Iran: Death of trade unionist must trigger action to tackle appalling prison conditions

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC STATEMENT 

25 September 2015
Index: MDE 13/2508/2015

The announcement of an investigation into the death in custody this month of trade unionist and prisoner of conscience Shahrokh Zamani is welcome, but it must be carried out impartially and independently. It should also trigger action by the Iranian authorities to tackle the deplorable prison conditions in Iran, as well as the practice of denying prisoners access to medical care, a pattern which Amnesty International has documented.

Amnesty International notes statements made on 20 September 2015 by Gholam-Hossein MohseniEje’i, spokesperson for the Judiciary, that an investigation is underway into Shahrokh Zamani’s death, but urges the authorities to ensure that it is conducted in a prompt, impartial, independent and effective manner. Shahrokh Zamani was serving an 11-year prison sentence for his peaceful trade union activities in Raja’i Shahr Prison, Karaj, north-west of Tehran, when he died. An investigation into his death must include an assessment of the extent to which poor prison conditions and a lack of adequate access to medical care contributed to his death.
More broadly, Amnesty International calls on the Iranian authorities to urgently address the inhumane detention conditions prevalent in many of Iran’s prisons, which contribute to medical conditions developing in prisoners or exacerbate pre-existing ones. The authorities must also ensure that all those in detention have access to adequate medical treatment in line with international human rights standards and ensure that those needing specialized treatment are granted medical leave.

On 13 September 2015, the day on which Shahrokh Zamani’s body was discovered by his cellmates, a brief examination by officials in the prison’s medical centre concluded that he had died of a stroke. Shahrokh Zamani’s family requested an autopsy, which took place prior to a funeral service held on 14 September in the city of Tabriz, north-west Iran. The findings of the Medical Examiner following the autopsy are expected within approximately one month. Amnesty International understands that Shahrokh Zamani was in overall good health prior to his death, though since late September 2014 he had been waiting to receive a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan following episodes of short dizzy spells and headaches. 
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