Siamak Mehr, Ailing Blogger in Urgent Need of Surgery

Persian2English – Mitra Pourshajari, the daughter of Siamak Mehr, a blogger in Ghezel Hesar prison has told Kaleme that she had asked the Supervising Assistant Prosecutor of the prison to explain the reason that they won’t sign off on her ailing father’s furlough request.

According to her, he answered, “I’m not willing to endanger my life for your [father]. I won’t even allow him one hour of furlough…Your father has been charged for crimes that put the country in danger. If they intended to grant [him] furlough the Prosecutor would have [personally] signed off on it instead of sending the case file [to us].”

Mohammad Reza Pourshajari, a 52-year-old blogger and writer who is most known by his pen name, Siamak Mehr, was arrested at his home in Karaj on September 12, 2010. He was taken to the IRGC security ward in Rajai Shahr Prison and deprived of the right to a lawyer. Following some time he was taken to branch 109 of the Karaj Revolutionary Court where Judge Gholam-Sarabi sentenced him to a total of four years in prison.

After enduring nearly one year in Rajai Shahr Siamak Mehr contracted multiple illnesses which required him to receive medical care and treatment outside the prison. However, instead of granting him medical furlough judicial authorities transferred him to Ghezel Hesar prison, a detention centre reserved for criminals accused of dangerous crimes– like murder.

Since his arrest Siamak Mehr has suffered two heart attacks in prison. Dr. Qolizadeh, the head of the medical department of infirmaries in Karaj, on October 28, 2012, wrote a letter to judicial authorities. Part of the letters says, “Mohammad Reza Pourshajari suffers from heart complications that are [not treatable with medicine], therefore there is no sense in treating him in prison. The appropriate action to be taken is to grant him medical leave.”

Despite the fact that Siamak Mehr is in a bad physical state and requires urgent medical care, Judge Gholam-Sarabi has refused to declare Mehr a prisoner who is “unfit to withstand imprisonment”.

The imprisoned blogger’s charges are: “Insulting the Leader [Ali Khamenei]” and “Acting against national security”.

Mitra Pourshajari had recently said:

[When] they had brought my father to branch 109 of the Karaj Revolutionary Court, he was accompanied by a soldier. The only people present in the court were my father, the soldier, and Judge Gholam-Sarabi. They didn’t remove the shackles on my father’s hands and feet. He was in the court for no more than 15 minutes, even though his previous court hearing took nearly three hours. My father said that during the 15 minutes the Judge didn’t say anything to him except, “Defend yourself.” My father replied, “I can’t defend myself because my lawyers, the jury, and media representatives aren’t here– and I don’t even regard this court as legitimate.” The Judge responded, “No problem. We must still proceed [with the hearing] whether you deem us legitimate or not!” The Judge then proceeded to threaten my father. My father became upset and said, “Eventually the day will come when you too will be stuck in a hole like Ghaddafi.” The judge responded, “No problem, but as long as we’re here people like you will pay. And when we are gone we are gone.” My father said that on Judge Gholam-Sarabi’s desk was a letter from the Prosecutor with a stamp from the Ministry of Intelligence. The Judge said to my father, “Nothing you say will matter because your sentence has already been issued.”

Kaleme: Please describe the arrest of your father.

Mitra Pourshajari: My father was arrested by [IRI agents] on the afternoon of September 12, 2010 after his home in Karaj was attacked and he was beaten. They searched the home for some hours and confiscated his personal items.

Kaleme: Were you able to meet with judicial authorities regarding your father’s case?

Mitra Pourshajari: Yes. I have personally met with the Karaj Prosecutor and the Supervising Assistant Prosecutor of the prison regarding my father’s illnesses. My aunt and uncle have also followed up and met with judicial authorities. But, our efforts haven’t produced any results.

Kaleme: What is your father’s current condition in regards to his heart and overall physical [health]?

Mitra Pourshajari: My father’s physical condition is very bad. Two of the arteries in his heart are completely clogged and physicians have lost hope that they could reverse the damage with medicine. Physicians say heart surgery [is the only solution].

Kaleme: Have judicial authorities said anything about medical leave?

Mitra Pourshajari: When I asked the Supervising Assistant Prosecutor of the prison to explain the reason they won’t sign off on my ailing father’s medical furlough, he answered, “I’m not willing to endanger my life for your [father]. I won’t even allow him one hour of furlough.” I asked why. He said, “Your father has been charged for crimes that endanger the country. If they intended to grant your father furlough the Prosecutor would have personally signed off on it instead of sending the case file [to us].”

Currently my elderly aunt and uncle are following up on my father’s case. Some time ago my aunt went to see the Supervising Assistant Prosecutor of the prison and told him that [my father] could die if he remains in his current physical state. The Assistant responded [by advising] my aunt to not waste her time by coming in to follow up.

Kaleme: Mr. Pourshajari was in Rajai Shahr Prison. What happened that he was transferred to Ghezel Hesar?

Mitra Pourshajari: They had told my dad to get prepared to go to the doctors to treat his ailing kidneys. When my dad was ready to go they unlawfully transferred him to Ghezel Hesar Prison.

Kaleme: What is the latest news on your father’s physical state?

Mitra Pourshajari: My father has described current prison conditions to resemble a zoo that is lacking sanitation. Due to increasing prices in Iran prisoners are no longer able to afford products and supplies from the prison store to clean their cells. Additionally, warm water and showering privileges are limited to a few hours per week. Considering his deteriorating physical condition…and the lack of sanitation, it is dangerous for my father to be imprisoned. Since physicians have said medicine won’t help my father and instead he requires surgery, prison physicians have not prescribed any medicine to my father. His current physical situation is unstable, and each day it becomes worse. My father wrote in a letter that what he suffers most from in prison is being left out in the dark.

Parts of his letter said, “Starting September 12, 2010 and going for 35 to 45 days I was uncertain whether [I was being held]. Due to the tortures I had suffered I attempted to kill myself…”

My father [once said to me]:

Mitra, remember that I am not one person, I am a thought…and I am hopeful that the future will defeat the devil. I am currently held in solitary confinement, but to deceive the people they call this place a suite. There are seven or eight thousand prisoners, and I’m the only one who is banned from prison visits and phone calls. When another prisoner becomes banned from visits, authorities bring him to my cell. They’re normally dangerous criminals. I am currently in ward 5, hall 13, a location reserved for addicts and dangerous criminals. This ward is known as the methadone ward.

My cell has no windows. The dangerous criminals carry sharp objects on them that they use as weapons…When I was in ward 6, hall 17, a prisoner [one of the dangerous criminals] slit the throat of a prisoner convicted of drug-related charges. The prisoner died as a result of the wound. In prison obtaining illegal drugs is easier than buying cigarettes. Crack and glass are the most commonly used drugs in this prison. On May 9, 2011, following eight months in solitary confinement, I was transferred to ward 4, hall 12 (the political ward) of this prison.