Mohammad Banazadeh Amirkhizi, a 79-year-old political prisoner and a survivor from the justice-seeking families of the 1980s, is still being held under very difficult conditions in the Qom Ministry of Intelligence detention center. Despite multiple illnesses and a critical physical condition, he not only has no access to medical care, but is also kept in solitary confinement under interrogation and severe psychological pressure.
Sudden and unlawful arrest
On the morning of Monday, July 28, security forces entered the home of Mohammad Banazadeh Amirkhizi in Tehran without presenting a judicial warrant and forcibly took him away. After his transfer to the Ministry of Intelligence detention center in Qom, his family was left in complete uncertainty and has only been able to have a few short phone calls with him under the control of security agents.
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Critical physical condition
Informed sources have reported that Mr. Mohammad Banazadeh Amirkhizi suffers from severe health problems, including heart disease, a torn knee meniscus, prostate cancer, and general weakness due to old age. Doctors had previously emphasized that he requires specialized and continuous medical care. However, judicial and security authorities have so far prevented any form of treatment or medical follow-up and have even denied him permission to undergo basic tests. This has effectively placed him at serious risk of a slow death.
Since his arrest, Mohammad Banazadeh Amirkhizi has been denied access to a lawyer. His long-term solitary confinement, deprivation of family visits, lack of medical facilities, and repeated interrogations all constitute clear examples of psychological torture. Human rights activists emphasize that such treatment is incompatible with both international human rights laws and even Iran’s own domestic laws.
He was also arrested in 2009 and 2016 for supporting the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and spent about 10 years in Evin and Gohardasht prisons. On July 15, 2021, he was released from Gohardasht Prison in Karaj after completing his sentence, but he remained under restrictions, including a forced exile order.
Arrest as part of systematic repression
The arrest and torture of Mohammad Banazadeh Amirkhizi must be seen in the broader context of the Iranian regime’s repression of dissidents, especially the justice-seeking families of the 1980s. His re-arrest sends a clear message from the regime to other justice-seeking families: “Stay silent or pay a heavier price.”
