HRANA News Agency – Abbas Lesani, Turk (Azeri) activist who has been exiled to Adel-Abad prison in Shiraz, started a hunger strike in protest to preventing him from being released and fabricating a new case for him. At the same time, 11 other political prisoners started hunger strike in solidarity with him.
According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Abbas Lesani, Turk (Azeri) activist, who is being kept in Adel Abad prison of Shiraz in exile, was supposed to be released on May 18, but it was prevented due to a new case that has been opened for him. He has started a hunger strike in response.
Ayat Mehr Ali Baigloo, Rasoul Razavi, Hossain Alimohammadi and Morteza Moradpoor, in central prison of Tabriz, Maysam Joulani, Morteza Parvin, Mostafa Parvin, Tohid Amiramini, Saleh Pichaghanloo and Mohsen Mohsenzadeh in Ardabil prison and Dr. Latif Hasani in Rajaei Shahr prison of Karaj, are the 11 prisoners who also have started hunger strike in solidarity with him.
These prisoners demanded stopping fabricating cases for Abbas Lesani and immediate release of him.
Need to be mentioned that HRANA had reported on May 16 that Abbas Lesani’s case was sent to branch number 1 of the revolutionary court of Ardabil, when he wanted to put 150 million IRR bail, and this branch not only rejected the bail but also summoned him to the court.
The judge in branch number 1 of the revolutionary court of Ardabil, Mr. Khodadadi did not accept the bail and said to the family of this prisoner that “the case is under investigation and being processed”, and gave them a summon order, dated for June 1^st. He told them that “it is not possible to put the bail in this branch.”
Worth mentioning that judicial official submitted an order to Adel Abad prison authorities in Shiraz by which the bail of 150 million IRR has been accepted. This order has been reviewed by Abbas Lesani himself. The bail had to be put in branch number 6 of the revolutionary court of Shiraz or branch number 2 of Ardabil court.
Abbas Lesani, Azeri activist, who is serving his sentence in Shiraz Adel Abad prison, was tried for a new case by Branch 6 of Public and Revolutionary Court in Shiraz, presided by Judge Zare, on 9th April.
He was alleged by Mr. Zare, on behalf of the Public and Revolutionary Court in Ardebil city, to: “propaganda against the regime in favor of the opposition groups and contrary to the country independence, in favor of separatism and the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, by preparing and sharing his audio files to stimulate the expression of extreme ethnicity or pan Turkist in order to create chaos and illegal protests.”
Abbas Lesani who had not attended any of his three court hearings because of court’s failure in complying with Article 168 of the constitution of the notion of public hearings, was sentenced by branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court in Ardabil, presided by judge Asadpour, on 25th April, 2015.
Mr. Lesani was arrested on September 9, 2011, after participating in a protest against the drying the Urmia Lake, on charges of propaganda against the regime and the formation of groups to disturb national security, in Ardebil.