HRANA News Agency – Eisa Saharkhiz, imprisoned journalist who had started a hunger strike from the time of his arrest, ended his hunger strike after 50 days. He announced that if his case would not be sent to the court, or his arrest order would not be changed to a bail by January 2, he will start his hunger strike again.
According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Mehdi Saharkhiz, the son of this journalist confirmed this news in an interview with HRANA’s reporter and said that the hunger strike had been ended, due to the requests of Mr. Sanei, Mr. Khatami, Mr. Ibrahim Yazdi and Ms. Nasrin Sotoodeh, and if the case would not be sent to the court, or the arrest order would not be changed to a bail, he would start the hunger strike again.
Mehdi Saharkhiz described his father’s mentality as “good as always” and said that his father was using just water, tea, coffee, fruit juice and tomato juice and lost 15 to20 kilogram of his weight.
Eisa Saharkhiz who has been deprived of having a lawyer, called his family after 40 days of his arrest and has had only one visit with his family.
Although various allegations like propaganda against the regime, insulting the supreme leader and collusion to disturb the national security, are put on this journalist, his case has not been sent to the court yet.
Eisa Saharkhiz was arrested in his house on November 2, 2015, by the IRGC forces, with the arrest warrant issued by branch number 12 of Tehran. He was arrested after house investigation and seizure of his personal accessories.
He is one of the famous figures of Iranian press and has been arrested and imprisoned many times. He was the manager of the banned publication of Aftab, who was last time arrested on July 2, 2009 and two months later was sentenced to three years in prison on charge of propaganda against the regime, by branch number 15 of the revolutionary court. He was also sentenced to two years in prison for his journalist activities before his arrest.
Eisa Saharkhiz who was kept in Rajaei Shahr prison, is suffering from different diseases and few months before he would be released from the prison was hospitalized on October 8, 2013. This journalist had to be released two months before this date, according to the law.
After his freedom, despite being banned from working, in some articles which were publicized in his Facebook page and some online media he has analyzed the role and the leadership of the supreme leader and criticized it.
Eisa Saharkhiz, in his last article, with the name of “Khosh Khiyal Ha” (overly optimists) had used a critical tone for explaining the perspective of political forces toward the coming elections.
According to radical press, the arrest of Eisa Saharkhiz and some other journalists like Ehsan Mazandarani, Afarin Chitsaz and Saman Safarzayi is the continuation of a project that has been designed and performed by the security forces, after a speech by carried out by Mr. Khamenei about the “penetration” of “the enemy” and the “necessity of prevention and counter attacks.”