Mohammad Ali Taheri's Hunger Strike in Protest Against Death Sentence

"The International Campaign for Human Rights" reported, citing "a family member" of Mohammad Ali Taheri, the founder of "Erfan Halqeh," that he has been on a hunger strike since August 13 in protest against his death sentence and his conditions in prison. This family member, whose name was not mentioned in the report, stated on Tuesday, September 8, that the reasons for his hunger strike include the death sentence, lack of sufficient time to meet with his lawyer, and imprisonment for "crimes he did not commit." He also urged the three religious authorities who issued the death sentence to clarify their opinions "clearly and officially." The Fars News Agency previously reported that "three religious authorities issued a fatwa declaring Taheri's apostasy in response to inquiries from the judiciary." Following this, some websites, including "Mashregh News," named Nasser Makarem Shirazi, Lotfollah Safi Golpaygani, and Mohammad Ali Alavi Gorgani as the religious authorities and published images of their fatwas. However, the Iranian Labor News Agency, ILNA, reported on September 1, quoting Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, that "such a matter (the ruling of apostasy) is not true, but he has many deviations, and attending his classes is not permissible." Ayatollah Alavi Gorgani also wrote in response to a question that "no definitive fatwa" regarding Taheri's "apostasy" has been issued. He emphasized in another response: "No apostasy ruling has been definitively issued against him; rather, statements attributed to him contradict essential Islamic teachings, and if these statements are true, the apostasy ruling is established; however, if he repents before the apostasy ruling is issued, the ruling is nullified." This family member of Mr. Taheri pointed out that "the ruling seen by his lawyers states that the death sentence was issued based on the statements of the three religious authorities." He added: "On the other hand, it was previously announced in the media that their opinions are not definitive and the ruling can change. What is the end of this game? If they truly believe Mr. Taheri is not a corruptor on earth, they should officially announce it." This family member also stated that "he has not repented because he has not committed any wrongdoing... and in his writings... he acknowledges the religion." He emphasized: "His books have received publication licenses from the Ministry of Culture. His teachings were not in secret; he taught at the Erfan Kihani Halqeh Cultural and Artistic Institute, which had official permission." Mohammad Ali Taheri, who started an institute called "Erfan Halqeh" in 2001 to provide services related to "Iranian complementary medicine, advanced therapy, and Scientology," was arrested in 2011. According to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Mr. Taheri was previously arrested in 2010 and released after 67 days of solitary confinement. Previously, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and many human rights organizations have protested the death sentence issued for Mr. Taheri. Supporters of Mohammad Ali Taheri have also held several protests in recent years, and some of them have been arrested and imprisoned. In July 2014, Mr. Taheri wrote in a letter to Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, that "interrogators and investigators" forced him into "fabricated confessions" through "pressure and psychological torture." He also stated that due to the "tortures" inflicted on him during detention, he attempted suicide four times and went on hunger strike twice.