Arash Sadeghi Transferred to Evin Prison Medical Ward Three Times in One Day

As reports emerge regarding the poor physical condition of Ali Shariati on the seventy-second day of his hunger strike, the news website HRANA reported that Arash Sadeghi, another political prisoner, was transferred to the medical ward of Evin Prison three times in the past 24 hours due to "deteriorating health." HRANA, the news organ of human rights activists in Iran, reported on Wednesday, January 22, that Sadeghi was transferred to the medical ward of Evin Prison on Tuesday evening due to "lung inflammation and persistent coughing," and he was connected to an oxygen machine. According to the report, Mr. Sadeghi was also in the medical ward for an hour at 1:30 AM due to "severe shortness of breath" and was transferred again on Wednesday morning for the third time due to "stomach pain, blood pressure of 8 over 6, and vomiting blood." Sadeghi had been transferred to the hospital on Saturday evening, January 18, but was returned to prison shortly after, despite doctors' recommendations for hospitalization. Mr. Sadeghi had been on a hunger strike for over 70 days in protest against the detention of his wife, Golrokh Iraee, who was granted leave on January 14, leading him to end his hunger strike. Several other political prisoners are still on hunger strike. Meanwhile, Motahereh Parsi, the wife of Ali Shariati, reported that her husband's condition has worsened on the seventy-second day of his hunger strike, but he has not allowed the medical staff at Evin Prison to administer intravenous fluids. She stated that the prison medical staff warned about the potential failure of Mr. Shariati's liver. Ali Shariati was sentenced to "acting against national security" for participating in a protest against acid attacks in Isfahan, and after his arrest on November 1, he declared that he would continue his hunger strike until this charge was removed from his case. Mr. Shariati's family has stated that their request for his medical leave is "until a fair trial is conducted through the legal channels provided," and if this request is granted, the political prisoner will end his hunger strike. Saeed Shirzad, a civil activist, has been on hunger strike since December 17 in protest against the "silent death of prisoners" and has sewn his lips shut, citing multiple instances of prisoners' rights violations. He previously stated that he would continue his hunger strike for 30 days and would either end it or convert it to a dry hunger strike depending on whether the "voices of the voiceless" are heard. In recent weeks, reports have emerged about other prisoners, including Nizar Zaka, Mohammad Reza Nokounam, and Mehdi Kouhian, starting hunger strikes, but there have been no updates on whether they have continued or stopped. Ahmadreza Jalali, a physician residing in Sweden, has also been on hunger strike for the past 12 days. Vida Mehran-Nia, Mr. Jalali's wife, reported in an interview with Radio Farda that her husband was arrested on May 5 on charges of "collaborating with the enemy" in Tehran. Meanwhile, Asma Jahangir, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, warned on Monday, January 20, about the situation of prisoners on hunger strike and called for their unconditional release. She described the detention of many political and ideological prisoners as "arbitrary" and their charges as "vague." Michael Forst, the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, and Ronald Aju, the head of the UN working group on arbitrary detention, supported Asma Jahangir's request. However, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson for the judiciary, stated on January 5 in response to the hunger strikes of political prisoners that "if they intend to pressure the judiciary from inside and outside, they are severely mistaken, and the judiciary will not yield." In recent years, many political prisoners in Iran have gone on hunger strikes, and some, including Hadi Saber and Akbar Mohammadi, have died due to lack of medical attention during their hunger strikes. The arrest of Masoumeh Zia, a teacher of "Circle of Knowledge" at Tehran Airport, was reported by the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. The website reported that Masoumeh (Pegah) Zia, a teacher of the "Circle of Knowledge" group, was arrested on January 17 after returning from a trip abroad at Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran by order of the second branch of the Culture and Media Prosecutor's Office. According to this report, Masoumeh Zia, born in 1977, is a geology expert and the mother of a 16-year-old daughter who traveled to Turkey in early January to visit her relatives. Maryam Zia, Ms. Zia's sister, stated that the reason for her sister's arrest has not been disclosed to the family, but her sister "has not engaged in any activity other than completely peaceful activities in the Circle of Knowledge, and the reason for her arrest is likely related to this." She also wrote on Facebook that her sister had informed her during a phone call that she is in solitary confinement in Ward 209 of Evin Prison. According to Maryam Zia, her sister had previously been arrested by the Revolutionary Guards due to her activities in the "Circle of Knowledge" and was sentenced to one year in prison and 74 lashes, but security agents stated that this arrest is not related to her previous case. Previously, several students of Mohammad Ali Taheri, including Ziba Habibpour, Sara Saei, Zahra Sadat Ebrahimi, and Vahid Pour Tahmasb, have been arrested during various protests, and some have been sentenced to prison. Mohammad Ali Taheri founded an institute called "Circle of Knowledge" in 2001, which was involved in activities related to "Iranian complementary medicine, spiritual healing, and cementology." He was arrested in 2011, and the initial sentence issued against him was "death." Last year, his death sentence was overturned, and the case was referred for reconsideration to the Revolutionary Court.