Tehran prison: Kurdish political prisoner severely beaten, injured, 17 stitches to the head, and medical costs demanded by prison infirmary

Tehran Prison: Kurdish Political Prisoner severely beaten, injured, 17 Stitches to the Head, and Medical Costs Demanded by Prison Infirmary.

On Monday, May 27, 2025, Reza Ramazanzadeh, a Kurdish political prisoner held in Tehran central Prison, sustained severe head injuries following a violent assault by four inmates from the ward designated for violent crimes. After three days of continuous bleeding, he was finally transferred to the prison infirmary and received medical treatment, including 17 stitches to his head.

According to a source speaking to Kurdistan Human Rights Association-Geneva, the assault occurred on May 18, 2025, in the bathroom of Ward 4 (designated for inmates convicted of violent offenses). The source stated that the head of the ward had incited the attack by instructing the assailants to “teach him a lesson.” This deliberate act of provocation resulted in significant trauma and serious head injuries.

Despite the severity of his condition, Ramazanzadeh was denied medical attention for three days. Once his physical state deteriorated further, he was transferred to the prison infirmary, where he received emergency treatment: 17 stitches, intravenous(IV) fluids, two injections (one antibiotic and the other as a general tonic), and bandage. However, following the treatment, the prison infirmary asking him to pay for the medical services.

Mr. Ramazanzadeh objected to this demand, arguing that free medical care is a right of all prisoners. He reportedly declared that he would “rather have the stitches removed than pay the fee”.

Legal Context: Iranian Prison Regulations on Medical Treatment;

According to the Executive Regulations of the Iranian Prisons Organization (ratified in 2005):

• Article 118 stipulates that:

“Prisoners must receive free health and medical care upon entry and throughout their imprisonment. In cases of illness, they should be referred to the prison physician and, if necessary, transferred to external medical facilities.”

• Article 122 states that:

“The cost of medical treatment and necessary medications shall be covered by the government. Prisoners are not obligated to pay for such services unless they request special services outside the standard provisions.”

Ongoing Medical Neglect and History of Detention;

On May 2, 2025, Kurdpa had reported that Mr. Ramazanzadeh, despite having been held for over four months in a ward along with violent offenders, was suffering from severe gastrointestinal issues and had been deprived of necessary medical care. The source noted that these conditions are linked to his previous hunger strikes and that the prison authorities at Tehran central Prison had consistently refused to provide his medical needs.

On December 21, 2024, Kurdistan Human Rights Association-Geneva reported that Mr. Ramazanzadeh had been denied visitation rights and access to a phone calls, and was still being held in the violent offenders’ ward one month after his arrest, despite multiple formal requests for reassignment.

Background on Arrest and trial;

Reza Ramazanzadeh, a civil and political activist and one of the detainees from the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” (Women, Life, Freedom) movement, was arrested on November 20, 2024, to serve a prison sentence of 2 years and 6 months and transferred to Tehran central Prison. According to Kurdpa, he was detained in front of his residence in Tehran. The sentence was the result of two separate legal cases.

He was first arrested during the 2022 protests on October 9, 2022, and later sentenced to 18 months in prison on charges of “collaborating with opposition networks” by Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.

On April 17, 2025, Branch 24 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Radmand, sentenced him to an additional one year of imprisonment on charges of “spreading disinformation.” This ruling was later upheld in full by Branch 36 of the Tehran Court of Appeals.

Mr. Ramazanzadeh had also been arrested during the nationwide protests in November 2019 and was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison for “undermining national security.”

He has a history of repeated arrests in 2013, 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2024, largely due to his activism and for publicly reporting on the conditions within Tehran central Prison and Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad. These actions have led to further arrests and legal proceedings.

Reza Ramazanzadeh is of Kurdish origin from the Khorasan region and currently resides in Tehran.

It is worth noting that his ongoing gastrointestinal issues are a direct result of previous hunger strikes carried out during his imprisonment.