Eight Political and Ideological Prisoners in Tehran and Karaj on Hunger Strike

Reports indicate that eight political and ideological prisoners in Tehran and Karaj are on hunger strike in protest of their case status or prison conditions, with some having been transferred to the hospital in recent days. According to the "International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran," Mehdi Rajabian, Hossein Rajabian, Ali Shariati, Mohammad Ali Taheri, Vahid Sayadi Nasirpour, and Arash Sadeghi are on hunger strike in Evin Prison, while Rasoul Razavi and Morteza Moradpour are in one of the prisons in Karaj. While reports state that the hunger strikes of Mehdi Rajabian, Hossein Rajabian, Ali Shariati, and Vahid Sayadi Nasirpour are ongoing, there is no information available regarding the status of Mohammad Ali Taheri, Arash Sadeghi, Rasoul Razavi, and Morteza Moradpour. Mehdi and Hossein Rajabian, two imprisoned artists, have been on hunger strike since November 7 in protest of "negligence in medical care and lack of leave rights," and reports indicate that Mehdi Rajabian has been transferred to the hospital several times following this hunger strike. Mehdi Rajabian is the founder of the "Barg Music" website, which is considered one of the most famous and active alternative music websites in Iran. The Rajabian brothers are composers and musicians who were sentenced to six years in prison by Branch 28 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran for "insulting the sacred" and "propaganda against the regime." This sentence was changed in the appeals court to three years of imprisonment and three years of suspended imprisonment, and both brothers reported to Evin Prison on June 6. According to reports, Ali Shariati, a civil activist, was arrested on November 10 while visiting the municipality of Pardis for administrative work and has been on hunger strike since the moment of his arrest. According to the Khabar Online website, Ali Shariati changed his wet hunger strike to a dry hunger strike on November 18, and on Saturday, November 22, the condition of this political prisoner became "very critical and dangerous, and he lost consciousness." Ali Shariati was sentenced to "action against national security" for gathering in front of the parliament in protest against acid attacks in Isfahan and has stated that he will continue his hunger strike until this charge is removed from his case. Mr. Shariati was arrested on February 18, 2015, and sentenced to 12 years and 9 months in prison by Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court presided over by Judge Abolqasem Salavati, which was reduced to five years in the appeals court. According to reports, Mohammad Ali Taheri, the founder of "Erfan Halqeh," has also been on hunger strike in Evin Prison since October 7, and there is no information available regarding his status. Azardokht Taheri, the sister of this prisoner, told Radio Farda that since October 25, after he fell into a coma due to the hunger strike, there has been no news about him. Mohammad Ali Taheri had previously been sentenced to death, but Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai, Mr. Taheri's lawyer, announced that a decision of non-prosecution had been issued regarding the charges of "apostasy," "insulting the Prophet," and "colluding and conspiring to act against national security" for his client. Additionally, in recent days, Mr. Taheri's relatives have announced that after the issuance of this non-prosecution decision, his five-year prison sentence for other charges has ended, and he should be released. Vahid Sayadi Nasirpour, another ideological prisoner, has been on hunger strike since October 25 in protest of his "indeterminate status." Mr. Nasirpour was sentenced to eight years in prison for "insulting the sacred and leadership and propaganda against the regime," and despite more than a year of his protest against this sentence, the appeals court ruling has still not been issued. Amnesty International reported on November 3 that Arash Sadeghi, a political prisoner, went on hunger strike after his wife Golrokh Ebrahimi was arrested. No reports have been published regarding the continuation of Mr. Sadeghi's hunger strike. Rasoul Razavi, Hossein Ali Mohammadi Alvar, and Morteza Moradpour, who were sentenced to two, five, and three years in prison due to ethnic identity-seeking activities, had previously gone on hunger strike in Tabriz prison. In mid-November of this year, while on hunger strike, Rasoul Razavi and Morteza Moradpour were transferred from Tabriz prison to one of the prisons in Karaj as a punishment. According to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Hossein Ali Mohammadi has ended his hunger strike, but a week after the transfer of Rasoul Razavi and Morteza Moradpour to a prison in Karaj, they have still not had contact or visitation with their families. In recent years, many political prisoners in Iran have gone on hunger strikes, and some of them, including Hadi Saber and Akbar Mohammadi, have died due to lack of medical care during their hunger strikes.