Arrest of Protesters Against the 'Severe Condition' of Morteza Moradpour

Reports indicate that on the morning of Monday, December 20, fourteen protesters against the detention of Morteza Moradpour, who has entered the fifty-sixth day of his hunger strike, were arrested. The protesters had gathered in front of the judiciary in Tabriz. Among those arrested are Hassan Moradpour, the father, and Fardin Moradpour, the brother of Morteza Moradpour. Despite the release of three protesters, eleven remain in custody, with no information available regarding their location and treatment, according to former lawyer Naqi Mahmoudi in an interview with Radio Farda. Mahmoudi, currently living in Germany, further stated that Hassan Moradpour, one of the released individuals, announced that all detainees would go on a hunger strike in protest of their detention. Previously, Fardin had also stated multiple times that he would undertake a dry hunger strike if arrested. Morteza Moradpour, 29, has been pursued due to his participation in the 'Ayl Goli Tabriz Walking Conference' in June 2009 and was arrested three days later in a student dormitory by intelligence agents. He has been on a hunger strike for 56 days. He was tried in the Revolutionary Court of Tabriz and sentenced to one year in prison for propaganda against the Islamic Republic and two years for conspiracy to commit a crime against national security. Moradpour served part of his sentence six months after his arrest and was released on bail, but has been imprisoned again for the past thirteen months. Since November 25 of this year, he has been on a hunger strike in Tabriz prison in protest against the non-application of Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code and the rejection of his request regarding it. Mahmoudi explains that under this article, a defendant who has committed multiple offenses is sentenced only to the most severe punishment instead of multiple punishments. Mahmoudi states that the arrest of individuals protesting in front of the judiciary in Tabriz contradicts the principle of freedom of expression and assembly, as well as Article 27 of the Iranian Constitution, which states that 'forming assemblies and marches without carrying weapons, provided that they do not disrupt the principles of Islam, is free.' Jaafar Afshar Nia, Moradpour's current defense lawyer, also wrote on his Facebook page that 'Morteza was arrested during the popular march in 2009 in Ayl Goli and during his arrest, he only shouted for the necessity of education in the mother tongue and the preservation of Lake Urmia. Isn't education in the mother tongue and environmental protection among the basic and legitimate rights of every human being?'