On January 29, Iranian regime intelligence and security agents arrested the Mr. Jafar Azimzadeh, Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Free Union of Iran Workers, at 5:30 pm local time.
According to reports, Azimzadeh is detained at the 11th police headquarter in Karaj, west of the capital, Tehran, and will be kept there until the judge's announcement. The agents confiscated Azimzadeh’s laptop, cell phone, and personal belongings
#RezaShahabi, a #labor activist, has #stroke in #prison
Labor activist says Tehran Prosecutor is lying about Shahabi’s charges
Following new charges brought against detained labor activist Reza Shahabi by the Tehran Prosecutor including “contacting and obtaining money from dissident groups”, a labor activist from the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company Worker’s Syndicate, said that such charges had not been raised even during the interrogation phase.
“The Tehran Prosecutor is lying as a pretext for the judiciary’s illegal measures”, he said.
This worker activist said the Prosecutor’s goal was to use these charges as an excuse to illegally keep Reza Shahabi in prison.
“Shahabi was a bus driver before his arrest and after his release, he opened a family grocery store with his wife. This is their only source of income. Sometimes Syndicate members may help those who have family in prison but having contacts with other groups and receiving money is an absolute lie”, the labor activist added.
Detained labor activist sends message from Rajaie Shahr Prison
Reza Shahabi, a prominent Iranian labor activist sent a message from prison detailing human rights violations and thanked the people and labor activists for their continuing support.
Letter by Five French Syndicates to Macron: Take Action to Save the Life of Reza ShahabiNCRI - Five French labour syndicates, together with Amnesty International, called on the French President Emanuel Macron to intervene to protect Reza Shahabi, member of the Syndicate of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company. Reza Shahabi has been on hunger strike for 35 days, and his life is in danger.The letter to the French President is part of a “Collective” action consisting of five French syndicates including the CGT, the CFDT, the FSU, UNSA and Solidaires together with Amnesty International to support Reza Shahabi and other Iranian labour and cultural activists.Reza Shahabi, a labour activist who has been on hunger strike since August 9, faces severe hypertension, localized anaesthesia in the left side of the body, impaired digestive function, and severe weight loss. READ MORE
Prominent Syndicalist Prisoner in Critical Health Condition
Workers Syndicate of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, in a statement reported “deterioration” of Reza Shahabi’s health condition due to “complications of hunger strike.” Mr. Shahabi is a member of the board of directors of this guild organization.According to the statement of the Workers Syndicate of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, Reza Shahabi's family said after a meeting with him in the Rajaei Shahr (Gohardasht) prison in Karaj on Wednesday, August 10, that the activist had a severe weakness and his left hand lost feeling and was numb.
Reza Shahabi struck a hunger strike 23 days ago in protest at his re-arrest. After returning to prison, following the pressures by the regime’s judiciary and prosecution office, he found that his medical leave, which was approved by legal physician of forensics, was not accepted by the prosecutor's office and was considered as “absence” and he has to stay in prison for another 968 days.
However, according to the Syndicate of Workers, Mr. Shahabi had already seen in prison the letter regarding the end of his prison term in 2015.
The Statement of Social Activists to Support Political Prisoners on Hunger Strike
NCRI - A group of labor activists and workers released a statement in North of Khuzestan (southwest of Iran) to support the political prisoners of Gohardasht Prison who have gone on hunger strike.
The statement reads, "Some terrible news comes through about the poor condition of political prisoners whereas many reformists' preoccupations are to submit articles in blogs and cyberspace or to criticize and comment on other articles. According to the reliable sources, some political prisoners of Gohardasht Prison are on hunger strike due to the poor condition of the prison. The political prisoners have started their hunger strike since July 30, 2017, as the prison guards attacked the prisoners.
Labour Activist Stages Indefinite Hunger Strike
Syndicate of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company said on Wednesday, 16 August 2017 that Reza Shahabi, an imprisoned member of this labour union was on hunger strike in Rajaei Shahr (Gohardssht) prison in Karaj.
A report published on the Telegram page of the syndicate indicates that Mr. Shahabi has started his hunger strike eight days ago. A close friend of this labour activist also confirmed his hunger strike in a conversation with Radio Farda. Read more
We have come together to honor the memory of 24 members of the PMOI who were slain two years ago in a rocket attack launched by the Revolutionary Guard Corps at Camp Liberty.
Distinguished guests,
Dear sisters and brothers,
Fellow compatriots,
We have come together to honor the memory of 24 members of the PMOI who were slain two years ago in a rocket attack launched by the Revolutionary Guard Corps at Camp Liberty.
This day and these victims remind us of an important message: the message of the victims of the 1988 massacre and the 120,000 souls who gave their lives for freedom and the 38-year suffering of our nation. The message is that the people of Iran are determined to gain their freedom and democracy and will overthrow the mullahs’ religious dictatorship at any cost.
Hail to Nayyereh Rabii, member of the Central Council of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, who attested to the Iranian women’s grim will to achieve freedom and equality.
Hail to Hossein Abrishamchi, a valiant commander of the National Liberation Army of Iran, and hail to each and every one of those martyrs who are shining lights who pierce the darkness of tyranny, despair and submission:
My dear brothers Manouchehr Barati, Hamid Dehghan, Akbar Alidoust, Hassan Towfiq-jou, Hamidreza Imeni, Abu-Taleb Hashemi, Kiumars Yousefi, Hossein Gandomi, Farshid Rabii, Hassan Ibrahimi, Mohammad Ali Mirzaii, Sohrab Homayounfar, Behzad Mirshahi, Amir Hossein Adavi, Rajab Ghorbani, Abdulreza Vadian, Sharif Vaissi, Hossein Sarvazad, Ahmad Messchian, Jassem Ghassear, Mohammad Javad Salari, and Mohammad Hassan Nourali.
To these 24 Mojaheds who were slain two years ago we would say that you are present in all the fields of this generation’s battle and it is impossible to forget you.
How could one forget Hossein Abrishamchi who was an exemplary model of high spirits in battle, who broke through any deadlock, opened new ways and removed any obstacle with utmost devotion and dedication.
And how can we forget my dear sister, Nayyereh Rabii, whose lively spirit and love and respect for her comrades were exemplary.
These and all the Mojahedin members who were slain on October 29, 2015, bore noble humanitarian values and their message to us is that we have to fight on, with much greater energy to fill their places.
Indeed, each of these martyrs and every one of you, the PMOI members, who are present here, is a testament to a great truth that in a world where due to oppressive rulers, standing by one’s principles comes at a high cost, those who pay the price of doing so become the standard-bearers and trailblazers for a world of freedom and emancipation.
To these martyrs, we’d say: You are symbols of free human beings who gave their lives with dignity and courage. Your comrades have vowed to carry on your struggle until victory and in order to do so, they have pledged to overcome all hardships and every conspiracy.
The day after the attack, amidst the casualties and damages, the first thing you did was to renew your vows for the overthrow of the clerical regime. Each and every one of you wrote or said that you will not give up your goal and you will continue to defend your values. You were so determined in renewing your pledges that Massoud Rajavi (the leader of the Iranian Resistance) later said that he had been astonished by such firm resolve and reiterated that this was a major setback to the regime. If the enemy launched rockets, you fired back with your robust response.
He also said that he counted on your voluntary pledges to lead the struggle to ultimate victory.
Two years on, I am happy to see that you have succeeded to tread along the same path. The experiences of other revolutions also show that triumph is the outcome of steadfastness and strong adherence to such pledges and there is no other way.
Is it not true that human progress in the world of humanity depends directly on the extent of devotion to struggle to remove the obstacles in the path of evolution? The methods are improved every day and the price is paid. And one learns how to make a candle of his life to shed light on the path of freedom and emancipation.
Is it not true that the prerequisite to any unity and solidarity is having faith in such pledges and delivering on them?
In the 1980s, we were victims of horrific mass executions; 30,000 of our comrades were massacred in 1988; we were besieged for years and blacklisted in various countries; we were victims of numerous conspiracies, bombardments, assassinations, terrorism, carnage and missile attacks. How did we get through all these?
Only by remaining steadfast and adhering ever more strongly to our principles. Therefore, again, we renew our vows, and strengthen our faith and conviction.
