According to information received by HANA Human Rights Organization, Jabbar Mustafa, son of Jaber, an Iraqi national held at Evin Prison in Tehran, died on the evening of Monday, June 22, 2026, after showing symptoms of a heart attack.
According to available information, Jabbar Mustafa had been sentenced to one and a half years in prison on charges of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic” and had served approximately five months of his sentence in Hall 2 of Ward 7 of Evin Prison. Reports indicate that prior to his death he was in urgent need of immediate medical intervention, but was denied timely and effective access to medical services, and ultimately died in prison.
His death once again highlights the legal responsibility of prison authorities and the relevant institutions for protecting the lives and health of those in their custody. This responsibility carries even greater weight in the case of foreign nationals, as the detaining state bears not only its general obligations toward all prisoners, but also specific obligations to uphold the standards of protection afforded to foreign nationals deprived of their liberty.
Under the domestic law of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Article 22 of the Constitution protects the life, rights, and dignity of individuals from violation, and the executive regulations of the Prison Organization require prison authorities to provide prisoners with the necessary medical services and healthcare. Any negligence, failure, or unjustified delay in providing essential medical care that leads to a deterioration in a prisoner’s condition or to their death may therefore give rise to the legal liability of the relevant authorities.
From the perspective of international human rights law, the Islamic Republic of Iran is bound under Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to protect and guarantee the right to life of all persons within its jurisdiction, without discrimination on grounds of nationality or residency status. The UN Human Rights Committee, in General Comment No. 36, has clarified that states are responsible for protecting the lives of all persons deprived of their liberty, and are obligated to conduct prompt, independent, impartial, and effective investigations in cases of death in custody. The UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules) likewise require states to ensure that prisoners have access to timely and adequate medical care.
Furthermore, under Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, detained foreign nationals have the right to be informed of and to have access to consular representation from their country. Transparency regarding this prisoner’s condition, the medical treatment he received, and notification of Iraqi consular authorities are therefore among the matters requiring independent and transparent scrutiny.
While expressing deep sorrow over the death of Jabbar Mustafa, HANA Human Rights Organization calls for an independent, impartial, and transparent investigation into the circumstances leading to his death, including the nature of the medical care provided, the extent to which his rights as a foreign national were respected, and the degree of potential responsibility on the part of the relevant authorities. HANA stresses that the death of any person in custody, particularly in cases where allegations of denial of medical care are raised, demands effective accountability and full clarification of all aspects of the incident.