Iran’s criminal justice system is notorious for imprisoning people
merely for peacefully exercising their human rights. However, the legal
framework relating to the rights of prisoners guarantees, in theory that they
should at least benefit from adequate medical care. Iran’s prison regulations
require the prison administration to provide prisoners with regular medical
check-ups, and ensure that their medical needs are addressed. They also provide
that prisoners may be granted medical leave or transferred to treatment centres
outside prison when the care they need is not available in prison. Iran’s Code
of Criminal Procedure further authorizes judges to postpone the implementation
of a prison sentence when imprisonment would exacerbate the illness of the prisoner,
or to issue an alternative sentence if the individual is deemed too ill to
serve.
