Mehdi Khazali, Critic Political Activist, Arrested

The website Kalemeh reported, citing a Telegram channel affiliated with Mehdi Khazali, that this critical political activist has been arrested and transferred to Ward 350 of Evin Prison. According to Kalemeh, the Telegram channel 'Saraye Qalam' linked to Mehdi Khazali announced that he was arrested in front of his office on Sunday afternoon, February 6. The report noted that the reasons for Mr. Khazali's arrest are still unclear, and he has declared, 'Since the moment of my arrest, I have gone on a dry hunger strike and will not touch water or food.' No official sources have commented on Mr. Khazali's arrest yet. On Wednesday, February 2, Khazali had urged people at a Saraye Ahl-e Qalam meeting not to participate in the February 22 rally and to stay home in protest. In a statement, he declared, 'We will not leave our homes on February 22 and will not become the backdrop for the enemies! We will not go to the streets to endorse murder, looting, crime, ignorance, and imprisonment.' He added, 'On February 22, we will stay home in respect for freedom and democracy so that tyrants, monopolists, looters, and embezzlers are left alone in the streets.' This critical political activist had previously speculated in an audio file about the death of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani due to 'suffocation in water.' In recent years, Mehdi Khazali has been arrested and imprisoned multiple times and has gone on hunger strikes. In total, he has spent 285 days on hunger strikes during seven arrests and detentions.