Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] published a new report [text, PDF] on Monday claiming that Iranian authorities have been denying adequate medical coverage to political prisoners and prisoners of conscience. AI claims that Iran is putting these prisoners at grave risk of death, permanent disability and other irreversible damage to their health because of their actions. The group alleges that the Iranian authorities deny health care as an “intentional act of cruelty intended to intimidate, punish or humiliate political prisoners, or to extract forced confessions or statements of repentance from them.” The report details 18 cases [AI news release] of prisoners who have been denied such care. It was also uncovered that women prisoners are sometimes denied medical treatment because it is deemed inappropriate for a male doctor to treat them.

The treatment of prisoners and prisoner rights are disputed and criticized throughout the world. In October 2015 the UN issued the Revised Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners [JURIST report] to improve the treatment of prisoners throughout the world. Earlier in October the European Court of Justice ruled [JURIST report] that a convicted murderer could be banned from voting because the ban is proportionate to the offense. In August former Iranian prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi was acquitted of murder charges [JURIST report] relating to the 2009 killing of three prisoners [JURIST report] which he oversaw. The prisoners were detained in 2009 for protesting against former President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad’s disputed re-election – an issue that drew significant global criticism aimed not only at Iran’s government, but also the treatment of those arrested following the election.