Saman Yassin: the most recent sufferer of Iran’s use of pressured psychological well being therapy to punish political prisoners
July 24, 2023 – Iranian imprisoned rapper Saman Yassin was pressured right into a psychiatric hospital shortly after demanding due course of and justice for his case, an indication that the Iranian authorities is making an attempt to suppress opposition. It highlights the continued weaponization of drugs for the aim of medical therapy and is a critical violation of worldwide and Iranian legislation. .
According to info obtained by the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), Yasin had beforehand been subjected to torture to power him to admit to crimes.
These gross rights violations ought to be documented by an unbiased worldwide fact-finding mission on Iran. Meanwhile, the United Nations and world leaders ought to take steps to demand that the Islamic Republic finish its use of violence, torture, pressured medical therapy, and arbitrary detention to silence dissent.
“The Iranian authorities has a historical past of utilizing torture and involuntary psychiatric hospitalization to coerce false ‘confessions’ from political prisoners and repeatedly punish them past unjust detention.” CHRI stated Executive Director Hadi Ghami.
Torture, denial of entry to legal professionals, unlawful hospitalization with out consent
After 10 months in detention, Kurdish rapper Saman Yassin, 27, broke his silence and described his case, which included not solely torture and coerced confessions, but in addition the pressured use of a public defender. He has been denied entry to his case information and is now being pressured right into a psychiatric hospital with out motive or consent.
According to info despatched to CHRI on situation of anonymity for safety causes, the torture suffered by Yassin in the course of the first two weeks of his 10-month detention included:
- bear a mock execution comparable to having a noose positioned round their neck
- A pencil was shoved into my nostril and my nostril broke.
- I used to be pushed down the steps twice.
- Forced to be positioned in a walk-in freezer intermittently for 2 days
- He was informed that if he didn’t confess to the crime, his household can be tortured.
At the time of Yassin’s mock execution, he was in the identical cell as Mohsen Shekari, a 23-year-old protester who was to be executed in December 2022 at Rajai Shaar jail in Karaj, 32 miles west of Tehran.
CHRI studies that Yassin, who was initially sentenced to loss of life on grounds of “moharab” (enmity to God) on baseless expenses of killing members of the nationwide safety forces, is now being retried by Iran’s infamous choose Abolkasem Salavati. I’m deeply involved that that is taking place. For his harsh sentences in opposition to people accused of involvement in protests and activism.
According to info obtained by CHRI, Yassin was ordered to shave his beard however maintain his mustache forward of his first court docket look with Saravati. In Iran, there’s a stereotypical and derogatory perception that males with mustaches are criminals. This order was issued by Saravati, suggesting that he supposed to deal with Yasin as responsible from the start.
Yashin additionally confronted stress to talk on digital camera about collaborating in avenue protests on the behest of overseas media shops and activists, however he refused.
Yassin, at the moment incarcerated in Evin Prison, was attacked by safety forces in his house in the midst of the night time on September 30, 2022, amid a violent crackdown by state safety forces on large-scale anti-state protests that had erupted. , was arrested,” he stated. It was carried out throughout Iran in September 2022 after Zina Mahsa Amini, who allegedly wore an inappropriate hijab, died in state custody.
Yassin was accused of killing a member of the state safety forces and was initially sentenced to loss of life a number of weeks later, though he was denied entry to an unbiased lawyer and a good trial. On enchantment, the Supreme Court granted his request for a brand new trial and despatched the case again to the Islamic Revolutionary Court, however the case has since stalled.
Yashin, who broke his silence underneath stress, might be punished instantly.
“Even the general public defender has no proper to work on my case as a result of they do not know what crime I dedicated,” he stated in an audio message shared on-line on July 21, 2023. That is the truth that his appointed lawyer, Hossein Saltipi, stated that Judge Salavati wouldn’t permit him to evaluation and examine his case. This was the primary time Yassin had been heard from since his arrest.
“If I dedicated a criminal offense and you’ve got proof, please reveal it and provides me a sentence,” he added. “If I’m harmless, please launch me. Why do you permit me in concern?”
Two days later, Yasin was admitted to Aminabad Hospital (also referred to as Razi Psychiatric Hospital) in Shahrelay, south of Tehran. This is similar hospital the place political prisoner Behnam Majubi was tortured and later died in one other hospital whereas in Iranian state custody.
Yassin didn’t consent to hospitalization, an individual conversant in his case informed CHRI. This type of arbitrary detention is a violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Iran is a signatory.
Article 9 states: “No one shall be subjected to torture, merciless, inhuman or degrading therapy or punishment. In explicit, nobody shall be subjected to medical or scientific experimentation with out his or her free consent. It should not be uncovered.”
“No one knowledgeable us about this [transfer to the psychiatric hospital]” Yassin’s mom, Fozzie Khurani, informed Sharg newspaper. “We should not helpless. We are going from Kermanshah to Tehran to see what occurred.”
“At this time, there is no such thing as a information concerning Saman’s situation,” she added. “Saman final known as me three or 4 days in the past. I have never heard from him since then. He stated he was very upset and confused about his scenario, however… They did not point out that they have been going to switch him…”
Pattern of sending political prisoners to psychological hospitals with out motive or consent
CHRI analysis has discovered that many Iranian political prisoners, dissidents, and even youngsters in detention are illegally pressured into psychiatric hospitals and compelled to bear so-called psychiatric evaluations with out motive or consent. ing.
The observe is so prevalent in Iran that 4 Iranian psychological well being organizations not too long ago condemned it in a joint letter to Attorney General Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei.
“The analysis of psychological issues is the duty of psychiatrists, not judges, simply because the analysis of different diseases is the duty of docs, not judges,” the letter states. Signatories are: Iranian Psychiatric Scientific Association, Iranian Psychosomatic Medical Scientific Association, Iranian Psychotherapy Scientific Association, and Iranian Psychological Society.
“The software of psychiatric diagnoses to punish people is a type of abuse, a violation of human dignity for the aim of humiliation, and a violation of the lives of many individuals that suffer from psychological well being issues. It has irreversible penalties when it comes to undermining one’s skilled standing, complicates psychological well being, fails to offer providers to these in want, and discredits world psychiatry and psychology. ” added the associations, which revealed the letter in July 2023.
The affiliation particularly talked about the case of Afsaneh Bayegan, who was sentenced to biweekly remedy classes for refusing to put on a hijab in public for what the court docket known as an “anti-family character.” She was additionally given a two-year “suspended” jail sentence. That means she could possibly be imprisoned at any time and might be banned from utilizing social media or leaving the nation for 2 years.
At the peak of the protests in October, Education Minister Youssef Nouri informed the Shargh Daily that youngsters accused of participating in anti-state protests have been being “reformed and reformed” in accordance with orders from the Iranian authorities. In 2022, it would even be despatched to a psychological heart in Iran for the aim of “schooling.”
The motion was strongly condemned by a bunch of docs in a correspondence revealed within the influential peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet.
“As a bunch of psychiatrists, we strongly condemn the usage of psychological well being and psychological providers as a treatment for political conflicts,” the docs stated. “This method results in arbitrary psychiatric confinement, particularly in nations the place psychological well being laws doesn’t exist.
“Such actions are a transparent violation of human rights and are alarming for numerous different causes, together with unfairly pathologizing opinions and values that differ from the ruling regime,” they added.
In addition to the kid protesters talked about within the report, Yassin and actress Afsaneh Bayegan, different political prisoners and others are present process unlawful and involuntary therapy in Iranian state custody. Political prisoners embrace:
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