Message from Political and Human Rights Activists to Narges Mohammadi: End Your Hunger Strike

On the seventeenth day of Narges Mohammadi's hunger strike in Evin Prison, several human rights activists and prominent critics of the Islamic Republic urged her to end her strike. Ahmad Montazeri, representing the family of Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, Zarindokht Ataei, the wife of Ezzatollah Sahabi, and Shirin Ebadi, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, released open letters on Wednesday, July 23, asking Ms. Mohammadi to break her hunger strike to prevent further physical harm. Narges Mohammadi, the vice president of the Human Rights Defenders Center, has been on hunger strike since July 7 in protest against the Iranian judicial and security authorities' prevention of her phone contact with her young children. In the letter from Ezzatollah Sahabi's wife, the promise made by the prosecutor's representative to accept her request was mentioned. Zarindokht Ataei wrote: 'Considering the promise of the honorable prosecutor's representative to accept your request for regular phone contact with your children, I urge you to end your hunger strike to avoid further deterioration of your health and to prevent harm to your dear life and to return to health.' Shirin Ebadi, the head of the Human Rights Defenders Center, also referred to the wave of support from media and civil activists for Narges Mohammadi, writing to her: 'Your voice of protest has been heard by all, and in response, on Tuesday, July 21, 1395, a storm of affection and support erupted on Twitter. You have succeeded and have brought the voices of political and ideological female prisoners in Evin Prison to the attention of the world.' On Tuesday, the fifteenth day of Narges Mohammadi's hunger strike, thousands of Twitter users inside and outside the country launched a Twitter storm demanding her freedom and addressing her requests. This Twitter storm quickly became one of the top 10 global trends with the hashtag FreeNarges#. In the continuation of Shirin Ebadi's letter to Narges Mohammadi, it stated: 'With a sick body, you do not have the strength to continue your hunger strike, and your treating physicians have warned several times that continuing this situation poses serious risks to you. On behalf of myself and your companions, I request that you break your hunger strike and entrust your continued human rights demands to us. We and your children and the oppressed and suffering people of Iran need your presence.' Ahmad Montazeri, the son of Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, expressed concern about Ms. Mohammadi's health status, stating, 'Since the existing oppressive regime disregards your most basic human rights, namely the right to be a mother, if your hunger strike continues and poses a serious danger to you, the oppressed people of Iran will lose a compassionate and self-sacrificing supporter.' Narges Mohammadi had previously stated in a letter before her hunger strike that in the past year, she had only been able to hear her children's voices once, and throughout this time, Iranian judicial authorities had prevented her from communicating with her two children. Following her arrest, Ms. Mohammadi's two young children went to their father, Taghi Rahmani, in France. Mr. Rahmani, who himself was a political prisoner in the Islamic Republic for years, fled to Europe following the events of 2009 and the heavy prison sentences issued for political activists critical of the Iranian government. In this context, Amnesty International has warned about the continuation of Narges Mohammadi's hunger strike.