These vows and the price we pay for them pave the way for ultimate victory provided that no one thinks of him or herself. As Massoud reiterated, “Everyone should think about those who sacrificed their lives in Iran, in Ashraf or Liberty, and the martyrs of the 2009 uprisings. Everyone must endeavor to realize the goal which these martyrs gave their lives for.”
All of us remember that the plan for PMOI’s relocation from Ashraf to Camp Liberty was originally a scheme to destroy the Mojahedin. But you were vigilant and managed to foil that attempt, and turn it against itself, by your steadfastness and of course, by great suffering. They had planned to turn Camp Liberty into a killing field for the PMOI. The rocket attack on October 29, 2015, had been intended to take hundreds of lives. Again, you foiled this scheme by your vigilance, by being constantly on alert, and by your blood-drenched steadfastness. In this way, the lofty martyrs of October 29, opened the way for the final relocation of the PMOI. Otherwise, we had only a few days left to the deadline for Khamenei’s big plan to raze Camp Liberty to the ground.
Dear friends, sisters and brothers,
The Iranian regime’s failure to annihilate the PMOI, its deadlock over the nuclear agreement, its incapacity in containing the country’s economic and social problems, the defeat of Khamenei and his entire regime in the sham presidential election particularly that the loss was inflicted on the regime by the Campaign Calling for Justice for the victims of the 1988 massacre, and the end of the era of US appeasement of the regime, have created a situation which marks a phase of defeat and deadlock for the regime.
The expansion of popular protests in Iran, taking place every day in Tehran, Ahwaz and elsewhere, is among the outcomes of this new phase. Most social sectors participate in this new stage of resistance and protest, including those whose savings have been plundered by credit institutes affiliated with Khamenei or the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), workers, teachers, nurses, retirees, government employees, university students and graduates, hospital personnel, high school students, unemployed youths seeking jobs, farmers, and the disgruntled people who form human chains along the Karoon River or Zayandehrood and protest the drying up of rivers and air pollution, as well as political prisoners who go on hunger strike and pay the price of their protest with their lives and health.
What is their demand?
They demand their trampled rights. They protest discrimination and constant humiliation, incessant stealing of their savings and deposits, agonizing poverty and being deprived of the most basic needs of living. All these protests and demonstrations, however, ultimately translate into a single demand which is the overthrow of the mullahs’ religious dictatorship. As long as the mullahs hold the reigns of destruction, none of the Iranian people’s demands could be met.
This goal is both possible and within reach.
Today, the highest officials of the clerical regime say they there are six super-challenges in the Iranian economy. They also say that no enemy could do what has been already done to the country’s natural resources and environment.
They also confess that the regime has destroyed the country’s oil, gas, water, soil, jungles, air and rivers. Yes, the regime is plagued with destruction and corruption and worst of all is its political situation. The mullahs are at an impasse.
To continue their reign, they need belligerence and terrorism in the region and the continued crimes and depravity of the IRGC. But this belligerence and terrorism have now put the regime and the IRGC in dire straits.
Khamenei and Rouhani are upset with the United States’ new Iran policy most of all because it has laid bare the weakness and frailty of their regime before the people of Iran. The fact that Rouhani and his Foreign Minister have set aside their moderation theatrics to defend the IRGC and officials such as Raissi who was among the leading perpetrators of the 1988 massacre, is because they want to close their ranks against the people of Iran and protect the regime. Nevertheless, they are not able to rein in the regime’s fatal predicaments.
For more than three decades, the ruling mullahs have chanted anti-American slogans and at the same time benefitted from the US policy as a political safe haven vis-à-vis the Iranian people and resistance.
Over these years, whenever the prospects of regime change by the Iranian people and their Resistance appeared to be looming, and the circumstances were ripe for a major change, Western governments and particularly the United States’ policy of appeasement went to the regime’s aid. It is therefore clear that the termination of the US appeasement policy has brought about a major political vacuum for the clerical regime. The policy which acted for years as a protection for the Iranian regime in the face of a furious populace, no longer exists.
So in the first place, Khamenei and Rouhani who sought to get through the present crisis with the help of the United States in the framework of the JCPOA have failed in this objective.
Secondly, the religious fascism ruling Iran is deeply vulnerable vis-à-vis the Iranian society and fears losing its internal and external balance.
Now, what is the main reason for the mullahs’ fear? The fact that they find themselves confronted by the Iranian people and Resistance.
If it was not for the volatile state of the Iranian society, if there was not any prospect for the eruption of another wave of uprisings like the ones that took place in 2009, and if there was not any democratic alternative such as the PMOI and the National Council of Resistance of Iran, Khamenei would not have been so concerned about the shift in international policies.
For these reasons, we believe that the policy of isolating the regime, including the congressional bill passed just recently to impose further sanctions on the regime’s missile program, is of course a positive step. The blacklisting of the IRGC, imposing sanctions on it, and fixing the loopholes in the nuclear agreement including putting a halt to all forms of enrichment, are all necessary steps.
But in order to end the previous catastrophic policies of the United States and to compensate for their damaging consequences, the National Council of Resistance must be recognized as the only democratic alternative to the mullahs’ terrorist, religious dictatorship.
The general desire today is to have the regime’s leaders face justice for the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in 1988. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Ms. Asma Jahangir, stressed in her latest speech before the General Assembly on the need for a comprehensive and independent investigation in this regard.
We call on the international community to support the launching of a UN committee to probe the 1988 massacre in Iran.
I must also point out to the European governments, that the Iranian people’s minimum expectation is for them to condition every relation and trade with the Iranian regime on end to torture and executions in Iran. We tell them to particularly refrain from doing any business or engaging with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Today, more than anyone else, it is the people of Iran who seek to get rid of the IRGC and overthrow the clerical regime.
By setting up 31 different corps, this brutal force has set up a killing machine in every Iranian province. The IRGC has created a criminal force, namely the IRGC’s counter intelligence to incessantly control all the affairs in Iranian society. It is the main entity importing and distributing drugs in Iran and exporting the rest to other countries. At the same time, thousands of people are executed on the charge of drug-trafficking.
The IRGC controls the lion’s share of the country’s production institutes, imports and exports, oil, gas, and financial market, driving millions of Iranians into poverty and hunger. By fomenting war and terrorism, it is the main cause of slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Syrians and homelessness of millions of others.
I must point out two basic truths about Syria:
First: If the Iranian regime did not have a significant role, side by side the dictator of Syria, in creating the bloodbath in that country, and if it was not for its belligerence and meddling in Syria, Bashar Assad had been overthrown years ago by the Syrian people and freedom fighters, and the crisis in that country would have been resolved.
Second: The people of Iran stand by the people of Syria. As they frequently express in chants during their protest demonstrations, they vehemently oppose the presence of criminal forces of the Iranian regime in Syria.
For this reason, the Iranian people and Resistance have always wanted the eviction of the clerical regime, the IRGC and its proxy militias from the entire region. This is something that would pave the way for the overthrow of the regime in Tehran.
The PMOI and the Iranian Resistance embarked on the struggle to bring down the religious tyrannical regime 36 years ago. This is the cause for which 120,000 PMOI members and combatants of freedom, including 30,000 who were massacred in 1988, gave their lives.
Those martyred on October 29, 2015, also sacrificed their lives for the same cause. They are the beacons of our times and indeed, they continue to live on.
They are the flames of hope while many are lost in despair. They are fountainheads of conviction and faith while many have failed out of disbelief and doubt. This is the message of our martyrs and the words of the freedom fighters who have vowed to remain loyal to their pledges till the end.
This is the message of the Mojahedin to the generation of Iran’s youths. Disbelief, despair, and indifference are the deadly temptations spread by the mullahs’ regime. You must crush them. Like narcotic drugs, the clerical regime spreads poisonous messages in society, such as “change is impossible”, “we cannot do anything”, and that “any effort is useless.” You must rise up against this regime and its evil spirit of bondage. You must rise up hand in hand and set up bastions of rebellion all across the country. Putting end to this decadent regime is possible, within reach and in your power.
Once again, I reiterate: the overthrow of the mullahs’ regime is imperative and within reach, and a democratic alternative is in force.
Hail to the martyrs
Long live freedom
Hail to all of you
EXCERPT OF MARYAM RAJAVI’S SPEECH ON THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE ROCKET ATTACK ON OCTOBER 29, 2015, ON CAMP LIBERTY BY AGENTS OF THE IRANIAN REGIME IN IRAQ
Dear sisters and brothers,
Greetings to all of you.
