HRANA News Agency – Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Hossein Boroujerdi, a prisoner of conscience in Evin Prison at the beginning of the eleventh year of his imprisonment without medical care and even a day of leave is being held in special section of Evin prison for clergies. It has been said that a new case has been opened for him.
According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Ayatollah Boroujerdi who had been arrested in 2006 and sentenced to 11 years in prison and also confiscation of his property, is held in ward 325-A of Evin prison, the special ward for clergies with various diseases and without medical care.
A close relative of Ayatollah Boroujerdi in an interview with our reporter said: “Recently he has been summoned to the court and was told that a new case under the title of apostasy had been opened for him to which he responded that he did not accept the charges and did not attend the trial. These (allegations) are all only oral and he has not received any warrant.”
He also discussed the condition of Mr. Boroujerdi and added: “He is suffering from physical problems heart disease, followed by lung embolism and respiratory problems, kidney stones and kidney pain and they do not give him medications. He hands also shake but we do not know the cause and if it is Parkinson. His feet is swollen and very sore to the extent that in some cases he has no ability to walk, and he says ‘it is like there is a knife in my leg hurts so much.’ He also suffers from health and digestion problems as a result of consumption of prison food. This is so that Mr. Boroujerdi said that ‘it seems as if they add something to my food.’”
The source associated with Mr. Boroujerdi said about the medical treatment for his diseases and the treatment process: “he was examined only once in Yazd. After his condition deteriorated several times and he transferred to the prison clinic, the doctor admitted that he should be transferred to outside of prison for treatment, but authorities have said they did not have his medical file to send to the doctors outside the prison.”
The source also said about the presence of a lawyer in the legal process of Boroujerdi: “Ayatollah Boroujerdi has never had a lawyer, his family was told that they would have to pay for a lawyer a heavy amount, whereas the public defender is free and such a request is illegal. Mr. Boroujerdi asked for the lawyer of his choice which was not accepted. Ms. Poorfazel, despite several visits in Yazd and Tehran has not been accepted as a lawyer and has not had access to the case.”
He added: “Recently, they sent a cellmate who has contagious tuberculosis. However, the special section of the prison for clergies is very quiet and such it is not necessary that the person with a contagious disease must be kept along with Mr. Boroujerdi. He has also complained and requested the prison authorities to separate him from this person, so far no action has been taken.”
The source close to Ayatollah Boroujerdi concluded by saying: “We are worried about his health. With these explanations, lack of health care, being cellmate with infectious disease, it seems as if the government has the intent to kill him. We demand the authorities to prove if he is well or let him to leave for treatment. At the last meeting he has had with the family, with the help of four people, he could come to meet them and had not the ability to walk.”
Ayatollah Boroujerdi has been arrested in 1995, 2000 and 2005, and sentenced last time in 2009 to 11 years in prison.
He was kept in Yazd prison for a year and then was transferred to Evin prison.