One of the Azerbaijani Activists Imprisoned in Evin Prison Transferred to Hospital

A lawyer has reported the deteriorating health condition of Taher Naqvi, one of the 11 Azerbaijani civil activists imprisoned in Evin Prison, due to a hunger strike. Sina Yousafi wrote on Wednesday, June 30, on X (formerly Twitter) that the political prisoner’s condition is critical on the seventh day of his hunger strike and after the cessation of his blood pressure and thyroid medications. This human rights lawyer also reported that Mr. Naqvi has been transferred to the hospital due to his worsening condition. According to him, following the hunger strike, Taher Naqvi along with several other Azerbaijani political prisoners have been moved to solitary confinement in the quarantine section of Evin Prison. The website Hrana had previously reported that Mr. Naqvi has been on hunger strike since June 24 in protest against the lack of attention to his demands. The uncertainty of 11 Azerbaijani activists in Evin continues as they have been detained for about four months. Meanwhile, the Association for the Defense of Azerbaijani Political Prisoners in Iran (ADAP) announced on June 10 that Taher Naqvi (a lawyer), Abdulaziz Azimi Qadim (a defrocked cleric), Bagher Hajizadeh Mazraeh, Karam Mardane Mostali Beigloo, Fatemeh Atashi Khiyavi, Morteza Parvin Joda, Ayaz Saifkhah, Araz Aman, Kamal Noori, Saeed Jamalzadeh, and Hossein Peiri Qoshachai have been in temporary detention since their arrest on February 5 of last year. According to ADAP, these political prisoners were arrested in the cities of Bonab, Rasht, Islamshahr, Astara, and Karaj, and after enduring 15 days in detention in Ward 209 of Evin Prison, they were transferred to Ward 4 and some to the women's section of the prison. On June 22, 762 activists inside and outside Iran participated in the campaign 'Public Trial of Azerbaijani Political Prisoners' by signing a petition demanding public trials with a jury for Azerbaijani political activists in Iran. In recent months, there have been several instances of the mass arrest of political and civil activists in Azerbaijan by security agencies. The pressure from the Iranian government and security agencies on political activists among ethnic groups and minorities is due to what the government calls 'separatist activities.'