Iran: The OIAD expresses its deep concern following the detention and inhumane treatment of Mohammad Najafi, who has been hospitalised after suffering from a heart condition

Paris, 15 November 2024 – The International Observatory for Lawyers in Danger has learned that Iranian lawyer Mohammad Najafi was recently admitted to hospital following a serious heart condition. This hospitalisation occurred in a context of continuous pressure and particularly harsh conditions of detention. 

Despite his critical condition, Mr Najafi was chained to his hospital bed, his hands and legs shackled, while two security guards watched over him in his room. This particularly inhumane and dangerous method is generally used on political prisoners hospitalised in Iran.

Mohammad Najafi has been repeatedly persecuted since 2016. He has been convicted on several occasions for taking a peaceful stance and defending demonstrators against the regime. His convictions, totalling several decades in prison, are based on spurious and unproven charges aimed at suppressing his freedom of expression and his right of defence. 

Mr Najafi’s conditions of detention are particularly worrying: he has been deprived of contact with his family since September 2022, and has also been denied the medical care that health professionals consider necessary. Given his pathology, his treatment during hospitalisation is seriously endangering his life. 

The Observatory strongly condemns these inhumane conditions of detention, which violate Mohammad Najafi’s fundamental rights.

The Observatory urges the Iranian authorities to guarantee adequate medical care and to withdraw all obstacles to Mr Najafi’s treatment.

The Observatory urges the Iranian authorities to release Mohammad Najafi unconditionally and to comply with the recommendations made in its Universal Periodic Review.