A Report about Hunger Strikers in Prisons of Iran

HRANA News Agency – Reza Samiei Monfared, Hengameh Shahidi, Atena Daemi, and Esmail Abdi, four prisoners of conscience at Evin prison have been on hunger strike. At the same time, Seyed Hassan Hoseini, Ali Jahangiri and Hosein Yahyaei, three ordinary prisoners in Rajai Shahr prison, in Karaj have gone on hunger strike since the last week of April, and their condition is not good.
According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency in Iran (HRANA), Reza Samiei Monfared, security prisoner has gone on hunger strike since March 5, Hengameh Shahidi, a journalist and political activist, since March 9, Atena Daemi, human rights defender at women’s ward, since April 8, and Esmail Abdi, a teacher and trade unionist in ward 350 of Evin prison, since April 30, have gone on hunger strike with various demands. 
Reza Samiei Monfared, security prisoner at ward seven of Evin Prison, wrote a letter to the head of Law-enforcement Office at Evin prison, described his physical problems and highlighted that in the report of prison infirmary, his major medical problems caused by his hunger strike had been “neglected”.
According to the last report, this prisoner was taken to a hospital because of the seriousness of his condition, on April 30.
Hengameh Shahidi, a journalist and political activist was arrested at one of her relative’s house in Mashhad on Thursday, March 9. From the moment she was arrested, she has gone on a protesting hunger strike.
Nahid Kermanshahi, Hengameh Shahidi’s mother, in addition to demanding the release of her daughter because of her health condition, said; “I have introduced Mr. Mustafa Tourk Hamadani as her lawyer, but it has not been confirmed by the judiciary system.”
She added: “On the National Teachers’ Day, I wrote a letter to Branch Two of the prosecutor’s office and said ‘I am a retired teacher’ and asked for meeting Hengameh. I went to prison along with my son-in-law and Hengameh’s daughter and we had a meeting with Hengameh. Hengameh was very nervous. She is since nearly two months ago on hunger strike, but because of me, she ended her dry hunger strike and now she just drinks liquids. She was so nervous that she broke her dry hunger strike because we asked her, but she has no lawyer and nobody listens to her.”
Ms. Kermanshahi added: “Hengameh was ill at the time of the meeting. She was upset of heart pain and kidney pain. She was completely unwell and could not stay for the meeting. However, in the afternoon of the same day, when she had come back from the clinic, she contacted me and said she was fine”.
Atena Daemi, human rights defender in Evin Prison, in protest against “profiling” and judicial condemnation of her family members, has passed the twenty fifth day of her hunger strike. Ms. Daemi has been suffering from nausea in the last couple of days. This prisoner has written an open letter while emphasizing on continuing her hunger strike and has announced the relevant authorities’ continuing disregard, on April 30, (twenty-third day of hunger strike).
A source close to Ms. Daemi told HRANA’s reporter: “Two nights ago Atena fainted in the toilet and she was transferred to the prison infirmary because of a sharp drop in blood pressure and blood sugar, but she refused to take injection serum”.
Esmail Abdi, imprisoned teacher and a senior member of the Teachers Union in ward 350 of Evin prison, has gone on hunger strike to protest against the lack of independence of the judiciary system in “issuing security verdicts” for teachers and workers, and with a clear demand of “taking his case out of the security situation to normal.”
Also, Seyed Hassan Hoseini, Ali Jahangiri, and Hossein Yahyaei, three ordinary prisoners in Hall 18 of Ward 6 in Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj, who are in solitary confinements on the order of Hassan Kurd, head of the Ward, have gone on a hunger strike, since the last week of April, to protest against their situation.

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