• Urgent Action

Urgent Action: TORTURED OLDER PRISONER’S LIFE AT RISK (Iran: UA 24.22)

March 14, 2022

Iranian authorities are torturing Shokrollah Jebeli, an imprisoned 82-year-old Australian-Iranian national, by deliberately denying him adequate specialized medical care and withholding medication for his multiple serious health conditions. In light of his age and poor health, as well as violations of his fair trial rights rendering his detention arbitrary, he must be released immediately.

TAKE ACTION:
  1. Please take action as-soon-as possible. This Urgent Action expires on May 9, 2022.
  2. Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
  3. Click here to let us know the actions you took on Urgent Action 24.22. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Head of judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei c/o Embassy of Iran to the European Union Avenue Franklin Roosevelt No. 15, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium
H.E. Majid Takht Ravanchi Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran 622 Third Avenue, 34th Floor New York, NY 10017 Phone: 212 687-2020 I Fax: 212 867 7086 Email: [email protected] , [email protected] Twitter: @Iran_UN , @TakhtRavanchi Salutation: Dear Ambassador

SAMPLE LETTER Dear Mr Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, The life of Shokrollah Jebeli, an 82-year-old dual Australian-Iranian national, is at risk as Iranian authorities continue to deny him access to adequate specialized medical care. His health has deteriorated since his imprisonment in Tehran’s Evin prison on January 31, 2020. He suffers from enlarged kidney stones, a history of strokes, sciatica in his legs, high blood pressure, and an umbilical hernia for which he needs surgery. Although he was taken to a hospital outside prison after he had a stroke in early 2021, the authorities returned him to prison the same day against medical advice. Until January 2022, the authorities denied him all his medication; since then, they have only allowed him access to some of his medications at his own expense. On March 8, 2022, he was found unresponsive and incontinent by other prisoners but the authorities have failed to provide him with the specialized treatment he needs. He has since regained consciousness but is incontinent and slurs his words. In letters dated January 17, 2021, and addressed to the prosecutor’s office, which decides on prisoners’ medical leave, the Evin prison director and the head of the prison clinic stated that his continued imprisonment would be life-threatening. Despite this, prosecution authorities continue to deny him specialized healthcare and have rejected his release on medical grounds unless he pays 70 billion rial (approximately USD 290,000), which he cannot afford. He is held in conditions that violate the absolute prohibition of torture or other ill-treatment. He shares an overcrowded and insect-infested cell with around 19 other prisoners and is deprived of adequate accommodation, forcing him to sleep on the floor on a mattress. He has difficulty walking unassisted and relies on other prisoners to perform basic daily tasks. He has fallen numerous times, chipping his teeth and resulting in cuts to his face and body. According to information available to Amnesty International, Shokrollah Jebeli is facing two separate cases in relation to financial dispute claims brought by several plaintiffs. He has been sentenced to four years and six months in prison in one case, while the second is ongoing. The authorities have denied him legal representation of his choosing and the judge presiding over his second case has demanded the removal of his current independently chosen lawyer. In addition to being denied adequate time and facilities to prepare his defence, informed sources have said that the prosecution and other judicial authorities have refused to consider potentially exculpatory evidence despite numerous requests by Shokrollah Jebeli. The Iranian authorities have also denied him access to consular assistance. I urge you to release Shokrollah Jebeli, whose detention is arbitrary on the basis of his unfair trial and who, as an older person with pre-existing conditions, is at heightened risk of severe illness or death if he contracts Covid-19 in prison. Pending his release, ensure that he is granted access to regular telephone calls with family, adequate medical care, a lawyer of his own choosing and consular assistance from the Australian authorities. I further call on you to investigate his torture and other ill-treatment claims, including through the denial of adequate medical care, and hold those responsible to account. Sincerely, [YOUR NAME] ADDITIONAL RESOURCES