The children of incarcerated journalist Keyvan Samimi have expressed their concern for their father’s health in Rajai Shahr prison while the prison officials have ignored the issue.

Some time ago Keyvan Samimi’s children had announced that per prison physicians, a tumor had been detected in their father’s liver requiring immediate surgery and special care. However to date the prison administrators have not acknowledged this issue.

Per several reports in the past Keyvan Samimi’s family made requests that he be transferred to a hospital for immediate medical care. Keyvan Samimi’s children in a letter to the head of the judiciary asked that a needed medical furlough be granted for their father but they did not receive any response.

Journalist Keyvan Samimi was arrested on June 13, 2009 at his home. On November 29, 2010 he was transferred from Evin prison to Rajai Shahr prison. He has only been out on one short furlough since his incarceration and he has gone on numerous hunger strikes.

Kayvan Samimi is Editor-in-Chief of the banned newspaper Nameh, member of Freedom of the Press Society, member of the Committee to Pursue Arbitrary Arrests and The Right To Education Committee.

The denial of the legal right to receive medical attention has been one of the ongoing serious objections made by human rights activists and the families of political prisoners. Hossein Ronaghi Maleki, Mehdi Mahmoudian, Abdollah Momeni are among scores of ailing political prisoners behind bars with no access to their medical needs and barred from medical furlough.

Article in Persian: http://www.rahana.org/archives/45745