Imprisoned Teachers’ Rights Activist Denied Urgent Medical Treatment

Iran-HRM – Imprisoned teachers’ rights activist, Mohammad Habibi, is in poor health and is being denied the urgent specialized medical treatment he needs.

He has a bone tumor in his left forearm which has grown larger in prison without any treatment.

This human rights defender who is presently jailed in Tehran’s Evin prison, was briefly transferred to a hospital in Tehran in November 2018, to undergo more tests and a diagnostic surgery. But, he was returned to prison without receiving his needed specialized medical care since prison authorities refused to pay the expenses.

Although Mohammad Habibi’s family have agreed to pay for his treatment in March, the authorities have rejected his repeated requests to be transferred to hospital to undergo diagnostic surgery to find out what kind of tumor it is. It is feared that it might be a malign and cancerous tumor.

Mohammad Habibi has also been experiencing severe pain in his chest and lungs since his violent arrest in May 2018, but the prison’s clinic doctors have only given him an inhaler.

Mohammad Habibi, a member of the board of directors of the Iran Teachers Trade Association, was first arrested on March 3, 2018 outside the school in Tehran where he taught, in front of his students.

Revolutionary Guards pepper sprayed and beat him during his arrest and transferred him to an undisclosed location where he remained in solitary confinement for about 16 days and repeatedly underwent interrogations and subjected to torture, after which he was transferred to Evin Prison.

Mr. Habibi was released on bail on April 15, but violently arrested again on May 10 after participating in a peaceful demonstration outside the building of the Budget and Planning Organization in Tehran.

On July 23, he stood trial before Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran which lasted only two hours and ignored the scars of beatings on his body. He was not allowed to see his lawyer until 10 minutes before his trial.

In August 2018, he was sentenced by a Revolutionary Court in Tehran to 10.5 years in prison, of which he would have to serve at least 7.5 years.
On December 24, the Appeals Court upheld the conviction.

He would also be subject to a two-year travel ban and two years of prohibition from participating in unions and political parties, and 74 lashes, after being released.

The teachers’ rights activist, Mohammad Habibi was convicted of “assembly and collusion against national security,” “propaganda against the state” and “disturbing public order.”