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Mr. Osanloo is kept in the same ward as prisoners who are on medication, have mental and emotional problems, or are aggressive murder convicts.
By Mojtab Samienejad for RAHANA
March 2, 2010
Mansour Osanloo, the leader of the Greater Tehran Bus Drivers’ Union, was arrested on July 10, 2007 to serve his 5-year jail term in Evin Prison. On August 24, 2008, the union leader was transferred to Karaj’s Rajai-Shahr prison, which is reserved for dangerous convicts. This is in contravention to the law that requires the separation of prisoners based on the nature of their charges.
Since his transfer to Rajai-Shahr, Osanloo has been attacked several times by the violent inmates detained in the same prison. Last year, the office of the Medical Examiner ruled that Osanloo is physically unfit to serve his sentence, but the decision has yet to be enforced.
Over the past few days, an inmate has attempted to stab Osanloo on a number of occasions. Osanloo’s wife Parvaneh told RAHANA, “Mr. Osanloo is kept in the same ward as prisoners who are on medication, have mental and emotional problems, or are aggressive murder convicts who constantly fight with other inmates.”
“Another issue is ward politics. Osanloo and some other prisoners want order and discipline inside the prison, while there are others who do not appreciate peace and order. I do not want to go into small details, but to put it briefly, they prefer to have a prison where there is no discipline. Osanloo is known among prisoners for his discipline and this does not sit right with that group’s agenda.”
“On February 22, an inmate who is serving time for killing his wife attacked Osanloo with a knife, but, through the intervention of other prisoners, my husband was saved.”
Similar incidents have occurred on a number of occasions but prison authorities not taken any measures to stop the attacks. “We fear for his life. In the past few days, prison authorities have promised to remove the 2 inmates responsible for the attacks – Sayed Mohammad Hosseini and Mohammad Barkhi – but there has yet to be a transfer. One of them attempted to stab Mr. Osanloo last year as well. Prison authorities promised to improve the situation by transferring him, but he is still there.”
The repeated nature of the attacks and the insistence of the authorities to keep Osanloo in Rajai-Shahr have raised suspicions that the incidents were premeditated, and the intent to eliminate the union leader is obvious. “I do not know what to say, but the prisoners are faced with problems caused by overcrowding in the ward, which in turn puts a great deal of mental pressure on them and leads to such incidents.”
“In the past, the overcrowded prison store was one such problem, and it has been remedied through measures taken by prison officials. Our main worry, however, is the presence of the inmates who continue to pose a threat to his life. When he called me from prison today, I asked him if those 2 had been transferred yet. He said they were still in the ward. When I told him to do something to have them moved to another ward, he said that there was nothing he could do; prison authorities have promised to take them away but have not done anything,” Parvaneh Osanloo told RAHANA.
“In the past, we have repeatedly asked the authorities to move him back to Evin, but our requests have fallen on deaf ears. At least if he is held in a place more in line with his charges (Political), we won’t have to worry that someone will attack him with a knife.”
The prominent labour activist suffers from a multitude of illnesses, and his ongoing detention combined with the lack of medical treatment has deteriorated his condition. As of yet, the authorities have denied him a medical prison leave. “He has had heart surgery and should not be under stress; he requires a special diet; and he also suffers from a skin disease that requires him to be in sunlight. A herniated disc problem bothers him greatly, and, on top of all these conditions, the poor man must endure the pain of being in prison,” says Parvaneh.
“We are still pursuing our efforts to enforce the order issued by the Medical Examiner (which declared him unfit to serve his sentence), but nothing has happened.”
It is not clear why the order has not yet been enforced or which authorities have obstructed it. Parvaneh Osanloo holds the judiciary responsible, “We have spoken to the judge in charge of the case, but he says that the order should come from higher authorities. Only a few days ago, I went to the court but was told by the judge that he has sent the matter to the Intelligence Ministry and is waiting for an answer.”
“Since the time of his 3-stage eye surgery, we have been pursuing the matter (release for medical reasons. His eyes have become very sensitive after the operation and any contact or blow will cause serious damage to his sight. The matter was confirmed by the prison physicians, who also noticed his disc problem. For our part, we are doing all we can, but our efforts have not yielded any results. I do not know when he will come out; we have to wait and see when the matters – which are his rights as a human being – will be resolved.”