Motaleb Ahmadian, a Kurdish political prisoner from Baneh, is currently in a life-threatening physical condition in the fifteenth year of his sentence. Arrested in October 2010, he was sentenced to 30 years of exile imprisonment on charges of “enmity against the state (moharebeh) through membership in the Komala Party.” He is currently held in Ward 2 of Greater Tehran Prison (Fashafouyeh).
Ahmadian has previously been imprisoned in the Minab, Saqqez, Sanandaj, Rajaei Shahr, and Evin prisons. Following the Israeli missile attack on Evin Prison on June 23, 2025, he and several other political prisoners were transferred to Fashafouyeh Prison. The dire medical and sanitary conditions of this facility have pushed his health into a critical state.
According to medical records, Ahmadian urgently requires at least nine life-saving surgeries. His diagnosed conditions include:
• Horizontal and vertical diaphragmatic hernia
• Stomach displacement into the lungs
• Diaphragm rupture
• Intestinal adhesions
• Gastric wall destruction
• Gastrointestinal ulcers
• Suspected cancer and duodenal cancer
• Spinal canal stenosis
• Urinary tract infections
• Pulmonary effusion
• Severe acid reflux
• Unstable blood pressure
• Abnormal heart rate reaching up to 134 bpm
He has lost over 35 kilograms, now weighing only around 53–54 kg. The severe swelling of his abdomen is often misinterpreted as weight gain.
Despite multiple medical recommendations and approval from the prison infirmary, authorities at Greater Tehran Prison have refused to transfer him to a medical center. Additionally, medications provided by his family have not been delivered to him. It has been reported that his family has attempted at least four times to hand over the prescribed medications but has been obstructed each time.
The prison’s medical staff has classified his condition as “critical,” but claimed they are unaware of the “security-related decisions” regarding his transfer — a clear example of white torture, gradual elimination, and a gross violation of the right to life.
According to Article 502 of Iran’s Criminal Procedure Code, if a prisoner is medically unfit to endure punishment, enforcement must be postponed until recovery. The refusal to apply this law in Ahmadian’s case is a direct violation of the Islamic Republic’s own legal framework.
Moreover, Iran has violated Articles 6 and 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which obligate states to protect the dignity and health of all detainees.
In a 2019 letter from prison, Ahmadian revealed he had been subjected to severe physical torture, resulting in spinal fractures, testicular infection, and forced to cover the cost of his own treatment — despite prison authorities being legally responsible for detainees’ medical care.
In June 2024, Ahmadian was prematurely returned to prison before completing necessary treatment. In May 2025, he began a hunger strike to protest the Tehran prosecutor’s opposition to suspending his sentence.
The Hana Human Rights Organization urgently calls on international human rights bodies to take immediate action regarding Motaleb Ahmadian’s condition. Hana holds the Tehran Prosecutor and the warden of Greater Tehran Prison directly responsible for his health and safety.