An opposition website reports that the Hashemi Rafsanjani family is seriously concerned about the health of Mehdi Hashemi in Evin prison and is suspicious of the medication being administered to him in jail.
Kaleme reported on Thursday that in a telephone conversation, Mehdi Hashemi told his father Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of Iran’s Expediency Council, that he has been experiencing “an unusual sleep disorder” and a feeling of “loss of awareness” during the day.
Kaleme reports that the telephone conversation has caused serious concern for the family, which has questions about the medication.
There have been unconfirmed reports of political prisoners being given special medication in Iranian jails. In the report by UN Special Rapportuer Ahmad Shaheed, he cited instances of psychotropic drugs being administered to prisoners as a tool of psychological torture.
According to Kaleme, Mehdi Hashemi has met with three other political prisoners, who have reportedly made claims against him, but he has stressed that “confessions and claims against [me] rising from forced conditions are false” and he stressed that he has yet to be shown concrete evidence of wrongdoing against him.
Kaleme went on to report that Mehdi Hashemi’s case is being followed by “three Iranian officials including Taeb and Mohseni Ejei.”
Hossein Taeb is an Iranian member of the clergy with close links to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Taeb is said to have been instrumental in the imprisonment of many political activists.
Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, who was head of the Ministry of Intelligence but was removed from the position in the final days of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s last mandate, is currently serving as the Prosecutor General.
According to Kaleme, Mohseni Ejei wants to release Mehdi Hashemi on bail, but Taeb “believes that keeping Hashemi in jail could be used as leverage in the coming election.”
Mehdi Hashemi supported Ahmadinejad opponent MirHosein Mousavi in the 2009 presidential elections. He left Iran after the disputed elections and returned in September after a three-year absence. He was arrested upon his return.
