Adel Kianpour Dead in Sheyban Prison After a Week on Hunger Strike

On January 1, after a week on hunger strike, political prisoner Adel Kianpour died in Sheyban Prison in Ahvaz City. Judicial authorities have not yet announced the reason for his death.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Kianpour was on hunger strike to protest the proceedings of his case.

Not much is known about his legal case. It is said that he was arrested after his return to Iran and has been imprisoned in Sheyban Prison for 14 months. He was sentenced to 3 years in prison for charges unknown in our report. Last October, he contracted COVID-19.

There are many precedents for the death of prisoners due to lack of adequate medical treatment in Iran’s prisons. In June 2021, political prisoner Sasan Niknafs died due to inadequate medical treatment in the Greater Tehran Prison. Also last year, Sufi Dervish activist Behnam Mahjubi was dispatched from Evin Prison to a hospital in Tehran City and allegedly died due to pill poisoning.

Inmate Dead After Hunger Strike and Suicide Attempt in Ilam Prison

On December 1, an inmate in Ilam Prison died of injuries stemming from a suicide attempt and inadequate medical treatment. The day before, the inmate had attempted suicide by pill following a four day hunger strike. After having his stomach pumped in prison healthcare, he was sent back to his ward without any medical supervision.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Kurdpa, the inmate was 30 year old Ruhollah Maleki. His death ultimately resulted from inadequate medical treatment and supervision by prison officials.

Maleki was sent back to his ward while he was still in critical health condition and in need of regular medical supervision. Moreover, he was beaten by prison guards and held in a solitary confinement cell on the second day of his hunger strike.

On March 6, 2013, Maleki was arrested for committing murder. He was sentenced to capital punishment in 2014.

The Price of Neglect: Prisoner Dies in Zahedan

Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) – Abdolnabi Saresi, 52, from Afghanistan, was confirmed dead Friday, September 28th after being denied medical care in Zahedan Prison, where he was being held in Section 4.

Saresi had been awaiting trial for two years on financial charges. A close source told HRANA that Saresi was denied medical attention despite his history of diabetes. Staff at the prison clinic urgently recommended a hospital transfer on Thursday, which authorities refused. Authorities have yet to visit the prison since his death.

Deaths due to inadequate medical care are a common occurrence in Iranian prisons. This year, at least five prisoners died of medical neglect in Zahedan Central Prison alone.

HRANA previously reported on numerous cases of prisoners deaths in Zahedan.

Innocent Man Dies After Police Beating

Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) – On September 11th, Hojat Eghtesadi died after being beaten by police, who contend that his cause of death was a heart attack.

Eghtesadi, a native of the city of Malekan in East Azerbaijan Province (northwestern Iran), had been admitted to Bonab county’s Imam Khomeini hospital for self-inflicted wounds. Upon his discharge, he was experiencing the side effects of intravenous tranquilizers when he crossed paths with the guards on duty.

“On his way out of the hospital, he got into an altercation with hospital security. The police were called, and he was arrested and taken to Bonab county police station,” said a source close to Eghtesadi’s family. “I don’t know what happened there that led to the beating, but it cost him his life.”

The police asked Eghtesadi’s family to come recover his body from the police station the following day, alleging he had died of a heart attack. At the sight of his body, his family said they noted copious bruising that was distinct from his self-inflicted wounds.

Iranian detention centers require round-the-clock supervision, yet deaths of those taken into custody are common. Detainee deaths are rarely followed up by judicial investigation, third-party inquiries, or measures to hold perpetrators accountable.