Hamid Baghaei: I Have No Intent to Commit Suicide and I Am on Hunger Strike

Hamid Baghaei, former deputy of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has denied breaking his hunger strike in prison and stated that he is in a "very good" mental state and has no intention of committing "suicide." The website Dowlat-e Bahar, close to the former president of Iran, reported that Baghaei made these statements during a call with them. His remarks come after Fars News Agency, on April 11, quoted an "informed source" saying: "Baghaei has eaten a substantial meal over the past two days, and the continuation of his hunger strike is pure fabrication; he even laughed and joked with other inmates this morning." According to this news agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hamid Baghaei "did not have a dry hunger strike before and was consuming water and sugary substances." Baghaei was arrested on March 13 for serving a 15-year prison sentence on embezzlement charges and was transferred to Evin Prison. His associates, including Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have stated that Baghaei has been on hunger strike since his arrest and was transferred to the hospital due to his deteriorating health in recent days. He was returned to prison on Saturday night. In response to Fars News Agency's report, which Dowlat-e Bahar labeled as a "disreputable security news agency," Baghaei said: "The managers of this media are not the true offspring of their father if they do not publish a video of me eating in prison." He also reacted to comments made by Asghar Jahangir, head of the Prison Organization, who directly stated that Baghaei is experiencing "mental and psychological" issues, saying: "It seems that the false statements regarding my mental and psychological condition are pursuing other objectives. I emphasize that I do not take any medication in prison and will not commit suicide." The former deputy of Ahmadinejad labeled the claims about his "poor" mental and psychological condition in prison as "nonsense and pure fabrication," adding that "although the pressure of the hunger strike has imposed its harsh effects on my body, my mental and psychological condition is very good." The head of the Iranian Prison Organization and the Department of Correctional and Educational Measures stated on April 12 in an interview with Tasnim News Agency that "necessary arrangements" have been made for Hamid Baghaei and that "despite someone trying to create bad conditions for himself by not eating and drinking, the prison is working to prevent this from happening." Asghar Jahangir added: "Even if an individual has mental and psychological issues and does not eat or drink, we, as the prison organization, strive to rehabilitate and guide the individual and provide suitable conditions for them." Dowlat-e Bahar also reacted to Jahangir's statements, asserting that "there is no doubt that Mr. Baghaei has no mental or psychological issues and has been detained and imprisoned in complete physical and mental health; therefore, any actions, including the injection of unknown medications under the pretext of addressing what has been called mental and psychological problems, are considered suspicious attempts." Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, after increasing pressure on senior officials from his ninth and tenth governments, has turned to criticize all structures of the Islamic Republic and has even written a letter to Ali Khamenei in this regard. Following Baghaei's hunger strike in prison, he urged the Supreme Leader to issue an order for the release of his former deputy. In a letter to Khamenei, he wrote that he "knows" Hamid Baghaei is "innocent and pure" and he "expects (Ali Khamenei) to prevent a major disaster and irreparable damages with a decisive order." Ignoring this letter led the former president and some of his supporters to stage a sit-in at Imamzadeh Saleh in Tehran. In addition to Hamid Baghaei, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, Ahmadinejad's chief of staff, was also arrested two days after he burned Baghaei's sentence in front of the British Embassy in Tehran. Ahmadinejad's office also issued a statement on Tuesday, April 2, holding all state officials, especially senior judicial authorities, responsible for the health of Mashaei and Baghaei and for "any harm to them," stating that they have "captured them in their clutches."