Union Leader’s Dangerous Health Conditions: Immediate Surgery Needed
In an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Parvaneh Osanloo, bus worker union leader Mansour Osanloo’s wife, described her husband’s deteriorating health in prison and the refusal of prison officials to transfer him to a hospital. “His arteries are clogged again and his situation is worsening everyday. Prison doctors said that he must have an operation as soon as possible. We showed Mansour’s medical documents to doctors outside the prison and we talked to the authorities, too. If they cooperate, he must be transferred outside the prison for surgery or at least for angiography as soon as possible,” Parvaneh Osanloo told the Campaign.
“They told me verbally to find his doctor and they would allow him to be sent outside, but until they transfer him outside and his medical work is done, I won’t believe it. Next, we will have concerns about his return to the prison after the operation; the prison environment is not suitable for him at all,” she added.
Mansour Osanloo, a union leader with the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, is currently at Shahid Rajaee Prison in Karaj. In hand and foot cuffs, Osanloo was transferred to a hospital coronary care unit for his heart condition in 2008, where none of his family members were allowed to visit him. He was arrested by security forces on 10 July 2007 near his home and was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of “acting against national security,” and “propagating against the regime.”
During 4.5 years in prison, Mansour Osanloo has not been allowed a single day of furlough. “He is under difficult conditions. He doesn’t have telephone access. He is under pressure. His visits only take place through booths. His hygiene and nutrition conditions are not good. There is a large crowd inside his ward and all of these create stress. All of these led him to have a heart attack and his problems continue. His doctor said that the prison environment is dangerous for him, and that he mustn’t be under stress. He must have a good diet and be kept in a quiet environment. These are things he doesn’t have right now,” added Parvaneh Osanloo.
“Would you believe that all [prisoner] families are so happy to go to visits with their imprisoned kin, even if it is for just 20 minutes from behind glass? But when the visits end, we feel so bad that nobody talks to one another, because we have just seen their conditions and how much they are suffering. We have a lot to say, but just as we start to talk, the visitation time ends. All of this is so difficult. Even so, his morale is good and he has never complained. All prisoners say ‘we are O.K. don’t worry,’ but we can see their conditions and we cannot believe their words. Each time I try to go see him with more strength. Maybe he thinks the same thing, too,” concluded Parvaneh Osanloo.
