On 20th April, a prisoner from ward 14 was taken to hospital with suspected COVID-19 because his condition was deteriorating. The coronavirus outbreak in Iran’s Ardabil prison has endangered the lives of prisoners as the government has failed to take basic precautions to slow the spread.
On 22nd April, a prisoner was taken to Khomeini Hospital with suspected coronavirus symptoms. He was in the prison’s clinic two days prior with the same symptoms, but was only checked for fever and was given basic medication, and instructed to return to his cell among other inmates who were not sick.
Eight other inmates from wards 1 and 6 were taken to prison’s clinic with COVID-19 symptoms; two of them were only given painkillers before being returned to their cells that they share with others.
In Urmia Central Prison, over 100 inmates are infected with COVID-19 and several have died, but authorities are refusing to take further action to prevent more infections and deaths.
The authorities are trying to hide the outbreak of coronavirus in prisons and refusing to report on the conditions of political and ordinary prisoners, which means that many prisoners are not receiving adequate medical care and are in risk of dying.
This is a common theme in Iranian prisons, with authorities not concerned at all with the lives of prisoners. In prisons across the country, inmates with symptoms of COVID-19, or even those who test positive are still sharing cells with healthy prisoners.
This negligence has led to riots in many prisons and, as always, the authorities have responded with violence, and have killed dozens of prisoners.
Comments