Exclusive; Protests Against Arbitrary Executions; Khalid Pirzadeh's Hunger Strike Continues in Hospital

According to a report received by Voice of America, Khalid Pirzadeh, a political prisoner hospitalized due to a heart condition, continues his hunger strike in protest against "arbitrary executions of protesters." A source familiar with Mr. Pirzadeh's situation told Voice of America on Tuesday, January 30, that the "treatment process" for this constitutional monarchist political prisoner, who is "hospitalized due to heart problems" and "awaiting angiography," is progressing slowly due to "hunger strike and severe physical weakness." According to this source close to Khalid Pirzadeh, he is "still on hunger strike in protest against the arbitrary executions of protesters from last year's national uprising" and also "in support of Mehdi Maskinnavaz and the poor conditions in prison" while being hospitalized. This informed source stated that Khalid Pirzadeh was hospitalized two weeks ago "due to heart problems and arterial blockage" and underwent a "CV line procedure" on Saturday, January 28. Although his physical condition after the operation was reported as "normal," he is suffering from "severe physical weakness" as he is "still on hunger strike." Khalid (Kushan) Pirzadeh, a former bodybuilding champion of Iran, was first arrested by government forces in June 2019. In February of the same year, he was sentenced to seven years in prison by Branch 28 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran, presided over by "Mohammad Mogheiseh," on charges of "assembly and collusion" and "insulting the leadership." This athlete, who won third place in the "World Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation" competition in Singapore in 2018, had gone on hunger strikes multiple times during his imprisonment and was released in February 2023 under conditions where he was unable to walk and his physical condition was reported as critical due to spinal injuries from broken vertebrae and anxiety disorders. This political activist regained a significant portion of his health after continuously receiving medical services, but in September of this year, when he intended to travel to Turkey for further treatment, he was arrested by security agents of the Islamic Republic at Ahvaz airport and transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison in Tehran. In mid-January, Khalid Pirzadeh was again sentenced to "five years and eight months" in prison on charges of "assembly and collusion" and "propaganda against the regime" and was serving his sentence in Evin Prison when he was transferred to the hospital.