr. Saeed
Shirzad.2 Responding to a subsequent communication,3 the Government provided information on
the case of Mr. Saeed Shirzad and refuted allegations of reprisals for cooperating with the
Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The
Government, however, remained silent on allegations of prolonged solitary confinement.4
The Special Rapporteur sent five other communications to the Government of the Islamic
Republic of Iran in 2014 concerning “reports of acts of intimidation and reprisals in detention,
including the torture and ill-treatment of detainees, prolonged solitary confinement, prolonged
and harsh investigation and psychological mistreatment.”5 As of February 2021, the Government
has not responded to any of them.
1
Mr. Hadi Esmaeilzadeh ; Mr. Reza Shahabi Zakaria; Mr. Shahrokh Zamani; Mr. Mohammad Jarrahi; Mr. Behnam (Assad)
Ebrahimzadeh; Mr. Mohammad Molanaei; Mr. Saeed Shirzad, Communication IRN 12/2014,
https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=19867
2
Reply of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Communication IRN 12/2014,
https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadFile?gId=30998
3
Case no: IRN 25/2014 Alleged arrest and detention of a human rights activist, including as a form of reprisal for cooperating
with the United Nations, its mechanisms and representatives in the field of human rights.
https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=19788
4
Reply of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to communication IRN 25/2014,
https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadFile?gId=31617
5
Case no: IRN 2/2014 Alleged arrest, detention and sentencing to seven years in prison of a student and women’s rights activist.
https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=19686
Case no: IRN 7/2014 Alleged deteriorating physical health of three human rights activists due to denial of medical care in
detention. https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=19953
1