Iranian-American prisoner dies in Iran amid claims of medical negligence

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – A US prisoner of Iranian origin has died in Iran, Iranian authorities confirmed on Monday.

Faramarz Javidzad, 60, died at a hospital on Saturday due to health complications, Iran’s Prisons and Security and Corrective Measures Organization (PSCMO) said in a statement.

It, however, rejected reports that the prisoner had died of medical negligence.

Media reports earlier said that Javidzad died at Evin Prison in north Tehran after his health condition deteriorated due to lack of medical attention without being transferred to a hospital.

PSCMO said the inmate had been sent to medical centers outside the prison five times in two months.

According to the statement, Javidzad suffered from gastrointestinal complications and had undergone surgery as well.

The top prison authority dismissed reports that the Iranian-American inmate was sent to a prison clinic and then transferred back to his cell, saying he received CPR in the presence of medics.

The doctors, however, failed to revive the inmate, the statement said, without any reference to his dual nationality.

There is also intense speculation about charges against him and why he wasn’t included in a recent prisoner swap deal between Tehran and Washington.

PSCMO said the inmate was serving a jail sentence due to convictions related to financial crimes.

Javidzad, it said, was involved in the transfer of properties belonging to others and participating in the formation of a forgery and fraud network inside Iran.

There has been no official statement from US officials on his death so far.

Last week, Iran and the US exchanged five prisoners each under a prisoner swap deal mediated by Qatar that also saw Iran’s frozen assets in South Korea being released and transferred to Doha.

Five American prisoners, including businessmen Siamak Namazi, Emad Sharghi and Morad Tahbaz, were transferred to Doha from Tehran and from there flew to Washington.