Hassan Rastgari Majd on Hunger Strike in Urmia Prison

HRANA News Agency – Hassan Rastgari Majd, an Iranian-born Turkish citizen and political prisoner at Urmia Central Prison, has gone on hunger strike to protest against his long term imprisonment sentences and making new cases for him in the prison. Mr. Rastgari was transferred to solitary confinement by prison authorities.
According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency in Iran (HRNA), Hassan Rastgari Majd has gone on hunger strike to protest against his situation and at the same time has sent a letter, regarding his hunger strike, to the prison authorities as well as the Consulate General of Turkey in Urmia, on December 3.
A close source to this political prisoner announced this news and told HRANA’s reporter: “The authorities, including Mr. Abdullahi, head of law-enforcement office at Urmia prison, had gone to visit him and had promised to follow his demands, and Mr. Rastgari told them that he would continue to get a result. They told him that they could help him with the three new cases that have been made against him in prison, but they could not do anything for the original conviction.”
The source continued with explaining the reason of his protest and said: “His protest, in fact, is against his original sentence. He has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for the charge of membership in PKK, in another case with other the charge of forging birth certificates he has been sentenced to 3 years imprisonment, and another 3 years on charges of illegal border crossing and for illegal residency in Iran he has been sentenced to more 3 years imprisonment. Mr. Rastgari’s main objection is that he has never admitted these accusations and knows his trial as an unfair one. Also, three other cases have been opened against him in prison including; disturbing the prison order, propaganda against the regime, and a case of a private complainant. These new formed cases and successive pressures along with long term imprisonment for years have led to this protest”.
It is noteworthy that Hassan Rastgari, 43, son of Sultan, was arrested in the city of Urmia, on October 27, 2014.
Mr. Rastgari was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, in his first case, on charges of “disturbing public order, acting against national security and collaborating with Kurdish opposition groups” by the Revolutionary Court in Urmia, and the sentence was upheld by the appeal court.
Rastgari Majd was sentenced to another one year imprisonment by Judge Sheikhlu on charge of “propaganda against the regime”, in September 2016.
The other two cases have been opened against him on charges of disturbing the prison order and the other one with a private complainant while he is serving his sentence. This political prisoner has been beaten and held in solitary confinement for several times, by the authorities or by the ordinary prisoners with their orders and stimulation.

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