Latest Status of Political and Ideological Prisoners Following Hunger Strikes

Reports from Iran indicate that several political and ideological prisoners are still on hunger strike, and according to their families, the condition of some of them is deteriorating. Ali Shariati, a civil activist prisoner, is one of these individuals who has been on hunger strike since November 1 in protest against his five-year prison sentence and charges. His charge is conspiracy against national security through participating in protests against acid attacks. Ali Shariati's family states that after 71 days of hunger strike, he has lost over 20 kilograms and is suffering from severe drops in blood pressure. In recent weeks, the situation of prisoners who have gone on hunger strike has garnered widespread attention on social media, especially Facebook and Twitter, to the extent that last Wednesday, the hashtag #sosAli for saving Ali Shariati's life became one of the global trends on Twitter. Previously, there was also a Twitter storm in support of Arash Sadeghi, who ended his hunger strike after 71 days on Tuesday following the temporary release of his wife, Golrokh Iraee. Their relatives told Radio Farda that the administrative procedures for securing bail for Arash Sadeghi's temporary release have been completed, but the Tehran prosecutor's office has conditioned his release on the return of his wife, Golrokh Iraee, to prison. Golrokh Iraee, who was sentenced to six years in prison for insulting sacred values, was temporarily released a week ago on a bail of 500 million tomans. Saeed Shirzad, another civil activist prisoner, has also been on hunger strike for 35 days. Since December 6, he has been on hunger strike by sewing his lips in protest against the conditions of Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj. This child rights activist has been sentenced to five years in prison on security charges and has stated that he will continue his hunger strike until his demands are addressed. Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese citizen imprisoned in Iran, has also been on hunger strike since December 9. He has been in prison since November 2015 and was sentenced to ten years for collaborating with the U.S. government; he is demanding his unconditional release. Nizar Zakka's lawyer expressed hope in a conversation with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that the appellate court would soon rule for his client's release. Asma Jahangir, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, issued a statement on Tuesday warning about the situation of prisoners on hunger strike and called for their unconditional release. She described the detention of many political and ideological prisoners as 'arbitrary' and their charges as 'vague.' Amnesty International also expressed concern last week about the situation of prisoners on hunger strike, stating that there is insufficient information about their conditions.