On March 4, 2024, the Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) issued a statement regarding Gholamhossein Kalbi, an Iranian political prisoner. Kalbi, a staunch supporter of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), stands as one of the enduring symbols of resilience against the oppressive regime in Iran.

The full text of the statement as follows:

The Ministry of Intelligence of the mullahs’ regime continues to put pressure on Gholamhossein Kalbi, a 64-year-old supporter of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and one of the longest-serving political prisoners in Iran. The regime has made his transfer from Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz to Mahshahr Prison, where his family lives, conditional on his repentance and expression of regret, which Gholamhossein has categorically and strongly rejected. In addition, the regime’s criminal agents are keeping him among ordinary criminals and dangerous criminals in order to put pressure on him.

Gholamhossein Kalbi, who was imprisoned for more than six years between 1981 and 1987 for supporting the PMOI, was arrested again in 2000 and sentenced to life in prison. He has been in prison for more than 23 years without a single day of leave for medical treatment. He suffers from heart disease, left ear infection and hearing loss, severe arthritis, back pain, jaw and mouth, and dental problems, and is denied minimum medical care.

Over the years, he has lost his father, mother, sister, and brother, and due to the distance, he has practically no possibility of meeting his other relatives.

The Iranian Resistance calls on the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran and other relevant UN bodies to address the situation of Gholamhossein Kalbi. It once again emphasizes the need for an international fact-finding mission to visit Iran’s prisons and meet with prisoners, especially political prisoners.