Jafar Azimzadeh's Hunger Strike Reaches One Month

About a month has passed since Jafar Azimzadeh, the imprisoned president of the board of the Free Workers Union of Iran, began his unlimited hunger strike in Evin Prison. According to ILNA news agency, Akram Rahimi, Mr. Azimzadeh's wife, stated that he is demanding a review of his judicial case to remove security charges against him. Previously, Mr. Azimzadeh had mentioned in a letter regarding his unlimited hunger strike that he is calling for the cancellation of security charges against labor activists, including workers. He was sentenced to six years in prison last year by the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran on security charges and has been serving his sentence since November of last year. In recent years, labor activists and workers protesting their conditions who have been detained by security or law enforcement agencies have been sentenced to prison on charges such as acting against national security and disturbing public opinion. Meanwhile, labor organizations and human rights activists have criticized the security and judicial actions against workers and labor activists. In this context, Akram Rahimpour, Mr. Azimzadeh's wife, expressed concern about the condition of this imprisoned labor activist, stating: 'His blood pressure has dropped significantly, and he has lost weight. His kidneys are still problematic, but they are not attending to his condition at all.' According to reports, Mr. Azimzadeh was transferred to a hospital in Tehran on the first of Khordad (May 22), but after he refused serum injections and requested attention to his kidney condition, he was returned to prison. So far, there has been no news regarding the reaction of the judiciary officials to this labor activist's hunger strike. Mr. Azimzadeh's wife mentioned her meeting with the Tehran prosecutor on Saturday, adding: 'I told the prosecutor that you have a duty to transfer him to the hospital, and if the prisoner does not want to, you are responsible for his life and must forcibly transfer him to the hospital, which they did, but he was returned to prison the same day in his previous condition.' Ms. Rahimpour noted that the prosecutor promised to speak with her husband and added: 'In a phone call, I asked Mr. Azimzadeh about this, and he said the prosecutor visited the prison on Tuesday and only noted his demands without speaking to him.' According to Akram Rahimpour, Jafar Azimzadeh told the prosecutor that he would continue his hunger strike until his demands are addressed. The Ettehad website, belonging to the Free Workers Union of Iran, reported a few days ago that a new case has been opened against Mr. Azimzadeh in the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Saveh. According to this report, security charges have been brought against this imprisoned labor activist in this new case. Several labor organizations, such as the Free Workers Union of Iran, the Syndicate of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, the Workers' Rights Defenders Association, and the International Alliance in Support of Workers in Iran, have called for the realization of Jafar Azimzadeh's demands and the release of him and other imprisoned labor activists. Meanwhile, over 3,500 people recently protested in a letter to the Article 90 Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly against what they called the 'securitization of labor and social activities' by the Iranian judiciary. According to the Ettehad website, the signatories of the letter supported Jafar Azimzadeh's demands.