After Narges Mohammadi's Opposition to Hijab, Reza Shahabi Also Refuses to Wear Prison Clothes

While the hunger strike of Narges Mohammadi, Nobel Peace Prize winner and political prisoner at Evin women's prison, in protest against mandatory hijab has faced widespread reactions, the Syndicate of Workers of the Bus Company reported on Tuesday that Reza Shahabi, a board member of this syndicate, has been denied transfer to a hospital. According to the Syndicate, Mr. Shahabi has been suffering from severe and increasing pain in his neck and shoulders, as well as numbness in his arms and hands during his detention. Specialist doctors have ordered that he undergo immediate surgery. However, prison officials on November 15 deprived Mr. Shahabi of hospital transfer due to his refusal to wear prison clothes. The prison management instructed Mr. Shahabi to either wear the prison uniform or submit a written statement declaring that he was withdrawing from hospital transfer due to not wearing the prison clothes. Mr. Shahabi defied this order, stating that despite his very poor physical condition, he would never comply with such a demand. According to international and national laws, requiring prisoners to wear uniforms outside the prison is illegal. Prison officials do not have such a 'right' to mandate prisoners to wear prison-specific clothing outside the prison. Narges Mohammadi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner imprisoned in Evin prison, has also been on a hunger strike since Monday, November 15, protesting the 'Islamic Republic's policy of delay and neglect in providing medical care to sick prisoners' and the 'policy of either death or mandatory hijab for women in Iran.' The Islamic Republic officials have conditioned the transfer of this political prisoner to medical facilities on her compliance with mandatory hijab. Narges Mohammadi has been denied hospital transfer at least twice since September 4 due to her refusal to wear a headscarf. Mehdi Ghoulian, brother of Sepideh Ghoulian, a political prisoner in Evin prison, reported on Instagram on Tuesday about the life-threatening situation for Narges Mohammadi. According to Mr. Ghoulian, his sister Sepideh has stated: 'It is true that Narges's hunger strike has only lasted a few days, but her physical condition is not good. The prison officials have taken away her physical strength by preventing her transfer to the hospital, but not her will. Several prisoners have gone on hunger strike in support of Narges, and if the prison officials do not allow Narges's transfer to the hospital, the entire ward may go on hunger strike. Narges is standing in the right place. She says mandatory hijab is like death.' Evin officials also prevented the transfer of Davood Razavi, a imprisoned labor activist, to the hospital. Reyhaneh Ansari Nejad was transferred to Evin prison to serve a four-year prison sentence. The indifference of the prison organization to the treatment of imprisoned labor and civil activists continues. The head of Evin prison prevented Reza Shahabi's transfer to the hospital due to his refusal to wear prison clothes. Two imprisoned labor activists stated: the killing of dissenters and artists is an old and familiar tradition.