Several Members of Parliament Address the Long Hunger Strike of Political Prisoners

Elias Hazrati, a representative from Tehran in the Parliament, has written a letter to the head of the judiciary, urging the judiciary to address the situation of Arash Sadeghi and Ali Shariati, two political prisoners currently on hunger strike, and to "restore any rights that have been violated." Meanwhile, Mahmoud Sadeghi and Ahmad Mazani, two other representatives from Tehran, and Rahmatollah Hafezi, a member of the Tehran City Council, also expressed concern about Arash Sadeghi's situation in tweets. In his letter to the head of the judiciary, published on Saturday, January 1, Hazrati emphasized that due to the "late approval" of the political crime law, "those who are actually considered political offenders are tried as security defendants and are imprisoned." According to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), he stressed that political prisoners have been deprived of their "fundamental rights" due to the non-implementation of this law, and their rights have been "violated." He suggested that "their trials be renewed and their sentences be reduced." Hazrati emphasized: "Ignoring the legal demands of these prisoners has led some of them to go on hunger strike to have their requests heard; they are protesting the current situation by endangering their lives and health." This Tehran representative called for the judiciary to address the situation of Arash Sadeghi and Ali Shariati to ensure "no harm comes to them and any rights that have been violated are restored." Arash Sadeghi, a political prisoner, has been on hunger strike for over 68 days and, according to a relative speaking to Radio Farda, is on the brink of death and refuses to end his strike until his wife, Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee, is released. Meanwhile, social media users on Friday tweeted over half a million times with the hashtag SaveArash, making it the top global trend on Twitter for several hours. Additionally, Tom Malinowski, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, tweeted calling for the release of Arash Sadeghi and his wife Golrokh Ebrahimi. Furthermore, Mahmoud Sadeghi, a Tehran representative, stated on his Twitter account that he is following up on the situation of the prisoners, especially Arash Sadeghi and Ali Shariati, "to the extent of his capabilities." Ahmad Mazani also reminded in a tweet with the hashtag SaveArash of Article 61 of the "Citizen's Rights Charter," which states that "the trial of citizens on political and press charges should be conducted publicly in courts with the presence of a jury." Rahmatollah Hafezi, a member of the Tehran City Council and a physician, tweeted that he has tried several times to contact the Tehran prosecutor to obtain permission to visit Arash Sadeghi as a doctor. Meanwhile, Ali Shariati, another political prisoner, has also been on hunger strike for 61 days. He was sentenced to "action against national security" for participating in a gathering in front of the Parliament protesting the acid attacks in Isfahan and announced after his arrest on November 1 that he would continue his hunger strike until this charge is removed from his case. The hunger strikes of several other political prisoners in Iran are also ongoing, with Saeed Shirzad on strike for 23 days and Nizar Zaka for 22 days. Hassan Rostegari Majd has been on hunger strike since December 4 in Urmia prison, and Mohammad Reza Nokonam in Qom prison and Mehdi Kouhian in Maragheh prison have been on strike since January 1. Morteza Moradpour, who ended his hunger strike after 65 days on Wednesday, was released from prison on Friday, January 1. In recent years, many political prisoners in Iran have gone on hunger strikes, and some, including Hoda Saber and Akbar Mohammadi, have died due to lack of medical attention during their hunger strikes. In this context, Moradpour ended his hunger strike; other political prisoners continue their strikes. Following the end of his hunger strike, Morteza Moradpour, a political prisoner, was "released." The hunger strikes of prisoners continue; "Arash is coughing up blood." A U.S. State Department official called for the release of Arash Sadeghi. The changing dynamics of "proxy wars"; the war against the people in the streets of Iran. The first paragraph; the responsibility of opponents and the possibility of radicalizing Iranian society. The death of the last Mossad representative in Tehran amid the Iran crisis. 1300 hours of internet outages; Witkoff: a horrific massacre occurred during the protests in Iran. The shadow of war over Tehran; "Trump is seeking decisive military options against Iran." The death of the last Mossad representative in Tehran amid the Iran crisis. Trump emphasizes "stopping executions in Iran": we do not know what will happen in the future. Trump says if the Islamic Republic assassinates him, "it will be wiped off the face of the earth."