Exclusive | Hunger Strike of Two Political Prisoners in Qazalhessar; Yashar Tabrizi Transferred to Ward 241 of Evin

Informed sources in Iran have provided details about the situation of three political prisoners to Voice of America. According to reports received by Voice of America, Zartosht Ahmadi Raghb and Reza Salmandzadeh are on hunger strike in Qazalhessar prison, and Yashar Tabrizi has been returned to Evin prison after being transferred to Tehran's Great Prison. Zartosht Ahmadi Raghb has gone on hunger strike in protest against what he describes as 'inhuman and anti-human rights conditions' in the 'completely secure' ward of Qazalhessar prison. An informed source told Voice of America that Zartosht Ahmadi Raghb, a political prisoner who was transferred from Evin to Qazalhessar along with several other prisoners, stated in a call to his relatives after days of silence that he is imprisoned in 'very bad conditions in a cell where even a chicken cannot be kept,' and he will continue his hunger strike 'until achieving results.' Meanwhile, another informed source reported that Reza Salmandzadeh, another political prisoner transferred from Evin to Qazalhessar, has been on hunger strike for '14 days.' This source quoted one of Salmandzadeh's fellow inmates, stating that in addition to his hunger strike, this political prisoner is also refusing phone calls and visits in protest against 'the very terrible conditions of the ward where he is held.' Earlier, the Human Rights Defenders Association expressed concern in a letter to Javaid Rehman, the Special Rapporteur on the 'Human Rights Situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran,' regarding the health of 13 prisoners transferred to Qazalhessar prison. According to another report that reached Voice of America on Wednesday, judicial authorities transferred human rights activist Yashar Tabrizi to Tehran's Great Prison, but after the prison 'refused to accept' him, judicial authorities returned him to Evin prison and transferred him 'first to Ward 209 and then to quarantine in Ward 241.' An informed source told Voice of America that a 'bail order' has been issued for Yashar Tabrizi, but no further details are available. Yashar Tabrizi, a constitutionalist civil activist residing in Shahriar, was arrested on September 14, just two days before the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in Tabriz, and was transferred to Evin prison in Tehran. Human Rights Watch announced in a statement on September 15 that Iranian officials have intensified the crackdown on civil society in the lead-up to the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death, which led to nationwide protests. The increased pressure on political prisoners and their detention in substandard conditions in Iranian prisons comes at a time when a prisoner recently died due to deprivation of medical rights in prison. Tanaz Kolahchian, the lawyer of Faramarz Javidzad, the deceased prisoner in Evin, who is reportedly a dual national, told Voice of America that although his case was not political, he faced more pressure due to being Jewish.