Tahir Naqvi, lawyer and political prisoner, transferred to hospital on the seventh day of hunger strike

Tahir Naqvi, a lawyer imprisoned in Evin, was transferred to the hospital on Wednesday, June 30, on the seventh day of his hunger strike. According to the Harana news agency, citing an informed source, this political prisoner, who has gone on hunger strike to protest his continued detention and uncertainty, was transferred to the prison infirmary due to a deterioration in his health and shortly thereafter was sent to Taleghani Hospital. Harana reported that doctors at the hospital determined that Mr. Naqvi should be hospitalized. However, he refused this action to 'continue his hunger strike to address his demands' and was returned to Evin prison after a few hours. According to this source, Tahir Naqvi, who has been on hunger strike since Thursday, June 24, along with two other Azerbaijani activists, 'is refusing to take his necessary medications.' Harana reported that this lawyer has recently been beaten by prison officials and was transferred to Evin prison's quarantine. Tahir Naqvi, a lawyer from Azerbaijan residing in Karaj, was arrested by government forces in Karaj on February 6, 2023. His charges were presented in Evin Court under the titles of 'propaganda against the regime and conspiracy to undermine national security.' His case has been referred to Abolqasem Salavati, the judge of Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court. Tahir Naqvi, who has represented several families of victims of the nationwide 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests, faces accusations including 'espionage.' In the past two years, at least 21 lawyers in Iran have been targeted, with six of them killed. The increasing danger to lawyers comes as pressure from the judicial and intelligence institutions of the Islamic Republic has intensified during this time. According to the Tehran-based newspaper Etemad, in 2022, there were four murders and ten assassination attempts involving lawyers, and in 2023, two murders, one suspicious death, and four assassination attempts have been reported. This is only the data available to the media.