Coronavirus in Evin Prison; Payam Shakiba is being denied medical care despite suffering from Covid- 19
27-January-2022
Category: Prisoners
26-January-2022
Newsgroup: Prisoners –
Breathing in Confinement: Payam Shakiba, a political prisoner in Evin Prison, has contracted Coronavirus and has been denied medical treatment for the past few days. He was arrested and transferred to Evin Prison on January 3, 2022, when had he appeared in the Evin’s Sentence Implementation Unit on the due date of his 5-day summons.
According to Breathing in Confinement, the news organ of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, Payam Shakiba who has been diagnosed with Covid-19 in Evin Prison, has been denied medical care for the past four days. This political prisoner was transferred to Evin Prison on January 3, after being detained in the Evin’s Sentence Implementation Unit. He is being held in Ward 8 of Evin Prison.
Payam Shakiba has been denied medical care for 4 days now, despite having symptoms of Covid-19. Whereas, less than a month ago, Baktash Abtin, a political prisoner, died of Covid-19 following being denied medical treatment.
The authorities of the Islamic Republic use the denial of medical care as a tool to put pressure on prisoners.
On Monday, January 3, 2022, on the due date of his 5-day summons, Payam Shakiba, a former political prisoner, appeared in the Evin Prison’s Sentence Implementation Unit where he was arrested and transferred to Evin Prison. He had previously received a summons without the knowledge of his lawyer.
Payam Shakiba had been previously sentenced by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, headed by Judge Iman Afshari, to 13 months in prison as well as a 2-year ban on leaving the country, a 2-year prohibition from membership in groups and parties and seizing his cell phones and laptops, for repeating the offence of propaganda against the regime.
On September 26, 2021, Mr. Shakiba had been notified of the verdict and had appealed it. So that the case was to be heard in Branch 36 of the Court of Appeals, but he was summoned to serve his sentence without a court hearing being held and without being notified of the appeal court’s ruling.
Payam Shakiba had been arrested by security forces in Tehran on June 14, 2021, and was transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence Detention Center in Ward 209 of Evin Prison to be interrogated. He was finally released on July 4, 2021, on 100 million Toman bail, awaiting the trial. Mr. Shakiba was summoned to Evin Court on August 21, 2021, to present his final defense.
He was summoned to Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran on September 8, 2021, and after being tried on September 20, the abovementioned sentence was issued against him.
Previously also, Payam Shakiba had been arrested by security forces on February 22, 2017. Later in December 2017, he was sentenced by the Revolutionary Court of Tehran to 11 years in prison on charges of “acting against national security through conspiracy and propaganda against the regime.” The verdict was later upheld by the Court of Appeals. While in prison, a new case was opened against him, and the intelligence service prevented his release. He however, was released from Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj on February 3, 2021, after being acquitted in the new case.