Tehran Prosecutor: We Will Not Surrender to Prisoners' Hunger Strikes

Following reports of hunger strikes by several political prisoners in Evin and Rajai Shahr prisons, the Tehran prosecutor emphasized that the judiciary will not surrender to the hunger strikes of prisoners, stating that "these actions are failures." According to Mehr News Agency, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said on Wednesday, September 1, "To some prisoners who resort to hunger strikes and other threats, we announce that these actions are failures." He stressed, "The judiciary will not yield to these matters. The punishment of prisoners must be fully enforced, and we will not be influenced by some actions of prisoners, including hunger strikes." Political prisoners in Iran have repeatedly gone on hunger strikes in protest against the violation of their rights, including the failure to separate prisoners based on charges, deprivation of phone contact with families, poor detention conditions, mistreatment by guards, and beatings. Meanwhile, reports indicate that the hunger strike of 15 political and ideological prisoners in Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj continues for 24 days in protest against the violation of their rights, including "deprivation of daily outdoor exercise," "poor ventilation," "presence of surveillance cameras," and "incomplete return of personal belongings." Magda Maghrebi, Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, commented on the hunger strike of these prisoners, stating, "The fact that the prison conditions have deteriorated to such an extent that desperate prisoners are forced to go on hunger strikes to achieve the most basic standards is a reminder of the reforms needed in the oppressive prison system in Iran." Several political prisoners have also gone on hunger strikes in previous years in protest against the handling of their cases. Additionally, reports indicate that Reza Shahabi, a member of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran's Bus Company, has been on hunger strike for 15 days. Shahabi has been sentenced to another year in prison in a new case that the Syndicate has termed "case fabrication." Furthermore, the prosecutor's office has considered five months of time during which Shahabi was on medical leave as "absence." In this context, the daughter of imprisoned journalist Hengameh Shahidi announced on her Twitter account that her mother has been on a dry hunger strike for a week. The reason for Shahidi's hunger strike was previously stated as a protest against "indecision and lack of accountability of judicial officials." In recent years, many political prisoners, including Hadi Saber and Akbar Mohammadi, have died due to lack of medical attention during hunger strikes. Meanwhile, prolonged hunger strikes have had negative effects on the physical condition of some political prisoners. Milayeh Hosseini, the wife of Ehsan Mazandarani, also tweeted about her husband's condition, stating that "for six days, his stomach has accepted nothing but water, and the prosecutor does not even allow medical leave." On Tuesday, Mazandarani's wife reported that the imprisoned journalist was transferred to the medical unit of Evin prison "in a semi-conscious state with blood pressure below 8, sugar below 40, and heart rate 130," but the doctor only monitored his level of consciousness and stated that no action could be taken for his treatment. Ehsan Mazandarani, an imprisoned journalist, has previously gone on hunger strikes multiple times in protest against illegal detention and mistreatment by prison officials. The Tehran prosecutor also stated on Wednesday that "we are facing problems with some of the indefinite prisoners, and in very rare cases, we have observed that a prisoner has been released late, and the judge must definitely be aware of the unjust imprisonment of some prisoners." Mr. Jafari Dolatabadi added, "Judges and prosecutors must supervise detention centers to prevent incidents that would undermine the dignity of the Islamic Republic system." The Tehran prosecutor emphasized the need to "establish uniform practices in granting leave to prisoners" and added, "Some prisoners suffer from infectious and incurable diseases, and their affairs must definitely be followed up." Mr. Jafari Dolatabadi's remarks come at a time when, during his tenure as Tehran prosecutor, medical leave for several prisoners in Ward 350 of Evin prison was denied despite their poor health conditions. Mohsen Daghighi and Hassan Nahid, two prisoners from this ward, were unable to obtain medical leave and treatment outside the prison due to severe illnesses and subsequently died.