Maryam Nayeb Yazdi

پدر حامد روحی نژاد: اگر این عدالت است، پس بی عدالتی کجاست؟

English Translation by Siavosh Jalili 

The family of Hamed Rouhinejad, the jailed Iranian student with multiple sclerosis (MS), has written numerous letters to various judicial officials like the Tehran Prosecutor and the judge on their son’s case. Officials are aware of Hamed’s deplorable condition, but no one has yet secured him a temporary medical prison leave. Hamid is currently held in exile in Zanjan prison where a medical facility is practically nonexistent.

The paralysis is spreading throughout Hamed Rouhinejad’s body. He has also lost 50% of his eye sight and hearing. He needs to be under immediate medical supervision. The Jaras website has conducted an interview with Hamed Rouhinejad’s father about his son’s most current condition:

Jaras: Mr. Rouhinejad, please tell us about your son’s latest condition?

Father: About three weeks ago I was finally able to visit him after begging the officials. He was in a very bad physical and emotional state. The MS disease that Hamed suffers from has caused him retinal and stomach problems. He even has difficulty passing urine.

His eyesight has also weakened. He told me that he is suffering from hearing impairment and his memory is not sharp anymore. He even told us to stop bringing him ampules and medicines for his injections, because time in solitary confinement has made the injections lose their effect.

The emotional pressures and stresses are causing my health to deteriorate. We told him to use the ampules for now and that God will help [him] and [his] problems will be resolved. Unfortunately, we have no more news of his condition. He is banned from receiving visits, and he does not even have the right to make phone calls. No official I have gone to has provided any convincing answers. They all say that the order is a judicial one and they are just following it.

Jaras: Do they not explain the reasoning behind the phone calls and the visit bans?

Father: Nobody replies [to our requests]. I went to the Zanjan Prosecutor, but he did not respond. I went to the Director General, but he had no convincing response either so he told me to go to Tehran. I went to the Tehran Ministry of Justice. They stated that they have no information and we need to go to the Tehran Prosecutor’s office [belonging to Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi]. He has not given us a response or agreed to see us. We went to the Supreme Court [or he may mean the the Court of Public Services Justice that is responsible for hearing the grievances of citizens against public offices], they told us to ask our son to write a grievance.  We asked how someone who has no visitation rights can write a grievance. They repeatedly responded that they did not know. Unfortunately, nobody is taking responsibility and responding to us. In my view, they have the intention of either killing my son or handing him to us completely paralyzed.

Jaras: How is the medical care in prison?

Father: The only thing they did was take our son to Valiasr hospital in Zanjan. The doctor examined him and prescribed salexy [?] for injection. He has received it, but it had no effect since he is held in solitary confinement and he is under psychological pressure. MS is a disease that shows an increase in physical problems as the stress and distress increases. All the authorities are aware of this fact and yet they act in such a hostile manner.

Jaras: What is the status of his legal case?

Father: My son is now in Zanjan prison serving a ten-year sentence. He calls the prison a camp. He is currently held in solitary confinement. He has no visitation rights. They tell us that they will contact us so I don’t know when that will be; it could be one month, two months, six months, ten months…I don’t know.

Jaras: Given that he is serving a prison sentence, receiving visits and making phone calls are considered legal prisoner rights. Have you taken any steps in securing these rights?

Father: Wherever we go for these matters, they tell us they are acting as proxies and are just following orders. When we ask them to show us the order, the tell us to go for now, and they will let us know.

Jaras: If you have anything to say to authorities, here is an opportunity for them to hear your voice.

Father: I have said many times that the Leader of the Revolution has taught us that Islam is the religion of compassion and forgiveness. Which part of all the pain they impose on my son is compassion? Mr. Ahmadinejad, you speak of justice, justice, justice. Is it just and fair that you take a sick kid of whose problems you are aware to solitary confinement and ban his visitation rights? If this is justice, where is the injustice then? Chief of the Judiciary, tell us if this is justice, where is the injustice then? My son, with all his physical problems, is held in solitary confinement. And if the pressures continue, he can perish. Tell me, where is the real justice? This is not justice and fairness. You did not do justice to us and you did not administer it, and you will not do it. Intelligence officials who are hearing my voice right now, I swear to Fatemeh Zahra [Prophet Mohammad's daughter] to let the President and the Supreme Leader hear my voice so the doors of mercy may be open to us.

Jaras: Do you think that the Leader and Mr. Ahamadinejad are not aware of the prisons conditions?

Father: I don’t know, maybe,  if the Intelligence officials who are hearing my voice let them know. If they are aware of the conditions, it is up to them and their God. I just implore them to investigate my son’s unfit condition. My son is ill and he is dying.

I had two partial strokes and suffer from back disc and heart conditions. Hamed’s sister and brother have developed nervous disesaes due to Hamed’s situation. In other words, all five members of my family are perishing. I travel the distance between Zanjan and Tehran, despite my physical ailments, but no official is providing me with any answers. You who claims to be pursuing justice, uphold justice and save my son from his gradual death.

My last word is that the President, the head of the Judiciary, the parliament speaker, and all the offiicals who are hearing my voice, wherever we go and on whatever door we knock, nobody responds to us. They have the intent to murder my son. I swear to God that they have intended to kill my son or render him paralyzed. I swear you to the verses of the Holy Qur’an that if you are a Muslim, if you have faith, don’t impose this slow and painful death on my son. Help his condition.

- Maryam Nayeb Yazdi

Editor, //persian2english.com/?p=15580