A dual Iranian-American citizen and journalist imprisoned in Iran has shared a rare and desperate audio message from inside Tehran's notorious Evin Prison, detailing deteriorating medical conditions, systemic abuse, and the threat of infectious disease. Reza Valizadeh, who has been held by Iranian authorities since 2024, managed to send the voice recording to update the public on his situation and the hardships faced by inmates.
Valizadeh's attorney, Ryan Fayhee, confirmed the authenticity of the recording and authorized its public release. Valizadeh last made contact in June. He is currently one of five American citizens trapped in Iran. Among those five, two are held at Evin Prison, while the other three are believed to be under strict exit bans that prevent them from leaving the country.
In his audio statement, Valizadeh, a former journalist for Radio Free Europe's Persian language service, revealed that he has been barred from seeing his family for the past five months. He stated that this restriction was imposed partly as a direct punishment and partly justified by prison administrators who cited the ongoing "wartime situation."
The voice memo paints a grim picture of the healthcare crisis within the facility, with Valizadeh warning that medical care has become almost non-existent for over a year. According to the journalist, only the most basic medications are kept on hand. Furthermore, he accused the prison staff of stealing medications that are purchased and delivered to the facility by the families of the prisoners. He also described the medical staff at Evin as rude, unmotivated, and lacking professional competence, which deters most inmates from seeking treatment unless they have no other choice.
Valizadeh expressed severe concern over the return of diseases that were eradicated decades ago, specifically pointing to pulmonary and gastrointestinal tuberculosis. He detailed the case of a fellow inmate who exhibited severe symptoms of tuberculosis, including coughing up blood and experiencing extreme weight loss for six months. Despite his condition, the sick prisoner was kept in close quarters with other inmates for approximately 10 months. He was only transferred to an outside hospital when his illness became life-threatening. Valizadeh noted that it remains unknown how many other inmates were exposed to or infected by the disease during that time.
Beyond health concerns, the recording details a breakdown in prison services and living conditions. Inmates have been denied access to the prison library and sports facilities for more than a year. The quality of the food provided by the institution is so poor that most prisoners refuse to eat it. Valizadeh also reported that recently, authorities have started transferring non-political prisoners, mainly those convicted of financial crimes, from other prisons into our ward. This appears to be an attempt to weaken the unity of political prisoners and change the composition of our ward, which already lacks the space and facilities to accommodate more prisoners.
Whenever prisoners raise even minor protests about prison conditions, they are punished by losing family visits and phone calls. Valizadeh noted that his knowledge of other American detainees in Evin is limited to Kamran Hekmati, an Iranian-American prisoner. Valizadeh believes there are no other U.S. citizens in his specific ward and suspects any others are likely being held in a different prison.
Valizadeh highlighted Hekmati's situation as an example of the harsh treatment of detainees. Hekmati had been granted a 45-day medical furlough to receive treatment for cancer. However, after only one month, and before he could begin his scheduled chemotherapy, authorities ordered him back to prison, cutting his medical leave short despite clear indications that it needed to be extended for his treatment.
Following the emergence of the recording, the Iranian mission to the United Nations was contacted for comment regarding Valizadeh's allegations but stated they had no comment.
In light of the audio release, Fayhee urged President Trump to prioritize the release of wrongfully detained Americans during any future negotiations with the Iranian government. While the Trump administration has not publicly confirmed whether the specific cases of these American detainees have been raised during negotiations in recent months, an administration official stated in June that they are closely tracking Valizadeh's case along with those of other U.S. citizens held in Iran, and are working diligently to secure their freedom.