We have gathered to commemorate 24 PMOI heroes who lost their lives on October 29, 2015 when the clerical regime’s mercenaries fired 80 rockets at Camp Liberty.
The sacrifice of these 24 heroes and your perseverance in the face of that missile attack on October 29 shook the Iranian society:
From Zahedan to Evin and Gohardasht prisons, political prisoners rose to express their sympathies.
Iranian youths posted the photos of martyrs on the walls in several cities.
Friends and supporters of the PMOI staged a demonstration outside Evin Prison and condemned the missile attack.
On the international level, the US Secretary of State, the British Prime Minister, the UN Secretary General and many parliamentarians, church leaders and human rights advocates voiced their protest and outrage.
From this point on, the major relocation accelerated.
But why? What was that decisive factor that turned everything into your favor?
Everyone knows that your steadfastness and the blood of the martyrs was the basis for this victory, which was complemented by an extensive international campaign. As such, the major relocation became reality in the middle of that subversive blockade and demonstrated the prowess of your movement. Read more
A Letter Regarding the Status of Hunger Striking Political Prisoner in Iran
Atena Daemi, a female political and civil rights activist incarcerated in Evin prison, wrote an open letter reacting to the situation of Mohammad Nazari, a political prisoner detained in Rajai Shahr (Gohardasht) prison in Karaj who experienced a prolonged hunger strike in recent months.
Ms. Daemi considers freedom to be the right of this prisoner who has been deprived of his freedom for the past 24 years.
She urged all conscientious minds to pay more attention to the “situation of the political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in Iran who have been locked behind bars in silence and injustice for many years,” asking them to make every effort to release them.
Battering against the heavy waves with his weary arms,
Keeping his mouth open, with his eyes torn with terror,
He has seen your shadows from afar,
He has swallowed the water in the livid depths,
and every moment his anguish grows,
From these waters erupt,
His head, and his feet, at once,
Oh! humans,
From the distance, he is watching this ancient world,
He is shouting and for help he hopes,
Oh! humans,
Busy watching from your untroubled shore,
The waves are pounding against the silent shore,
And spread,
Like a drunkard fallen in place,
So senseless,
Run away shouting, and this cry comes from the distance:
"Oh! humans"
NCRI issues urgent call to save hunger striking political prisoner Mohammad Nazari
Political prisoner Mohammad Nazari is in dangerously critical conditions after 94 days of hunger strike. Mr. Nazari is presently detained in Gohardasht Prison, Karaj, west of Tehran. The National Council of Resistance of Iran calls on international human rights defenders, particularly the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, the special rapporteurs on arbitrary arrests, torture and the right to life, to take urgent action and effective measures to save his life and gain his freedom.
IRANIAN PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE CRITICALLY ILL: MOHAMMAD NAZARI
Prisoner of conscience Mohammad Nazari, who has been unjustly languishing in prison for over two decades, is critically ill and needs urgent medical care outside prison. He has been on hunger strike since 30 July, demanding his release from prison. He must be released immediately and unconditionally. Read more
IRANIAN PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE CRITICALLY ILL: MOHAMMAD NAZARI
Prisoner of conscience Mohammad Nazari, who has been unjustly languishing in prison
for over two decades, is critically ill and needs urgent medical care outside prison. He
has been on hunger strike since 30 July, demanding his release from prison. He must be
released immediately and unconditionally.
The health of prisoner of conscience Mohammad Nazari, 46, who has spent half of his life in prison, has seriously
deteriorated as a result of his prolonged hunger strike. He has undertaken a hunger strike since 30 July in protest
at his unjust imprisonment and the refusal of the authorities to review his conviction and sentence, which followed a
grossly unfair trial and stemmed from his peaceful support of the political goals of the Kurdish Democratic Party of
Iran (KDPI). He has lost about 25 kilograms in weight, his blood pressure has repeatedly dropped, and he has
become so physically weak that he can no longer walk or talk. He also suffers from several general health
problems including heart disease, for which prison doctors have long said he requires specialized medical care
outside prison. The authorities have consistently ignored such advice. On 19 October, Mohammad Nazari was
transferred to a hospital outside prison on an emergency basis but was returned to prison after one night without
receiving adequate treatment. Despite his deteriorating health, Mohammad Nazari has said that he will continue his
hunger strike until he dies, unless the authorities grant his repeated requests for a fair review of his case.
Mohammad Nazari was arrested aged 23 in May 1994 by Revolutionary Guards officials in Bukan, West Azerbaijan
Province. He was held for over a month in solitary confinement, first by the Revolutionary Guards and then by the
Ministry of Intelligence. He has said that, during this period, he was subjected to torture including beatings, kicking,
and flogging on the soles of his feet, and threats made against his sister, in order to make him “confess” to being
involved in an alleged assassination plot against a number of people affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards. No
evidence of the plot or his involvement in any armed activities was presented in court. Amnesty International
believes that the allegation was fabricated, and that the real reason for his arrest was related to his political beliefs.
Following a grossly unfair 30-minute trial before a Revolutionary Court in the city of Mahabad in West Azerbaijan
Province, Mohammad Nazari was convicted of “enmity against God” (moharebeh) and sentenced to death. The
court issued its verdict based on his forced “confessions”, despite Mohammad Nazari repeatedly telling the court
they had been made under torture and that Ministry of Intelligence officials had told him they knew the story of the
alleged assassination plot had been fabricated. Mohammad Nazari’s death sentence was commuted to life
imprisonment in 1999. He has since submitted numerous requests for retrial but apparently none of them have
been considered by the authorities. At no point during his detention or trial did he have access to a lawyer. He has
also never received an official copy of the verdict.
Political prisoner asks for help after 84 days of hunger strike
Political prisoner Mohammad Nazari, who has been imprisoned for 24 years, has been on hunger strike for more than 81 days. According to prison physicians, his condition is critical and he is in serious danger and could go into a coma at any moment.
Nazari wrote a letter from prison on October 18. This letter reads in part:
“I am the loneliest prisoner in this city! Despite 81 days of hunger strike, no one has listened and helped me in this city…
My name is Mohammad Nazari, and I have been behind bars in Mahabad Prison, Orumieh Prison and currently in Rajaie Shahr Prison for 24 years… My parents and brother have all passed away in Bukan and I have no one expect you, the people.
I have been on hunger strike for 81 days. A hunger strike for a very simple request.
I want neither liberty nor a leave; I want the law to be enforced. According to the law, I should have been released four and a half years ago. But the invisible hands of power and security have prevented the implementation of this law. Now, after 24 years in prison, while I am completely alone and left with nothing, I have no choice but to go on hunger strike…
Help me; help me so that my voice would be heard because now death is my only option to free myself from the torment of prison and my hunger strike.
Help me reach my legal right to freedom that they have deprived me of. Anything other than my release, and I will continue my strike until I too pass away and I am buried in Bukan cemetery where my family is.
Mohammad Nazari
Wednesday, October 18
Rajaie Shahr Prison “.
Kurd political prisoner Mohammad Nazari who was arrested in 1994 by agents of the Abuzar Revolutionary Guards Coprs in Bukan, has been deprived of a prison leave despite serving 24 years of prison.
He was arrested on charges of supporting and advocating Kurd opposition parties. Nazari was initially sentenced to death in a court without the presence of a lawyer… His sentenced was then lowered to life in prison in 1999. (Kurdpa Website – Jun. 1, 2017)
After 74th day of hunger strike of Kurdish political prisoner
Political prisoners write letter to Iran UN Rapporteur
A group of political prisoners in Karaj’s Rajaie Shahr Prison wrote a letter to the UN Secretary General and the Special Rapporteur on Iran, warning about the danger that political prisoner Mohammad Nazari is facing. Nazari is in critical condition due to his hunger strike. They requested that this political prisoner be released from prisoner.
Political prisoner Mohammad Nazari, who is on hunger strike in Gohardasht Prison in Karaj, was taken to a hospital outside of prison due to the deterioration of his health. But hospital officials have said that they have been instructed by the Judiciary not to examine him.
As a result of the hunger strike, the prisoner’s kidneys have stopped working and his liver has been seriously damaged. Mohammad Nazari has been imprisoned for the past 24 years. He went on a hunger strike in protest to the transfer of political prisoner to a maximum security section in Gohardasht Prison.
