Exiled and Ailing: Protester Manouchehr Jafari Ahmadabadi Denied Access to Medical Care in Ardakan

HRANA News Agency – Manouchehr Jafari Ahmadabadi, a protester from the 2022 nationwide demonstrations, has been serving a two-year sentence of exile in Ardakan, Yazd Province, since February 2025. He suffers from Hemophilia A and Hepatitis C, and the lack of access to specialized healthcare in the area has severely impacted his physical and mental health.

According to information received by HRANA, Ardakan lacks facilities equipped to treat hemophilia. Although specialized care is available in the provincial capital, Yazd, Mr. Jafari is barred from traveling there due to the restrictions imposed by his sentence. This medical deprivation, combined with the psychological strain of forced exile and separation from his family, has worsened his health and triggered a recurrence of depression symptoms.

Mr. Jafari Ahmadabadi, 35, is a resident of Savojbolagh County in Alborz Province. He has faced persistent judicial and security harassment since his participation in the 2022 protests and related online activism. His first encounter with security threats occurred in November 2022 while he was volunteering at the Red Crescent in Ardakan. Over time, he was subjected to repeated summonses, threats, attempted arrests, and eventual prosecution.

In February 2023, he was forced to end his cooperation with the Red Crescent due to mounting security pressure. That same month, authorities made two unsuccessful attempts to arrest him without formal notice. He was also pressured to sign a written confession of repentance, which he refused.

Legal proceedings against Mr. Jafari began in May 2023. He was initially released on bail, and his first hearing took place in September 2023 at the Karaj Revolutionary Court. In August 2024, a lower court sentenced him to three years in prison and two years in exile. The appeals court later reduced the sentence in October 2024 to five months of imprisonment and two years of exile.

Mr. Jafari turned himself in to begin serving his sentence in November 2024 and spent 77 days in Karaj Central Prison (Ward 15, designated for political prisoners and prisoners of conscience). In February 2025, he was released with an electronic ankle monitor and transferred to Ardakan to begin his exile. Since then, he has been required to report daily to the police station in Ahmadabad.

Four Prisoners Executed in Yazd Prison

HRANA News Agency – on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, four prisoners previously sentenced to death on charges related to drug offenses were executed in Yazd Prison.

Haal Vsh has identified one of the prisoners as Ahmad Sasouli, approximately 28 years old and the father of one child, from and residing a village in Zabol County, Sistan and Baluchestan province.

Per the report, Mr. Sasouli was arrested five years ago in Ardakan, on drug-related charges. After a period of uncertainty, he was sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court of Ardakan.

On Monday, January 20, he was transferred from Ardakan Prison to the quarantine section of Yazd Central Prison in preparation for his execution. His execution was carried out without a final visit with his family.

The identities and charges of the three other prisoners executed today have not been disclosed in the report.

As of the time of this report, prison authorities and relevant officials have not publicly announced the executions.
According to data compiled by HRANA, 52.69% of all executions in Iran in 2024 were related to drug-related charges. Notably, only 6% of the executions were officially announced, highlighting a significant lack of transparency. For a detailed analysis of these executions and the associated statistics, see HRANA’s full report.

A Ukrainian citizen was arrested in Yazd

A Ukrainian citizen was arrested by security forces in Ardakan on July 13, 2019. Behrouz Shahabizadeh, Ardakan governor confirmed and added that this person had been in a sensitive area by mistake and took pictures by heli shot in Kharanaq village in Ardakan. Some local sources claimed that he was filming by drone in Kharanaq village in Ardakan, which is 85 kilometers northwest of Yazd, when he got arrested.

This place is important because of the mines and natural resources. The city of Ardakan is located in Yazd province.