Inmates ‘dying’ in Nazanin jail hell
POLITICAL prisoners in the Iranian jail where British mother Nazanin Zaghariratcliffe is being held are dying in large numbers from Covid19, an inmate claimed last night.
Nazanin, 41, was due to be freed on medical leave from Tehran’s notorious Evin prison but her husband Richard says her release is being blocked by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
It was feared Nazanin, jailed since 2016, accused of plotting to overthrow Iran’s government, which she denies, had contracted coronavirus. But in recent days she has rallied.
Last night a political prisoner, known as “Meqdad”, said inmates had died and others were suffering from fevers as high as 41 or 42C.
He said: “All we can do is try to reach the clinic by pushing and shoving. And once there, the guards tell us there is no doctor or that the doctor is not coming, return to your ward or we will use force.”
He also said a “number” of inmates transferred to hospital had not returned.
Nazanin, from north London, had flown to Iran to introduce her parents to the couple’s young daughter Gabriella.
Iran’s ambassador to the UK has repeatedly claimed that she is about to be freed.
Last night Richard said: “My reading is that Iran’s foreign ministry wants her to come out temporarily because she remains a valuable asset. But this is being blocked by the Revolutionary Guard which is asserting its control.
“We were really convinced she got Covid-19 last week. She had all the symptoms and she’s recovered.
“The worst part of this for Nazanin is the inconsistency. It’s like another form of torture.”
Iran says it has had 10,000 coronavirus infections and 429 deaths, but the figures are said to be much higher.