Editor's note: this story was translated from the original VOA Persian article.
Human rights activists are warning about the deteriorating health an Iranian doctor jailed for his participation in the 2022 anti-government protests.
Voice of Iran’s Detainees and Tavana reported on that Dr. Hamid Ghareh-Hassanlou, a physician and political prisoner held at Yazd Friday Central Prison, has been diagnosed by doctors with serious lung damage. The human rights groups say given his current condition and severe physical weakness, his left lung needs to be removed.
According to the reports, despite his critical medical condition, Iranian authorities continue to hold Ghareh-Hassanlou in prison and have taken no effective measures to address his medical needs.
Ghareh-Hassanlou, a radiologist, and his wife, Farzaneh Ghareh-Hassanlou, a medical laboratory sciences specialist, were arrested during nationwide protests in 2022 and accused of alleged involvement in the killing of Rouhollah Ajamian, a member of the Basij, a paramilitary volunteer branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
The allegation was made despite testimonies and initial statements indicating that Ghareh-Hassanlou had attempted, as a physician, to provide medical assistance to an injured participant in a ceremony marking the 40th day after the death of Hadis Najafi, who was shot and killed by security forces during protests.
Security authorities, however, alleged that the couple had played a role in beating Ajamian.
On December 5, 2022, Ghareh-Hassanlou was sentenced to death on charges of “corruption on earth through the commission of crimes against the security of the country.” His wife was sentenced to 25 years in prison in exile without visitation rights.
In January 2023, following widespread protests by the medical community in Iran and around the world, Iran’s Supreme Court overturned Ghareh-Hassanlou’s death sentence, citing deficiencies in the investigation, and referred the case back for reconsideration.
In April 2023, a court of equal jurisdiction, after reviewing the case, overturned Hamid Ghareh-Hassanlou’s death sentence and sentenced him to 15 years in prison at Yazd prison. His wife Farzaneh’s sentence was also reduced to five years in prison at Mashhad prison. Both sentences were immediately enforced.