Arash Sadeghi's Hunger Strike in Protest Against the Beating and Illegal Exile of Golrokh Ebrahimi

The Human Rights Campaign in Iran has reported on Arash Sadeghi's renewed hunger strike in protest against the beating and illegal exile of his wife, Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraei, to Qarchak Varamin prison. The campaign wrote on its Twitter page that Mr. Sadeghi announced his hunger strike while 'still suffering from the untreated effects of his previous long hunger strike.' Arash Sadeghi, who has been sentenced to 19 years in prison by the Revolutionary Court, had previously gone on hunger strike for over 70 days in protest against the detention of Ms. Ebrahimi Iraei. He ended his hunger strike after his wife's temporary release; however, she was returned to prison shortly after. Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, had expressed concern about Arash Sadeghi's health in prison and called for his immediate release. In a statement on August 16, Amnesty International stated that 'Arash Sadeghi, a prisoner of conscience and human rights activist, is seriously ill and should be hospitalized outside of prison. However, authorities, apparently under the orders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, are refusing to transfer him to a hospital.' Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraei, along with Atena Daemi, another human rights activist, was transferred to Qarchak Varamin prison on Wednesday, January 24, after 'severe beating.' Masoumeh Nemati, Atena Daemi's mother, wrote on Twitter that 'I fear they will kill my daughter and say it was suicide.' The news agency HRANA also reported that Atena Daemi and Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraei 'were exiled to Qarchak Varamin prison due to their refusal to answer questions regarding a new case opened against them.' HRANA had previously reported that Atena Daemi and Golrokh Iraei, who were serving their sentences in Evin prison, had been summoned to the prosecutor's office for the fourth time regarding a new case opened against them on January 17. Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraei was arrested on September 6, 2014, along with her husband, Arash Sadeghi. In May 2015, she was sentenced to six years in prison by Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran for 'insulting sacred beliefs and propaganda against the regime,' a sentence that was upheld by Branch 54 of the Court of Appeals without her presence. On November 25, 2016, without receiving a written summons, she was arrested by security forces to serve her six-year sentence and transferred to Evin prison. At that time, security forces discovered an unpublished manuscript about stoning in Iran during a search of her home. Ms. Ebrahimi Iraei has been accused of 'insulting sacred beliefs' for writing this unpublished story. Atena (Fatemeh) Daemi, 29 years old, was arrested on October 21, 2014, and was interrogated for 86 days in solitary confinement in Ward 2-A. On January 17 of the same year, after the interrogations ended, she was transferred to the women's ward of Evin prison. She was sentenced to 14 years in prison for 'propaganda against the regime, conspiracy and collusion against national security, insulting the leadership, insulting the founder of the Islamic Republic, and concealing evidence of a crime.' This sentence was reduced to seven years in the appeals court.