Political prisoner on verge of Vision Impairment in Urmia Prison due to improper injection
Arslan Khodkam, a political prisoner detained in Urmia Central Prison and suffe
Hengaw; Saturday, October 14, 2023
Arslan Khodkam, a political prisoner detained in Urmia Central Prison and suffering from cataracts, has been exposed to a significant risk of complete loss of vision in his left eye due to an improper, faulty injection. Following the reluctance of authorities to transfer him to a hospital, he was relocated to the prison infirmary, where he was mistakenly administered an injection that jeopardized his left eye's complete visual capacity.
According to reports obtained by the Hengaw organization for Human Rights, in the first days of October, Arslan Khodkam, aged 49, a political prisoner from Mahabad, was transferred to Urmia Central Prison due to his cataract condition. Since then, his eye condition has gotten worse by the day as a result of an unknown injection.
Informed sources indicate that prison authorities in Urmia Central Prison refused to transfer the prisoner to external medical facilities, despite their limited resources, facilities, and personnel to address progressive diseases like cataract.
According to Hengaw’s reliable sources, Arslan Khodkam urgently requires eye surgery in a hospital, but prison authorities have set a bail of 15 billion Iranian Toman for his medical leave, making it practically impossible for his family to fulfill.
This political prisoner, who has already served nearly 5 years and 6 months in prison, is currently detained in Ward 12, known as the "Ershad Ward" of Urmia Central Prison.
Arslan Khodkam was originally sentenced to death in 2018 by Branch 32 of the Military Court of Urmia on charges of espionage for the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan. His sentence was later reduced to life in prison with a one-degree reduction on April 15, 2021.
Arslan Khodkam was a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at the time of his arrest while on a mission in Oshnoviyeh on April 13, 2018, and was charged with collaborating with the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan.