Health conditions of political prisoners in Iran’s Rajaee-Shahr prison have deteriorated as prison officials and regime’s judiciary prevent the prisoners from being sent to health centers. According to reports, the political prisoner Saeid Shirzad and a number of other political prisoners staged a two-month hunger strike starting from July 23, 2017, to protest against pressures applied to prisoners by Rajaee-Shahr prison officilals. Shirzad was later beaten and transferred to prison’s section 3 in mid-September, 2017.
Shirzad was first arrested after launching a relief operation for Azarbayjan’s quake-stricken residents. He was released 19 days later on bail. On June 2, 2014, Shirzad was once again arrested in his workplace in Tabriz Refinery and transferred to Evin Priosn. He was later sent into exile in Rajaee-Shahr prison for his pursuing prisoners’ protests.
After going through 15 months of uncertainty and imprisonment, Shirzad was charged with ‘gathering and colluding’ and sentenced to five years in prison by Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court Judge Abolghasem Salavati. This was while the political prisoner was earlier sentenced to one year suspended imprisonment, a sentence that was turned into a prison term in the new court ruling.
Among his activities, Shirzad was involved in relief operations in Bushehr’s quake-stricken areas as well as Sistan and Baluchestan’s deprived ones. Shirzad was also involved in educating quake-hit children in deprived areas, providing healthcare training and facilities, outfitting accommodations set up for earthquake survivors, providing standard electrical wiring for earthquake victims’ residing conexes, and communicating with quake-hit and suffering children so as to prepare them for dealing with their unfavorable conditions.
Saeed Shirzad is a children's rights defender in Iran. He has worked with children’s rights NGOs including the Association in Support of Children’s Rights, Children’s Home of Shoosh and Society in Defence of Street Children, and has traveled throughout Iran and internationally to provide humanitarian assistance to children and advocate for their rights. Saeed is known in particular for his work in defence of street children, which includes organisation training, education, and health services for homeless, disadvantaged, and refugee children in collaboration with UNICEF. He has helped recruit lawyers to support refugee and asylum seeking families to obtain legal documentation, and identified and provided direct support to more than 100 families working in sweatshops.
Saeed Shirzad, an ethnic Kurd and children’s rights activist was arrested in the earthquake-stricken town of Varzaghan in East Azerbaijan province by security agents from the town of Ahar. Agents purportedly arrested Shirzad as he administered aid to earthquake victims in the afternoon of Tuesday, August 21, 2012. Following his arrest, Shirzad was transferred to Ahar prison.
On
Golrokh Iraee appealing for the life of hunger striking prisoner
Political prisoner Golrokh Iraee who has been imprisoned just for writing an unpublished book against the inhuman punishment of stoning, has sent out an open letter in which she has called on the international community to take action to save the life of political prisoner Saeed Shirzad who is still on hunger strike.
Saeed Shirzad, who has been imprisoned for his activities in defense of children's rights, has been on hunger strike for nearly two months in protest to the raid on political prisoners in Gohardasht Prison in Karaj, transferring them to a high-security ward and confiscating the properties they have procured at their own expense.
Speaking out from behind bars, Ms. Iraee held European governments accountable for the life of this political prisoner since they turn a blind eye on flagrant violations of human rights in Iran to continue their commercial trade with the ruling clerical regime. In part of her letter, she points to the raid on the political prisoners' ward in Gohardasht and writes:
Implementation of this arbitrary decision by Mardani (warden of Gohardasht Prison in Karaj) indicates not only his personal spite but also the spirit of maximum lawlessness in this chaotic country. A country where the prosecutor and the judiciary must have been able to account for such volume of savagery if they were qualified. Here, anyone who has greater power is able to roam around as they wish and those who are knowledgeable enought to protest against this savagery become victimized.
All of these have happened in days and hours when Rouhani (the mullahs' president) was showing off his smile in front of flashing cameras from different countries.
Indeed, who is responsible for Saeed (Shirzad)'s life? Those powers who give credibility to this naked violence with their silence and smiles? Or the Prisons Organization that puts the likes of Mardani in these positions and gives them the license to play with the lives of people and do not account to anyone? Or the Judiciary and the Prosecutor's Office whose lack of independence has been proven time and again over the past years? Or the agencies that make such arrests and the interrogators who roam around like this?
The world's organizations and institutions who defend human rights must know that the lives of our friends and loved ones are in hands that are at their throats.
Saeed Shirzad continues to insist on his protest and hunger strike against the savagery of prison authorities. Saeed's life is in danger and our silence doubles the gravity of this threat.
Golrokh Iraee Ibrahimi
September 24, 2017
Women's Ward of Evin Prison
political prisoner has staged a hunger strike in a prison in Iran after sewing his lips to protest the inhuman condition of prisons, officials preventing medical treatment for ailing prisoners and lack of safety and security for political prisoners.
Link of the letters of Saeed Shirzad, from prison:
issued a letter to civil activists asking for more attention and awareness regarding the status of Zeinab Jalalian, a female prisoner in Khuy Prison who is in critical conditions due to being deprived of medical care. She is currently suffering from serious eye problems.
Amrican teacher in the U.S. raising awareness on the human rights
Marc Nelson in an interview support Iranian political pirisoners
If only we had more people like Marc Nelson in this world!
Watch his interview:
German Iran Committee Expresses Solidarity With Iranian Political Prisoners on Hunger Strike
representatives of federal and state parliaments, lawyers and human Rights activists, expresses its solidarity with the demands of Iranian political prisoners on hunger strike in Gohardasht Prison.
A statement by the Chair of this Committee, Otto Bernhard, addressing the prisoners, said: "The regime in Tehran has ruthlessly trampled all international standards of imprisonment. It has shown no respect for the values of the international community. We will invariably support you and appreciate the international supporters and politicians who have been taking measures against the deteriorating conditions you are in. We are confident that many members of the European Parliament and the national parliaments in the EU support us as well. ”
The German Committee in Solidarity with Free Iran added, "Along with you, we demand an investigation into the 1988 massacre of political prisoners by an impartial international body to prosecute the perpetrators of the crime.”
“Your struggle against the appalling conditions and the methods of punishment is a heroic act and it has spurred our solidarity.”
Women in Germany, Switzerland stand with Iranian political prisoners
In a letter sponsored by Professor Rita Süssmuth, a number of German MPs urged the European Union to intervene to save the lives of Iranian political prisoners in Gohardasht Prison.
German Dignitaries Call on EU to Support of Iranian Political Prisoners on Hunger Strike
A group of German MPs and former government officials called on EU to intervene to save the lives of Iranian political prisoners who are on a prolonged hunger strike in Gohardasht Prison.
Former President of the Bundestag, Professor Rita Süssmuth wrote a letter to Chancellor Angela Merkel expressing concern about the deteriorating health of over 20 Iranian political prisoners who continue their hunger strike that began over 4 weeks ago.
UN expert fears for health of hunger-striking Iran prisoners
GENEVA (AP) - A U.N. human rights expert is urging Iran's government to engage in "good faith dialogue" to help resolve a prolonged hunger strike by prisoners whose medical conditions are reportedly worsening.
Asma Jahangir, the independent special rapporteur on Iran mandated by the Human Rights Council, says she is "deeply alarmed" by reports about the deteriorating medical conditions of the prisoners, who have faced torture and ill-treatment.
The U.N. human rights office says the prisoners are protesting their treatment and transfer to a high-security section of Rajai-Shahr prison in Karaj, west of Tehran.
The statement said 53 prisoners were transferred in recent weeks without notice or explanation, and they reportedly have been deprived of adequate medical care and faced other mistreatment. It didn't indicate how many prisoners were on the hunger strike.
Italian Committee Admires Iranian Political Prisoners' Fight Against Harassment and Torture
In an open letter to over 20 Iranian political prisoners on hunger strike in Gohardasht Prison, the Italian Parliamentary and Citizens’ Committee for a Free Iran condemned the crimes of Tehran’s regime and expressed admiration for the prisoners’ commitment to non-violent struggle and self-sacrifice in the face of torture and harassment by the regime. Read more
Italian Human Rights Group Join Intl. Campaign in Support of Iran Political Prisoners' Demands
Press Release by Hands Off Cain, August 27, 2017
IRAN: Hands Off Cain calls on Italian Government to listen to the demands of political prisoners who are on hunger strike in Karaj prison protesting inhumane conditions.
