Reza Valizadeh Ends Hunger Strike Due to Mother's Deteriorating Health

Reza Valizadeh, a dual Iranian-American journalist imprisoned in Iran, ended his hunger strike on Thursday, March 14, due to concerns for the physical and mental health of his mother, who had also been on a hunger strike simultaneously. According to Mohammad Reza Valizadeh, the brother of the dual national journalist, their mother refrained from eating upon learning of her son's hunger strike and, despite family efforts, joined him in the strike. On Thursday, March 14, Mohammad Reza Valizadeh announced on his Instagram account that, given the severe deterioration of their mother's physical and mental condition and the intensification of Reza's own physical weakness, family members had requested him to end his hunger strike, which he accepted. Reza Valizadeh had begun his hunger strike on Saturday night, March 9, in protest against the lack of review and consideration of all aspects of his case during court sessions and prior interrogations. This Iranian-American journalist, imprisoned in Evin, had previously warned on February 6, in a message shared by his lawyer and family with Voice of America, that his life was in danger. He emphasized that he had no intention of committing suicide and urged everyone not to believe the 'repetitive story of suicide in prison' if he were to die in custody. Mr. Valizadeh stated that although he had been subjected to severe physical and psychological torture by the IRGC Intelligence Organization and the Ministry of Intelligence during months of detention, he had never contemplated suicide even at the height of torture and had no such intentions in the future. He stressed that his conditions in prison had reached a point of renewed tension between him and prison authorities and security forces, with indirect threats suggesting that there might be a 'revenge project' against him. In his message, he mentioned various prison issues, including the lack of proportionality between the number of inmates and sanitary facilities, reduced food rations, poor food quality, and the overwhelming number of prisoners. He noted that daily disputes over sleeping space were common, as the number of inmates exceeded the number of beds, forcing prisoners to sleep on the floor in the hallways. According to a previous post on Reza Valizadeh's social media account, he announced his return to Iran, stating: 'I arrived in Tehran on March 7, 2024. Prior to that, I had incomplete negotiations with the IRGC Intelligence Organization. Ultimately, I returned to my country after 14 years at my own risk and without even a verbal guarantee.' Reza Valizadeh was arrested by the IRGC on September 23, 2024, and sentenced to 10 years in prison and 2 years of exile. He has repeatedly protested against these conditions and the failure to comply with prison regulations regarding the allocation of space per inmate and their basic rights. The cases of dual nationals imprisoned in Iran have always attracted international attention. The United States and European countries accuse the Islamic Republic of 'hostage-taking' by detaining dual nationals and foreigners to exchange them for their prisoners in other countries. The United States has repeatedly warned its citizens to avoid travel to 'dangerous countries,' including Iran. The imprisoned Iranian-American journalist criticized the 'lack of effective action' by the Biden administration. The International Federation of Journalists called for the release of media activists in Iran. The Swedish Foreign Ministry demanded the immediate release of Ahmadreza Jalali. The German Foreign Ministry stated that they are monitoring the situation of their detained citizen in Iran. The British ambassador met with two detained citizens of that country in Iran.