A/HRC/31/57/Add.1 205. Furthermore, as stated in his 2012-report (A/67/279), the Special Rapporteur calls upon the Islamic Republic of Iran to observe rigorously the restrictions and conditions imposed by article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (para. 80). 206. The Rapporteur strongly condemns the execution of Ms. Reyhaneh Jabbari, and concludes that the Government of Iran, in executing Ms. Reyhaneh Jabbari, has violated her right to be free from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, as provided by article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Rapporteur strongly urges the Government of Iran to refrain from carrying out death sentences and abolish the practice of executions. (d) JUA 25/11/2014 Case No. IRN 28/2014 State Reply: 21/04/2015 Allegations concerning the physical and psychological torture and ill-treatment, prolonged solitary confinement, denial of adequate medical care, and introduction of new charges against Dr. Mohammad Ali Taheri, the founder of a spiritual group called Erfan-eHalgheh (interuniversalism), and the re-arrest of Mr. Mohammad Reza Pourshajari. 207. The Special Rapporteur thanks the Government of the Iran for its reply, dated 21 April 2015, to the present communication. The Rapporteur takes note of the information provided that the general condition of health of Mr. Mohammad Reza Pourshajari is satisfactory but fails to inform the Rapporteur about the physical and psychological health of Dr. Mohammad Ali Taheri, and he finds that the reply does not sufficiently address the concerns, legal obligations, and questions raised in the initial communication. 208. The Special Rapporteur draws the attention of the Government to the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (reviewed on 5 November 2015 and renamed the “Mandela Rules”) and in particular Rule 27(1) which provides that, all prisons shall ensure prompt access to medical attention in urgent cases. Prisoners who require specialized treatment or surgery shall be transferred to specialized institutions or to civil hospitals. Where a prison service has its own hospital facilities, they shall be adequately staffed and equipped to provide prisoners referred to them with appropriate treatment and care. 209. In the Rapporteur’s interim report to the General Assembly of 5 August 2011 (A/66/268), the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment defined solitary confinement, in accordance with the Istanbul Statement on the Use and Effects of Solitary Confinement, as the physical and social isolation of individuals who are confined in their cells for 22 to 24 hours a day. He observed that while solitary confinement for short periods of time may be justified under certain circumstances, with adequate and effective safeguards in place, the use of prolonged (in excess of 15 days under conditions of total isolation) or indefinite solitary confinement may never constitute a legitimate instrument of the State, as it may cause severe mental and physical pain or suffering, a point which has been reiterated in paragraph 28 of the General Assembly resolution 68/156. Prolonged or indefinite solitary confinement runs afoul of the absolute prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Furthermore, due to the prisoner’s lack of communication, as well as the lack of witnesses inside the prison, solitary confinement may also give rise to other acts of torture or ill-treatment. 210. In the absence of information to the contrary, the Rapporteur concludes that there is substance in the allegations presented in the initial communication, available via the link above, and is therefore of the view that the Government of Iran by failing to protect the physical and psychological integrity of Dr. Mohammad Ali Taheri, including by subjecting him to prolonged solitary confinement, has violated his right to be free from or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. 38