ROME – 27 August: Hands off Cain joins the international campaign supporting demands of the political prisoners in Raja'i Shahr prison in Karaj. The prisoners began a hunger strike 27 days ago and call on the Italian government to act so that their human rights are respected.
More than a dozen political prisoners, including prisoners of conscience, have gone on hunger strike in protest at the cruel, inhuman and degrading conditions they have been forced to endure at a maximum-security prison in Karaj, Alborz province, Amnesty International said today.
Political prisoners at Raja’i Shahr prison were recently transferred to a newly opened area where conditions have been described as suffocating. They are held in cells with windows covered by metal sheets, and deprived of access to clean drinking water, food and sufficient beds. They are also barred from having in-person family visits and denied access to telephones, which are usually available in other parts of the prison.
“The fact that detention conditions have become so poor that desperate prisoners feel they are forced to go on hunger strike to demand the most basic standards of human dignity is disgraceful and highlights the urgent need for reforms to Iran’s cruel prison system,” said Magdalena Mughrabi, Deputy Middle East and North Africa Director for Amnesty International.
“The Iranian authorities must urgently ensure that adequate food, drinking water, medicine, health care and sanitation are available to all prisoners in Raja’i Shahr prison.”
Iranians Stage Hunger Strike and Rallies in Different Cities of the World in Solidarity With Striking Political Prisoners
In Solidarity with the striking political prisoners in Gohardasht Prison, freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the Iranian Resistance staged demonstrations and rallies in various cities of the world, including in Los Angeles (USA), Berlin and Hamburg (Germany), London (UK), Stockholm and Gothenburg (Sweden), Oslo (Norway), Copenhagen, Aarhus (Denmark), The Hague (Netherlands), Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver (Canada).
The rally of the Resistance supporters in Los Angeles was held in front of the Federal Building on Saturday, August 19th. In this rally, where the members of the National Council of Resistance were participating, Mr. Filabi and Amir Aram delivered their speeches, and the statement issued by a group of former political prisoners in solidarity with the striking prisoners was announced.
In Berlin, on Aug. 26, freedom-loving Iranians protested against the Brandenburg Gate. The protesters, some of whom were on hunger strike, called on human rights defenders and freedom-loving people to defend prisoners in Gohardasht Prison. Participating Iranian communities asked the German government in their statement not to keep silent before this injustice and take steps to prevent the crimes committed by the mullahs’ regime.
“The Tehran dictatorship is weak engulfed with crises. It is hated by the people and wants to hide this weakness by showing power in the face of defenseless of political prisoners,” said Leo Dautzenburg, a former member board of directors of the Christian Democratic Presidency in the German Federal Assembly.
The participants called on the German government and the European Union to convene a United Nations investigation commission on the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in 2008, and to prosecute and punish those responsible for this massive crime. The demonstration of mass executions performed by a number of young people greatly influenced the participants in the rally.
Resistance supporters in Hamburg showed their support for striking prisoners by staging a one-day hunger strike. In this rally, the statement by the German Committee in Solidarity with Free Iran was read in solidarity with the striking prisoners of Gohardasht.
In the protest rally of Resistance supporters in Oslo, Mr. Parviz Khazaie, the representative of the National Council for Resistance in Nordic countries, expressed support and solidarity of the Iranian Resistance with the striking political prisoners.
In Canada, supporters of the Iranian Resistance in Toronto, Ottawa, and Vancouver announced a one-day hunger strike. They respected the prisoners’ persistence by holding torches and the prisoners’ pictures.
In the Hague (Netherlands), freedom-loving Iranians went on hunger strike in solidarity with the striking prisoners in a rally staged on Saturday. They hanged the prisoners’ pictures from their neck.
In London, the freedom-loving Iranians, while presenting images of striking prisoners, organized a book-desk to expose the intensified pressure and repression against prisoners.
In Stockholm (Sweden), freedom loving Iranians held an exhibition in support of the Justice-Seeking Movement and political prisoners, and went on hunger strike. An exhibition was also held in Gothenburg in support of striking prisoners. Supporters of Resistance in the cities of Malmö and Bruce in Sweden and Copenhagen and Aarhus in Denmark organized protest rallies and photo exhibitions in solidarity with striking prisoners.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
August 28, 2017
Two Months Into Debilitating Hunger Strike, political prisoner’s life is at risk Political prisoner Arzhang Davoudi has been on a hunger strike since May 21, 2019 in Zabol Prison in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, demanding to be returned to the political ward. Arzhang Davoudi, 66, has been locked up held in a ward with inmates convicted of violent crimes, in violation of Iran’s regulations on separation of inmates. He has been also deprived of visits and phone calls. Davoudi is being held in a dark and dirty room in the prison’s quarantine section. The room he is incarcerated in has never seen the light of day since it was created and has never even been disinfected. According to the latest news the political prisoner is currently suffering from deteriorating physical conditions. He has announced that he will continue his hunger strike until his demands are met. Read more
Iranian regime breaks the legs of political prisoner Arzhang Davoodi in Zahedan prison
According to reports from Zahedan Central Prison in Iran’s Baluchistan province, the prison guards of the Iranian regime has broken the legs of political prisoner Arzhang Davoodi. The reports pertain that the prison guards have thrown him off a staircase and broken his legs while torturing him.
The Iranian regime transferred Davoodi to Zahedan prison in January. Since then, the torturers of the Iranian regime have kept him in the prison’s quarantine and kept him under constant, severe torture. Davoodi went on hunger strike. He was subsequently summoned to the office of the prison’s chief while his hands and feet were enchained. When he left the room the deputy chief of the president shoved him and threw him off the stairs of the second floor.
Iranian political prisoner Arzhang Davoodi under torture
Iranian teacher and political prisoner Arzhang Davoodi, who is being held in the quarantine section of the Zahedan prison is currently suffering from deteriorating physical conditions. There has been no news of Mr. Davoodi since March.
In his previous message, Davoodi had said that he had been transferred to a small solitary confinement unit and was deprived of family visits, phone calls and any communications with other prisoners. He was also deprived of free airtime, reading, television, and access to medication and food suitable for his health condition.
Political prisoner Arzhang Davoudi, recently held in Central Zahedan Prison, south east of Iran, has staged hunger strike and refused his medications since March 3, 2017 in the quarantine section of this jail.
The 64 year old prisoner was taken to this facility’s quarantine ward on January 6, 2018 where inmates with murder and drug charges are held. During this period Arzhang Davoudi had been denied medical care despite suffering from diabetes.
He had been deprived of fresh air and family visit as well.
Davoudi protested to the harsh condition by staging hunger strike. After a while on the order of the warden, Mohammadhossein Khosravi, he was taken to a 180*160 meters solitary confinement with handcuffs and shackles.
Arzhang Davoudi, 64, was born in the city of Abadan and has an engineering degree from the University of Texas in Ausin. He has been imprisoned for the last 14 years after first being arrested in 2003 for criticizing Iran’s human rights record in a documentary film titled Forbidden Iran. The film investigated the death in suspicious circumstances of Zahra Kazemi, a Canadian-Iranian photojournalist. Human rights activists say that she was raped multiple times and tortured to death by the Iranian regime. The regime said that she died of a stroke while in custody.
During his time in prison, Arzhang Davoudi has suffered torture, beatings and solitary confinement and was denied access to basic hygiene products and kept in unsanitary conditions.
A group of political prisoners in the prisons of Evin, Gohardasht and the Greater Tehran Penitentiary staged a 3-day long hunger strike protesting the closed political space and lack of any freedom.
The statement says ‘We the political prisoners in Evin, Gohardasht and the Greater Tehran Prisons will go on Huger stick for 3 days starting on Sunday, March 18.’
While congratulating fellow Iranian people on the Persian New Year (Nowruz) they added: ‘We, more than ever, hope that the new year would be a rich and successful year and would bring freedom, justice and welfare to all people.’
political prisoner in Gohardasht prison in Karaj is on the sixty-ninth day of his hunger strike. Mohammad Nazari, Kurdish political prisoner, has been on hunger strike to protest his legal status and Iran regime’s failure to address his situation. One of his requests is his transfer to a prison in Iranian Kurdistan province such as Mahabad or Orumiyeh. He has fallen unconscious several times during the hunger strike and the prison officials have not done anything about the prisoner's requests.
