Three Political Prisoners Transferred to Solitary Confinement After Hunger Strike

Following a hunger strike by three political prisoners protesting against 'unrelated charges to their activities', prison officials at Evin Prison transferred them to 'solitary confinement' after 'beating' them. These three Azerbaijani activists, identified as Taher Naqavi, a lawyer, Abdulaziz Azimi Qadim, a defrocked cleric, and Hossein Peiri Qoshachay, have been in temporary detention for over three months and were moved to solitary confinement on Friday, June 15. According to the Azerbaijani Political Prisoners Defense Association (ADAP), these prisoners began their hunger strike in protest against the 'fabricated charges' and 'case-making' by security and judicial authorities. The report states that Taher Naqavi, who has represented several families of victims from the nationwide protests 'Women, Life, Freedom', faces charges including 'espionage'. ADAP reports that at least eight other Azerbaijani activists have also been in temporary detention since February 5 of last year. Recently, over 760 activists have called for 'public trials with juries for Azerbaijani political activists in Iran'. Amnesty International, in a report on April 23 of this year, deemed the increase in discrimination and violence against ethnic, religious, sexual minorities, and other 'marginalized groups' as systematic. This human rights organization emphasized the systematic discrimination against 'ethnic minorities including Ahwazi Arabs, Azerbaijani Turks, Baluchis, Kurds, and Turkmen' leading to 'increased poverty and marginalization' in these areas. Human rights sources indicate that Karim Ismailzadeh and Morteza Parvin, imprisoned civil activists, are deprived of 'adequate medical services'. ADAP also reported that several Azerbaijani civil activists remain in limbo in Evin Prison after 110 days. Rabab Gholizadeh, the wife of imprisoned Azerbaijani activist Syed Mohammadian, was summoned to the Intelligence Department of Karaj.