Jailed Iranian Union Activist Reportedly Dies In Prison

Shahrokh Zamani in an undated photo

A jailed Iranian union activist has reportedly died in prison.

The opposition website Kalame said on September 13 that Shahrokh Zamani, 51, had died from a stroke.

It described his death as “sudden.”

Zamani was serving an 11-year term in the Rajayishahr prison in Karaj, northwest of the capital, Tehran.

He was arrested in June 2011 and sentenced after being convicted on charges that included "acting against national security" and "spreading propaganda against the regime."

The charges were brought against him over his efforts to create a union for paint workers.

Zamani was held for several months in solitary confinement.

Amnesty International reported last year that Zamani went on a hunger strike for more than a month, which "has left him in poor health."

With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda and Kalameh