Meanwhile, four political prisoners in Rajajahi Shahr (Gohardasht) Karaj, in a letter addressed to the U.N. Secretary General, Mr. António Guterres, and the UN Rapporteur on Situation of Human Rights in Iran, Ms. Asma Jahangir, warned about the condition of Mohammad Nazari, one of the most prominent political prisoners in Kurdistan, calling for his unconditional release.
The political prisoners Saeed Shirzad, Ibrahim Firouzi, Jafar Eghdami, and Saeed Masouri, in their letter noted more than 60 days of hunger strike by Mohammad Nazari and wrote: “Mohammad Nazari has spent more than 24 years in prison without even one day of furlough. He was sentenced to life imprisonment allegedly for having contact with Kurdish parties.”
In another part of this letter, these prisoners who themselves have been convicted of several vague charges including “propaganda against the system, disturbing public opinion and assembly and collusion against the system”, referring to the laws of the judiciary regarding the prisoners on the verge of dying as well as the serious physical and health condition of Mohammad Nazari, who is not even able to speak and drink sugar water, has called on all the awake consciences as well as independent lawyers to protect Mr. Mohammad Nazari life and his freedom as well as his demands which are fully legitimate.
Mohammad Nazari, Kurdish political prisoner was arrested in 1993 on the charges of having contact with Kurdish parties and was sentenced to death after false confession taken under beating and torture.
However, due to the pressure of human rights organizations, his death penalty was reduced to life imprisonment in 2007 and he was then transferred from Orumiyeh to Rajaei-Shahr prison.
He and 16 of his cellmates have been on hunger strike for more than 3 months to protest the lack of investigation of the indictment against them and the inhumane condition of the prison.
Despite forty days of hunger strike of political prisoners, they face a number of serious challenges, including the lack of adequate nutrition and the lack of solutions to health issues and medical care.
For more than two months, the prisoners have not received any fruit, vegetable, or legumes. The prison food is not suitable. Prisoners inevitably have to purchase the food they need from the prison shop, but the prison officials do not allow them to have access to the prison shop.
Despite the fact that all costs are on the shoulder of the prisoners and they pay for food, they are not given any meat or dairy. The only recent change was that they were allowed to purchase canned food, which alone does not provide a complete diet for the prisoners, especially the elderly.
The medical care and treatment of prisoners in this hall is also a complicated issue. In general, prisoners who have been on hunger strike for 40 days did not receive medical attention after the strikes ended, and most of them have similar medical problems such as gastrointestinal disorders and physical weakness.
Messrs. Mohammad Banazadeh Amirkhizi and Aboulqassem Fouladvand are indire health condition following 40 days of hunger strike and Mohammad Nazari had liver and kidney problems and the prison officials refrain from dispatching him to hospital outside the prison and he is a serious health condition.
It is notable that the 40-day hunger strike of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in Gohardasht prison had taken place in protest against the denial of basic human rights and violent treatment of the prisoners contrary to human dignity of the detainees by the Iranian regime.
In the statement addressed to the Iranian people and human rights organizations the strikers stated that: during the strike, the prisoners have been deprived of the most basic facilities, even legalized in prison, access to legal proceedings in prison and access to medical treatment and the regime's judiciary and prison officials were trying to ignore and deny their hunger strike.
Gohardasht's political prisoners said they were grateful for the support they had received and added: “We all admit that our 40-day resistance in the difficult circumstances of Gohardasht prison was only possible with your support and sympathy and solidarity, and we believe that the recongnition of the cause of freedom and equality will be possible only through the unification of all political and social forces.”
Iran Regime Threatens Political Prisoner's Family for Supporting His Strike
Arab political prisoner, Maher Ka'bi, has called on all human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and also the European Parliament to address the situation of political prisoners in Iran.
He also called on the UN Special Rapporteur on Situation of Human Rights in Iran, Asma Jahangir, to put pressure on Iranian regime officials to stop them from torture and repeated violations of the rights of detainees and their exile to various cities.
According to reports, his family was pursuing his case for cancellation of his son's exile, but in response, the intelligence officials said that because he supported the political prisoners in Gohardasht by sending an audio message in Arabic, a new case is made against him and he will receive additional prison sentences.
They threatened that Maher Ka'bi in addition to bearing a 4-year prison term, another sentence was considered for him and a worse end will be waiting for him eventually.
In response to this call, Ka’bi's mother told them that your threat and trick does not work on us and would not be useful. My child is innocent and you have to release him.
The family has become very worried about the conditions of their son after the threats.
Temporary Pause of the Strike by Political Prisoners
A group of political prisoners in Gohardasht - Karaj, west of the capital Tehran, after 40 days of hunger strike announced temporary pause of their strike on Thursday September 7
They said that despite the fact that so far none of our demands has been met, and we continue to be in inhumane conditions, at the request of individuals and social groups and labour activists, teachers and students, current political prisoners and parliamentarians from the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and the European Parliament, Amnesty International and other human rights organizations and human rights activists and our families we temporary stop our strike from Friday, September 8, 2017 after 40 days, making it political protest fasting.
we urge the international community to intervene and save the lives of hunger striking political prisoners in Iran's Gohardasht prison
Rallies in Front of Iran Regime Parliament for the Release of a Labor Activist
NCRI - On Tuesday, September 5, 2017, people held rally in front of the Parliament of Iran to protest against the condition of a labor activist and a member of the boards of The Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (SWTSBC) who have been imprisoned.
Reza Shahabi started his hunger strike 28 days ago to protest against his detainment. The hunger strike began when the labor activist realized that the Judiciary has not approved his medical leave and he has to remain in jail for other 968 days.
The Rally began in front of the parliament on Tuesday following a call by of Reza Shahabi’s wife, Robabeh Rezaei. A group of people, students, labor activists, and drivers of Tehran Bus Company gathered in Baharestan Sq. demanding the release of Reza Shahabi. But the rally was prevented from the beginning by the security guards and plain clothes agents.
Iran fears no international intervention into alarming treatment of imprisoned dissidents
By Rowan Scarborough
The Washington Times, September 4, 2017 - The United Nations and a human rights group are expressing alarm at Tehran’s brutal treatment of imprisoned dissidents who have stepped up criticism of Iran’s religious regime.
A foreign policy analyst told The Washington Times that, despite international condemnation, Iran believes it has nothing to fear given its unchallenged ability to intervene in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, as well as aid Israeli enemy Hamas and harass the U.S. military in the Persian Gulf.
“Iran will pay no price for clamping down on dissent,” said retired Army Col. Robert Maginnis, a counterterrorism specialist.
An Iranian exile opposition group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, says more than 20 political prisoners at Iran’s most notorious maximum-security prison are on a 35-day hunger strike after being subjected to inhumane conditions. Dissidents in other prisons have joined them.
Iran’s ruling mullahs have a history of crackdowns on dissenters, who in some cases are imprisoned for years or face execution by hanging.
Suppression of dissent in Iran unchallenged by West
WorldTribune:While the West may be critical of Iran’s practice of imprisoning, torturing and executing dissidents, the Islamic Republic has no fear that any real action will be taken to stop it, an analyst said.
“Iran will pay no price for clamping down on dissent,” retired Army Col. Robert Maginnis told The Washington Times on Sept. 4.
Rajaee Shahr Prison
“We have little leverage in the region, and no other nation in the region will hold it accountable.”
Iran’s regime has a history of crackdowns on dissenters, who in some cases are imprisoned for years or face execution by hanging, according to human rights reports.
Asma Jahangir, the United Nations special rapporteur for Iran, said that “punishments such as flogging, blinding, amputation and stoning, which violate the absolute prohibition of torture and other forms of ill treatment, continue to be implemented.
“Major overcrowding in Iranian jails, unhygienic detention facilities, lack of proper medical care, torture and ill treatment by prison officials, and solitary confinement continue to be daily realities for thousands of prisoners in the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Many of us cannot go 5 hours without needing something to eat, whether it’s a healthy kale snack or some fast food you know you really shouldn’t touch. Yet political prisoners in one of Iran’s prisons, Gohardasht – some 15 miles northwest of the capital – have entered their 5th week of hunger strike. Even under so-called normal circumstances, Gohardasht’s security guards are more notorious than those at Evin, Iran’s most notorious prison,
when it comes to cruelty in treating political prisoners and some former political prisoners consider Evin as a 5 star hotel in comparison to Ghoardasht.
