Greater Tehran Prison: Reza Ramazanzadeh Suffers Head Injury Requiring 17 Stitches; Prison Demands Payment for Medical Treatment

On Monday, May 27, 2025, Reza Ramazanzadeh, a Kurdish political prisoner detained at Greater Tehran Prison, was transferred to the prison hospital after enduring severe head injuries caused by an assault involving four inmates from the ward for violent crimes. Despite three days of continuous bleeding, he was only recently treated. The injuries required 17 stitches across multiple points on his scalp.

According to a reliable source speaking to Kurdpa, on Monday, May 20, 2025, Ramazanzadeh was attacked in the restroom of Ward 4 by four violent-crime inmates. The attack was allegedly carried out under direct incitement from the ward chief, who told the inmates to “teach him a lesson.” The assault resulted in serious trauma and multiple head wounds.

Despite the gravity of the injuries, Ramazanzadeh received no medical care for three days. When his condition worsened, he was eventually taken to the prison hospital, where he was given:

• 17 stitches
• Intravenous fluids
• Two injections (one for infection prevention, one for general stabilization)
• Wound dressings

Following this, the prison infirmary demanded that Ramazanzadeh pay 3.5 million tomans for his treatment. He strongly objected, arguing that medical care is a basic right of prisoners, stating he would rather have the stitches removed than pay.

Legal Provisions Violated:

According to the Executive Regulations of the Iranian Prisons Organization (2005):

• Article 118: “Prisoners must receive free healthcare and treatment upon arrival and throughout their sentence. If ill, they must be referred to the prison physician or sent to outside medical facilities if needed.”
• Article 122: “All treatment and medication for inmates are to be covered by the state. Inmates are not obligated to pay, except when seeking private care beyond standard provisions.”
   

Background on Reza Ramazanzadeh:

Health and Medical Neglect:

• As reported by Kurdpa on May 2, 2025, Ramazanzadeh has suffered from severe gastrointestinal issues, likely worsened by previous hunger strikes, and has been denied medical care.
• Despite these conditions, he has been detained in a ward for violent offenders, further endangering his safety.
   

Detention Conditions:

• According to a December 21, 2024 report by Kurdpa, he had been held without visitation rights or phone access one month into his detention.
• Prison authorities repeatedly ignored his requests for reassignment and denied basic rights.

Legal and Political Background:

Current Sentence: Ramazanzadeh is serving 2 years and 6 months in prison from two separate cases:

• 1.5 years from Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court for "collaboration with opposition networks" (from arrest on October 9, 2022).
• 1 year from Branch 24 of the Revolutionary Court (Judge Radmand) on April 17, 2025, for “spreading false information”, upheld by Branch 36 of the Tehran Appeals Court.
   

Previous Arrests:

• Nov 2019 Protests: Sentenced to 2.5 years for “acting against national security.”
• Detained multiple times in 2013, 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2024.
• Targeted for publicizing prison conditions in Greater Tehran and Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad.
• Ethnic & Residential Background: Ramazanzadeh is ethnically Kurdish, originally from Kurdistan of Khorasan, and resides in Tehran.