Postelection Prisoners On Hunger Strike
Abdollah Momeni (left) and Majid Tavakoli are both reportedly on hunger strike in Tehran's Evin prison.
July 30, 2010
A number of political prisoners incarcerated at Tehran’s Evin prison have reportedly gone on hunger strike to protest their treatment, including their transfer to solitary confinement and cancellation of family visits.
The “Kalame” website, which close to opposition leader Mir Hossein Musavi, has published the names of 16 prisoners jailed in last year's postelection crackdown whom it says are currently on hunger strike.
They include prominent human rights defender and former student leader Abdollah Momeni; journalist Bahman Amouee; the chief editor of the “Nameh” monthly, Keyvan Samimi; and well-known student activists Ali Malihi and Majid Tavakoli.
According to the website, some of them have been on hunger strike for some four days now, while others joined the protest on July 29.
Amouee's wife, journalist Zheela Baniyaghoub (who was also jailed in the postelection crackdown), confirmed in a July 28
interview with RFE/RL's Radio Farda that her husband is on a hunger strike and that prison authorities refused to let her visit him on July 26. They did not explain why.
She expressed concern over his health and the health of the other prisoners. She said some of the prisoners are refusing to eat food while others are on a “dry hunger strike,” meaning they’re refusing both food and water.
More than 2,000 journalists, activists, students, and others were jailed in the crackdown that followed the June 2009 disputed reelection of Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad. Many were subsequently released, while dozens were sentenced to prison terms.
-- Golnaz Esfandiari
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