Political Prisoners in Southeastern Province Support Gohardasht Prison Hunger Strikers
Political prisoners in Zahedan prison in a statement announced their solidarity with the political prisoners in Gohardasht prison who are on hunger strike and supported their legitimate demands.
The political prisoners detained in Gohardasht prison in Karaj west of capital Tehran, are suffering from weight loss and serious loss of blood pressure as well as serious physical problems on the 30th day of their hunger strike.
The prison doctor has not visited the prisoners inside the prison so far, and prison officials have not paid any attention to the prisoners' strike.
A number of hunger striking prisoners who met with their families on Wednesday, 30 August 2017, faced serious problems and were unable to stand up.
To Political Prisoners on Hunger Strike in Gohardasht Prison City of Karaj, Iran
On August 30, 2017 Gérard Deprez MEP and Chair of the Friends of a Free Iran in the European Parliament, send a letter to the hunger striking political prisoners in Iran,
Iran President's 2nd Term Begins With Abuses, Hunger Strike by Political Prisoners
By Patrick Goodenough
CNS News, August 29, 2017 - Concerns are deepening for the well-being of more than 20 Iranian political prisoners on hunger strike, who reportedly are being denied medical care by authorities who triggered their protest in the first place by forcibly transferring them to accommodation where conditions are described as “unbearable.”
The incident comes in the early weeks of the second term of Iranian President Hasan Rouhani, whose ostensibly “moderate” presidency has been characterized by ongoing repression at home, include a 20-year high in executions.
Some of those affected at the Gohardasht prison west of Tehran have been on hunger strike for a month now, and political prisoners at other jails have begun to voice support and in some cases have joined the protest action.
Iran Human Rights Monitor, August 29, 2017 - On July 30, the Warden of Gohardasht Prison along with special execution guards known as Black Masks, attacked Hall 12 of Ward 4, beating prisoners there and damaging their belongings.
The prisoners were subsequently transferred to Hall 10 located in the maximum-security section used for detention of prisoners affiliated with ISIS and al-Qaeda.
Iran: Mother of political prisoner says son is in critical condition
Ms. Zahra Eghdami, the 60-year-old mother of political prisoner Jafar Eghdami, a political prisoner who is presently on hunger strike in Gohardasht Prison in Iran, said that her son was in unsuitable condition when she last visited him and that he could barely stand on his feet.
Iran is currently striving to manage a number of increasingly painstaking dilemmas. International spotlight is again on Tehran’s nuclear program, with the United States demanding United Nations inspectors be granted access to its military sites.
Equally troubling is Iran’s collaboration with North Korea to pursue their nuclear ambitions and ballistic missile capabilities. Such dossiers are enough to undermine the spirit of the JCPOA, Tehran now also considers its meddling in the Middle East indispensable in its effort to establish a regional empire reaching the Mediterranean.
Crackdown on Iranian political prisoners reveals Rouhani's true colors
By Amir Basiri
While Tehran's diplomacy apparatus has been trying to portray a moderate image of the Iranian regime, the realities inside the country reveal a completely different truth.
On July 30, a few days before the inauguration of Hassan Rouhani's second term as president, the special guards of Gohardasht Prison, Karaj (60 kilometers west of Tehran), also known as Raja'i Shahr, raided a ward where political prisoners, prisoners of conscience, human rights defenders, trade unionists, journalists, and students were kept. The prison guards forcibly transferred some 50 inmates to a separate hall without allowing them to take their personal possessions, including their medicine. In the process, several of the prisoners who protested the unlawful act were beaten and injured.
Hunger Striking Prisoners Call on the Iranian People and the International Community to Support Their Justice Seeking Movement
Political prisoners in Gohardasht prison in Karaj called on their fellow citizens to declare their solidarity with their justice seeking move and asked them to help them in standing up against abuses and law breakings in religious despotism ruling Iran. The prisoners, who are now on their 30th day of hunger strike, urged all international human rights bodies and organizations to visit all political prisoners and striking prisoners to work toward securing their rights
The Prominent Political Prisoner Goes on Hunger Strike
The political prisoner, Arzhang Davoudi has gone on hunger and medicine strike since August 20, 2017, in Zabul Prison located in Southeastern Iran to express solidarity with the prisoners of Gohardasht Prison. He is suffering from diabetes and heart disease. As soon as he heard about the strike of political prisoners in Gohardasht Prison, he also started his strike to support them and to also protest against the poor condition of Zabul Prison. Arzhang Davoudi has also announced that he is not going to stop his strike unless his demands are fulfilled. This political prisoner has been kept in solitary confinement and is under pressur
The Political Prisoners in Other Prisons Join the Hunger Strike in Solidarity
NCRI - A group of political prisoners of Ardabil Prison, Northwestern Iran, in a letter to the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed their support and sympathy with the prisoners on hunger strike in Gohardasht prison located in Karaj, West of the capital Tehran, urging the authorities to address their issues including the prison's poor condition.
According to the latest reports from sources close to the prisoners, more than 20 political prisoners on strike have been constantly continued their protest for 25 days so that their demands to be addressed. The health condition of prisoners on strike is deteriorating. The doctors are not allowed to enter the wards for medical examinations and no prisoner is transferred to the healthcare facility as well.
More Support for Political Prisoners in Hunger Strike
A group of political prisoners in Rajaei Shahr (Gohardasht) prison in Karaj, west of Tehran, have launched a mass hunger strike in protest against inhuman and degrading treatment and forced transfer to the max-security section of the prison.
Arash Sadeghi, a political prisoner incarcerated in Evin prison, in a letter announced his support for the legitimate demands of the hunger striking political prisoners in Gohardasht prison concurrent with their 25th day of hunger strike.
The Firm & Courageous Position of the Political Prisoners on Hunger Strike
NCRI - A group of political prisoners in Gohardasht prison located in the city of Karaj, West of Tehran, wrote a letter to the human rights organizations and associations on the 26th day of their strike seeking the recognition of their rights. The political prisoners called on the human rights organizations to pay a visit to prisons in Iran in order to see the poor condition of political prisoners. In their letter, the political prisoners also refer to the 4 decades of repression and violation of human rights, writing that," a person does not achieve self-esteem and freedom easily. We and some of our brothers, who have been imprisoned by the age of 70, are witnessing a blatant violation of human rights against the prisoners of conscience and the political prisoners by the authorities of the Judiciary, the Intelligence Organization, and the guardsmen.
The World’s Shame: Iran’s Hunger Striking Political Prisoners are Largely Ignored
By Dr. Majid Rafizadeh
Human rights record has deteriorated markedly in Iran according to human rights organizations including Amnesty International.
For example, most recently, on July 30, inmates in Ward 4, Hall 12 of Iran’s Gohardasht (Rajai Shahr) Prison were made subject to a violent and unexplained raid that led to more than 50 persons being transferred to Hall 10, where conditions and treatment are even worse than the prisoners had been experiencing up to that time. Hall 10 had been newly renovated ahead of the raid, apparently with the explicit intention of putting more pressure on the prisoners of conscience that the Iranian government was planning to transfer there. In their new surroundings, the prisoners are subject to 24-hour video and audio surveillance, even inside private cells and bathrooms. Windows have been covered over with metal sheeting, thereby reducing airflow during summer in a facility that was already known for its inhuman and unhygienic conditions. In additional, the raid saw the confiscation or outright theft of virtually all of the inmates’ personal belongings, including prescription medications. Since then, prison authorities have denied the prisoners access to medical treatment and have even blocked the delivery of expensive medications purchased for them by families outside the prison.
SUPPORT FOR POLITICAL PRISONERS ON HUNGER STRIKE IN IRAN
By Zohair Ahmad
On July 30 this year, the authorities in Gohardasht prison conducted a savage attack on the political prisoners in hall 12 of ward 4. The guards insulted and beat the prisoners and forcefully transferred them to the hall 10 in the same ward. The prison authorities have deprived the prisoners of minimum hygiene facilities and decent clothing. The prisoners have also been deprived of all family visits and have been placed under pressure to end their hunger strike.
Since the news came out, the prisoners on hunger strike have gained massive support not only around the world but also from fellow political prisoners in various prisons across Iran.
The health of many of political prisoners who are on their 24th day of hunger strike in Gohardasht prison to protest their inhumane conditions has deteriorated.
