Iranian Resistance calls for urgent action to save lives of ill and hunger-striking political prisoners
National Council of Resistance of Iran/Thursday, 09 June 2016
The Iranian Resistance calls on all international human rights organizations, especially the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, and the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Arbitrary Detentions, Torture and Right to Life to take urgent and effective action for the unconditional release of political prisoners and providing the necessities for them to enjoy fast and necessary medical care. The religious fascism ruling Iran is not only neglecting the political prisoners’ rightful demands, including follow-ups on the status of their cases, fair trials and/or medical care, in fact this regime is forging bogus charges and various other hindering measures in attempts to further torture and harass them.
Afshin Sohrabzadeh, a political prisoner suffering from intestinal cancer, is exiled in Minab Prison (southern Iran) and on the brink of losing his life. During the past few days he has been transferred to a hospital after his health conditions deteriorated. However, despite the physicians’ emphasis, he was returned to prison without receiving the medical care he needed. This prisoner, already enduring very harsh conditions, was handcuffed on June 7 by Saleh Barezi, a very ruthless official in Minab Prison, and severely beaten. His belongings were thrown in the prison hallway and he was told he had to sleep in the hallway from then on. Barezi also threatened to punish any prisoner who provided a bed to Sohrabzadeh.
This political prisoner has lost a significant amount of his weight and is facing other illnesses due to cancer, severe internal bleeding and breathing difficulties. He was arrested in June 2009 and sentenced to 25 years in jail in exile through a court hearing that lasted only a few minutes.
Political prisoner Jafar Azimzadeh, a worker, is in critical condition after 39 days on hunger strike. He is suffering from severe weight loss, dangerously low blood pressure, kidney failure and severe vision weakness. The authorities are not only refusing to allow his transfer to a hospital outside of prison, they are also not permitting his hospitalizing inside the prison clinic. These measures are aimed at forcing him to sign a document saying he himself doesn’t intend to go to the prison clinic. Mr. Azimzadeh has been on hunger strike protesting “fundamental rights violations against teachers and workers,” and “their prosecution and imprisonment for bogus reasons” and demanding the cancellation of charges such as “actions against national security” raised against labor activists and teachers.
Mohammad Sedigh Kabudvand, a Kurdish journalist and political prisoner who has been on hunger strike for 30 days protesting bogus charges raised against him by the Iranian regime’s Ministry of Intelligence (VEVAK / MOIS). He is facing the threat of suffering a heart attack. He has been transferred to a hospital during the past few days due to a severe drop in blood pressure that resulted in him going unconscious. Mr. Kabudvand was arrested on July 1, 2007, and condemned to 10 years behind bars in a kangaroo court under bogus charges of “action against national security.” He is suffering from heart artery and kidney illnesses.
MOIS authorities returned political prisoner Alireza Golipour behind bars despite the fact that he is suffering from cancer and severe lung infection. He was returned to prison while still unconscious after surgery. Despite his deteriorated conditions authorities began delivering sever blows to his chest during his return to prison, all leading to the further deterioration of his status. Two nights before this incident he was placed under severe torture aimed at forcing him to participate in a TV interview and repent. Golipour is also suffering from heart illness and severe nose bleeding. The mullahs’ judiciary authorities sentenced this 30-year-old political prisoner to 15 years behind bars for insulting the regime’s supreme leader, supporting the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MeK) and the bogus charge of espionage.
Massoud Arab-Choubdar, a political prisoner suffering from intestinal cancer, from May 25 began protesting his forced transfer and the pressures imposed on him in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison. He eventually launched a hunger strike on May 31. The prison authorities transferred him from ward 4 to ward 1 where ordinary prisoners are held. He was arrested back in 2013 and sentenced to three years behind bars. He is suffering from various illnesses, including severe headaches and epilepsy due to the torture he has suffered.
Shir Mohammad Shirani, a Baluchi minority prisoner arrested in 2008 and sentenced to 22 years behind bars. He has been exiled from Zahedan Prison (southeast Iran) to Ardebil Prison (northwest Iran) and been on hunger strike since May 3. He is suffering from severe kidney illness.
Mohammad Abdullahi, a political prisoner detained in Urumieh Central Prison (northwest Iran) has been on hunger strike since May 29 protesting his unfair execution sentence. He was placed under severely torture and harassed after his arrested on March 18, 2011.
Amir Dorosti, a former employee of Iran’s regular air force and political prisoner in Evin Prison who has been on a dry hunger strike from May 24 onward protesting his sentencing, extortion by the public prosecutor and the authorities’ refusal to release him. Hajilu, a known torturer in Evin Prison, said in response to Dorosti’s health deteriorating: “A prisoner on hunger strike must remain behind bars until he dies.” During the past four months the authorities have refused to release him on certain conditions despite receiving the necessary bail money. He is currently serving the 5th year of his 8-year prison sentence.
Political prisoner Rasoul Razavi was transferred to an unknown location on Monday, June 6, marking the 19th day of his hunger strike. He is held in Tabriz Central Prison (northwest Iran) and has been on hunger strike protesting the rulings issued by the mullahs’ so-called courts, and is demanding an open-door fair trial. Razavi was arrested back in July 2015 and sentenced to 1 year behind bars on charges of “bewildering public opinion” and “propaganda against the establishment.” He was arrested once before in 2013 and sentenced to 1 year behind bars.
During the past few weeks a number of other political prisoners have launched hunger strike in solidarity with other hunger striking prisoners. Ali Moezi and Amir Amir-Gholi in Evin Prison, Afshin Baimani, Khaled and Rasoul Heradani, Saeed Shirzad, Loghman Moradi and Zaniyar Moradi in Gohardasht Prison of Karaj (west of Tehran), and Ayoub Assad, a Kurdish political prisoner held in Kashmar Prison.
The hunger strikes launched by these political prisoners, especially Jafar Azimzadeh, have sparked a wave of solidarity and support in various cities across Iran. Acts of solidarity include demonstrations in different cities and placing posters with images of hunger striking political prisoners on walls, along with slogans including “Labor political prisoners must be released” and “Eliminate ‘actions against national security’ charges from protesting workers’ cases.”
*Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran/June 7, 2015