HRANA News Agency – Afshin Sohrabzadeh, political prisoner who has been diagnosed with cancer and transferred to Minab prison, had started a hunger strike in response to rejection of his furlough request. He had sewn his lips since April 11. On April 21^st, after prison authorities requested him to break his strike and informed him that next month the prosecutor would come to prison for a visit, he ended his strike. Now Minab’s prosecutor will define the faith of this ill political prisoner who is in need of imminent medical treatment.
According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Afshin Sohrabzadeh, political prisoner who has been exiled to Minab prison, is suffering from colon cancer and breathing problems and internal bleeding. He was on the 10^th day of his hunger strike when he broke it after prison authorities visited him and asked him to break the strike, and told him that the prosecutor would visit the prison next month and would assess the physician’s request regarding continuation of his medical treatment in a hospital outside of Hormozgan province.
A close source to Afshin Sohrabzadeh told HRANA’s reporter: “Yesterday on April 21^st Afshin was transferred to clinic and Mr. Bahadoran, prison’s physician wrote a letter to the head of prison stating that Afshin’s disease has progressed and he needed schemotherapy which can be performed in a hospital outside of Hormozgan province”.
This informed source also said, “Prison authorities asked Afshin, who has lost almost 10kg, to end his strike and informed him that the prosecutor would come to the prison this month. Afshin has said to them, if they would not accept the furlough, at least to send him for medical treatment. This time if nothing would change, he would end his life and that he could not stand the situation anymore”.
He emphasized, “After these incidents, the faith of Afshin depends on the decision of the prosecutor and he will be responsible for what would come in the future. All of the documents and even forensic approval are available and documented”.
Need to be mentioned, Amnesty international issued a statement recently and demanded consideration about the condition of Afshin Sohrabzadeh, ill political prisoner who has been exiled to Minab, and is suffering from digestion and breathing problems.
HRANA had reported earlier that despite his family’s follow-up after the early summer last year and paying 40 million IRR, the prisoner who had been transferred to Evin prison for medical treatment, after a few months without any proper treatment was returned to Minab prison due to high cost of the treatment (about 700 million IRR) and the inability of his family in paying this amount. Returning the prisoner to the former place cost his family 10 million and 200 thousand IRR.
According to the close relatives of this prisoner, Mr. Sohrabzadeh has been beaten during the interrogations by the intelligence officers of Kamyaran which led to the rupture of the hernia and a broken nose and problems of the bladder area, so that he was admitted in two ten-day periods in Sanandaj hospital.
Afshin Sohrabzadeh underwent an intestinal surgery last year which was unsuccessful and led to internal bleeding.
Last year his family offered a deposit of 2 billion IRR paying for the bail to send him to leave which met the disagreement of Minab prison. They also tried to request a leave for Afshin Sohrabzadeh again this year by putting off a deed, which faced again the rejection of authorities in Minab prison.
It should be noted despite the high cost of treatment and medication and the inability of family to afford it, the prisoner because of confiscation of his identification documents at the time of arrest, is deprived of having the health insurance.
Afshin Sohrabzadeh is born in 1990. In June 8, 2009, he was arrested by the intelligence authorities of Kamyaran near the dam of Gavoshan in the road on a coach on charges of fleeing the country to join one of the Kurdish parties.
It should be noted Sohrabzadeh was transferred to Sanandaj Central Prison after the interrogations at the Intelligence Office of Kamyaran, and then in March 2011, was banished from “Sanandaj Central Prison” to “Minab prison”.
Afshin Sohrabzadeh was charged with waging war against God through membership in opposition parties in a 5-minute-long court in Branch 2 of Sanandaj court by Judge Tayari and was sentenced to 25 years in prison and exile to Minab prison. His sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court.