On Monday, August 21, Mr. Hassan Sadeghi, who is suffering from glaucoma due to the severe blows he received from prison authorities, was transferred to Farabi Hospital in southern Tehran.
Mr. Sadeghi’s eyesight has diminished severely. Physicians believe he is facing the danger of losing his eyesight due to pressure build up.
Mr. Hassan Sadeghi was last arrested for the third time in 2015 for supporting the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and sentenced to 15 years behind bars.
Many of the prisoners on hunger strike do not have the strength to stand on their feet and have fainted repeatedly.
In the meantime, prison authorities once again transferred another hunger striking political prisoner Amir Qaziani to solitary confinement.
Imprisoned women support hunger strike in Gohardasht Prison
Atena Daemi, Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee and Maryam Akbari Monfared, detained in the women's ward of Evin Prison, published an open letter on August 19, 2017, calling on conscientious people to speak out against the difficult conditions of political prisoners in Gohardasht Prison who are on the 20th day of their hunger strike in protest to the extremely repressive conditions in that prison.
In their letter, Atena Daemi, Golrokh Iraee and Maryam Akbari Monfared have emphasized, “Those who are critical of the government --for whatever reason-- must not face such harsh reactions placing them under inhumane conditions in prison. Under the clerical regime, many people have been killed unjustly, countless rights trampled, and many unjust rulings issued. Hunger strike has remained as the only way for prisoners to demand justice.” Read more Hunger Striking Political Prisoners in Dire Conditions, Call for Urgent Action
Twenty days have passed since the day when at least 18 political prisoners in Gohardasht Prison of Karaj, west of Tehran, launched a hunger strike. Their conditions are reported as very dire. These prisoners began protesting on July 30 following a vicious attack by authorities on the inmates of hall 12 in ward 4. Their personal items and money were stolen, and they were transferred to hall 10 of this ward where they are kept under harsh conditions. These political prisoners are demanding their return to hall 12 and all personal belongings and money returned. The authorities broke the prisoners’ eyeglasses, stole their purchasing cards and used all their credits in the prison store. Read more
Letter of Exiled Prisoners in Support of Political Prisoners on Hunger Strike
A group of political prisoners in Ardebil prison Northwest Iran, wrote a letter of support for the political prisoners in Gohardasht prison near Tehran who are on hunger strike, urging the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran and the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights to take immediate action to save the lives of these prisoners.
They emphasized in their letter that if the demand of the political prisoners in Gohardasht is not met and they are not transfeedr to Hall 12 of the prison, they will start a hunger strike too. click to read the text of the letter:
Political prisoner, Ali Moezi announced his support for those political prisoners on hunger strike
17 August 2017-- The high profile political prisoner, Ali Moezi, 65, who has been mostly without legal counsel since his arrest in 2008, has written a letter announcing his support for the political prisoners on hunger strike in Gohardasht prison in Karaj, northwest of Tehran.
In this letter, he recalls his memoirs from Gohardasht prison and the memories of those martyred during the 1980s, particularly the martyrs of the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran. Read more Political Prisoners in Ward 4 of Gohardasht Prison in Danger
Brussels August 15, 2017. Following the recent savage attack to political prisoners by Iranian regime, Mr Gérard Deprez ,MEP and Chair of the Friends of a Free Iran committee in the European Parliament, issued the statement click here to read The Lives of the Political Prisoners on Hunger Strike in Danger
The Iranian Resistance expresses grave concern over the health and security of political prisoners on hunger strike in solitary confinement of ward 4 in Gohardasht Prison of Karaj, west of Tehran. All international human rights organizations, especially the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur of Human Rights in Iran, Special Rapporteur on Torture are called upon to take urgent action to save the lives of these political prisoners.
Misters Abolqassem Fouladvand, Hassan Sadeghi, Saeed Masouri, Reza Akbari Monfared, Jafar Eqdami, Amir Qaziyan, Khaled Heradani, Zaniyar and Loqman Moradi who are in solitary confinement. A number of other ward 4 prisoners, including Misters Mohammad Banazadeh Amir Khizi, Pirouz Mansouri, Majid Assadi and Payam Shakiba are amongst the inmates who are also on hunger strike protesting repressive measures against ward 4 political prisoners in Gohardasht Prison. The authorities have banned these political prisoners from any family visits and placed them under pressures to end their hunger strikes. Read more Latest Report on the Situation of the Political Prisoners Transferred to Max-Security Hall
On the morning of Sunday, 30 July 2017, Gohardasht prison officers in Karaj west of Tehran forcefully transferred the political detainees to the maximum-security Hall after beating and mayhem.
According to a new report, officers took the political prisoners to the courtyard on the pretext that one prisoner has escaped and they have to get statistics, and then transferred them to the max-security Hall 10, Ward 4 by force. All 53 transferred prisoners staged hunger strike to protest regime's actions.
The report indicates that, the health condition of one of the political prisoners (Shahin Zoghi-Tabar) was deteriorated on Tuesday, August 1, due to the hunger strike, and he was transferred to the so-called Rajaei Hospital in Karaj. But with his hands handcuffed from behind, the officers sent him back to solitary confinement without any medical treatment. Read more
According to reports, the political prisoners incarcerated in ward 4 Hall 12 of Gohardasht prison staged an indefinite hunger strike following the raid by special guards and forced transfer of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience to Hall 10 after beating and mayhem.
Hall 10 of Gohardasht prison in Karaj – west of Tehran, contrary to the prison regulations, is equipped with 40 CCTV cameras and sixty four surveillance systems. The agents have also prevented the transfer of all drugs and equipment of the sick prisoners.
Brutal Raid of the Special Guards, on the Political Prisoners and Prisoners of Conscience Tuesday, 01 August 2017 08:15
NCRI - Special Guards at the Gohardasht Prison in Karaj, on Sunday July 30, 2017, brutally attacked hall 12 located in section 4 of the prison, which is the hall of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, and beat them.
According to reports, prisoners have been transferred to hall 10, which is equipped with CCTV cameras and a surveillance system.
Special Guards have caused great damage to the personal belongings of the prisoners following the onslaught.
Families of prisoners are worried about their loved ones’ status. Prisoners protested against the special guards during the raid and forcible displacement. Read more
Sunni Political Prisoner Hanged at Gohardasht Prison
Iranian Resistance calls on international community to condemn the execution of political prisoners in Iran, and urges all governments to make their relations with the religious dictatorship in Iran contingent on an end to executions and torture.
The Iranian regime hanged Seyed Jamal Mousavi, a Sunni Kurdish political prisoner from city of Sanadaj on Wednesday August 23 after spending nine years in prison on the so-called charge of Moharebeh (waging war on God). This is while the new cabinet of Hassan Rouhani has not been through its first week in the office.
The authorities in in Gohardasht prison (west of Tehran) transferred Mr. Mousavi from Hall 21 of Section 7 of the prison to solitary confinement on the pretext of sending him to hospital on 16 August. He was held enchained in solitary confinement for a week. They threatened Mr. Moussavi that his death sentence would be implemented if he leaks any information from inside the prison.
Letter by Five French Syndicates to Macron: Take Action to Save the Life of Reza ShahabiNCRI - Five French labour syndicates, together with Amnesty International, called on the French President Emanuel Macron to intervene to protect Reza Shahabi, member of the Syndicate of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company. Reza Shahabi has been on hunger strike for 35 days, and his life is in danger.The letter to the French President is part of a “Collective” action consisting of five French syndicates including the CGT, the CFDT, the FSU, UNSA and Solidaires together with Amnesty International to support Reza Shahabi and other Iranian labour and cultural activists.Reza Shahabi, a labour activist who has been on hunger strike since August 9, faces severe hypertension, localized anaesthesia in the left side of the body, impaired digestive function, and severe weight loss. READ MORE
Workers Syndicate of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, in a statement reported “deterioration” of Reza Shahabi’s health condition due to “complications of hunger strike.” Mr. Shahabi is a member of the board of directors of this guild organization.According to the statement of the Workers Syndicate of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, Reza Shahabi's family said after a meeting with him in the Rajaei Shahr (Gohardasht) prison in Karaj on Wednesday, August 10, that the activist had a severe weakness and his left hand lost feeling and was numb.
Labour Activist Stages Indefinite Hunger Strike
