A/HRC/40/67 28. Other individuals remain imprisoned for exercising their right to freedom of opinion and expression. Alternative health practitioner Mohammad Ali Taheri was imprisoned following a conviction for “spreading corruption on earth”. The Special Rapporteur reiterates the call of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for his release. 41 29. The Special Rapporteur is alarmed by the health situation of numerous imprisoned human rights defenders. Farhad Meysami began a hunger strike in August 2018 in protest at his lack of access to a lawyer of his choice and the charges against him. Arash Sadeghi is in need of specialist medical care and remains imprisoned despite calls for his release from the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in April.42 Soheil Arabi is in urgent need of medical attention. He was due for release in 2018, but was instead charged with additional offences and was sentenced to 10 years and 8 months of additional imprisonment. In November, concerns were raised about the worrying health situation of Narges Mohammadi, who is in need of appropriate medical care. She remains imprisoned despite the call of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in 2017 to release her. 43 The health situation of prisoners was highlighted in December 2018, following the death of Vahid Sayyadi-Nasiri, a prisoner who had begun a hunger strike in November. The Special Rapporteur urges the Government to conduct a prompt, independent, impartial and effective investigation into the circumstances of the death of Mr. Sayyadi-Nasiri, and to ensure that all those detained in need of medical attention are afforded it urgently. In its comments, the Government stated that Mr. Sadeghi was under the continuous supervision of a specialist and had access to medical clinics outside of the prison. 30. The Special Rapporteur received reports of arrests and intimidation of journalists and media workers within the country. Journalists outside of the country have also been targeted, such as the staff of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Persian Service. A collective criminal investigation and a purportedly temporary asset-freezing injunction initiated in 2017 against over 150 staff still remains in place. In some cases, staff members’ families based in the Islamic Republic of Iran have been interrogated and harassed. Staff have also been threatened and defamatory news stories have been circulated on social media about them. The Special Rapporteur reiterates his predecessor’s concerns at such actions and calls upon the Government to cease all legal actions44 and harassment against journalists, including the BBC Persian Service staff. In its comments, the Government stated that a number of BBC staff had been acquitted with respect to the asset-freezing injunction while other cases remained open. E. Impact of sanctions 31. The violations of civil and political rights described must be examined in the context of renewed economic challenges for the Islamic Republic of Iran. These challenges intensified with the reimposition of sanctions in 2018 following the decision by the United States of America to cease its participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the nuclear deal).45 32. In October 2018, the International Court of Justice indicated provisional measures pending further proceedings and its final decision on proceedings brought by the Islamic Republic of Iran against the United States on the alleged violation of the Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations and Consular Rights between the two States. 46 It considered that assurances by the United States regarding humanitarian exemptions were “not adequate to address fully the humanitarian and safety concerns raised” by the Islamic Republic of Iran, and therefore it is of the view that there remains a risk that measures adopted by the United 41 42 43 44 45 46 See www.ohchr.org/FR/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=16292&LangID=E. See the Working Group’s opinion No. 19/2018. See the Working Group’s opinion No. 48/2017. See www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=22314&LangID=E. See www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/ceasing-u-s-participation-jcpoa-taking-additionalaction-counter-irans-malign-influence-deny-iran-paths-nuclear-weapon/. International Court of Justice press release dated 3 October 2018, available at https://www.icjcij.org/files/case-related/175/175-20181003-PRE-01-00-EN.pdf. 7