Iranian-American journalist Reza Valizadeh, detained in Tehran’s Evin Prison for more than a year, issues a new warning about conditions inside the facility in a recently released voice memo, according to CBS News. CBS says it obtained the recording and aired it as a firsthand account from Valizadeh. In the memo, Valizadeh pleads for medical help, both for himself and for other Americans held by Iran, and urges U.S. authorities to take action to secure care.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says it is alarmed by the report, citing claims in the recording of physical pressure, psychological abuse, and denial of critical medical care. CPJ frames the memo as an unusually detailed account of alleged treatment of detainees in Evin Prison.
Taken together, the reports indicate that Valizadeh is using an intercepted or recorded message to alert external parties to his medical situation and the broader circumstances faced by Americans detained in Iran, as concerns about health and mistreatment persist.
