Death Row Prisoner Dies in Urmia Prison Following Delay in Transfer to Hospital

Breathing in Confinement, Sunday, 9 August 2026: Nosrat Khaledi, a Kurdish prisoner held in Urmia Prison who had been sentenced to death in a drug-related case, died after enduring severe chest pain for three days and following a delay in his transfer to hospital.

According to Breathing in Confinement, the news outlet of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, Nosrat Khaledi, a resident of Sanji village near Urmia, had spent the past year under intense psychological pressure resulting from the death sentence imposed on him and the constant threat of its implementation. According to information received, he suffered severe chest pain during the three days leading up to his transfer to hospital. Despite repeated requests for medical attention, his transfer to a medical facility was delayed.

According to the report, his condition eventually deteriorated to a critical stage, and on 28 July he was transferred to Seyyed al-Shohada Hospital in Urmia. Sources close to his family stated that the transfer took place only after persistent efforts by his family, intervention by several fellow prisoners, and repeated requests for him to receive medical treatment.

It is reported that Mr Khaledi died approximately ten minutes after being admitted to hospital, having managed to exchange only a few words with his relatives before his death.

Nosrat Khaledi had previously been sentenced to death in connection with drug-related charges and was being held in Urmia Prison. To date, no detailed information has been made public regarding the judicial proceedings against him, the nature of his heart condition, his medical history, or the official cause of death.

The death of Nosrat Khaledi occurred in circumstances where prisoners’ right to timely and adequate medical care is recognised as a fundamental safeguard under international standards governing the treatment of prisoners. Delays in providing essential medical treatment to an ill prisoner may place their life at serious risk and underscore the need for an independent investigation into the adequacy of the medical care provided in this case.