European Parliament official 'deeply concerned' over strikes

In a statement, Barbara Lochbihler, chair of the European Parliament's Delegation for Relations with Iran has expressed “deep” concerns over the situation of Iranian political prisoners on hunger strike in the Evin and Rajai Shahr prisons.

On 18 June, twelve political prisoners in ward 350 of Evin prison began an “indefinite” hunger strike to protest the recent killings of two other political prisoners, Haleh Sahabi and Reza Hoda Saber, and the ongoing human rights abuses in the country. Days later, six other political prisoners in Rajaei Shahr prison also joined in the hunger strikes in solidarity with their comrades in captivity.

“As chair of the European Parliament's Delegation for Relations with Iran, I am deeply concerned by the situation of the eighteen prisoners of conscience who started a hunger strike more than a week ago,” Lochbihler stated.

The German member of the European Parliament added that she was troubled by “the lack of reaction by Iranian authorities” over the situation of political prisoners, while maintaining that “prison conditions are reported to have deteriorated, people continue to be arrested for the sole expression of their beliefs and opinions, and the number of executions continues to rise constantly.”

“The lives of the hunger strikers are at severe risk,” the statement cautioned, calling on “the Iranian authorities' duty to do all that stands in their power to protect those eighteen prisoners, as much as it is their duty to protect the life of any other prisoner.”

“I want to call once more on the government in Teheran to improve prison conditions, to stop any form of torture and ill-treatment, to refrain from any new imprisonment of political or human rights activists, and to immediately release all those human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience who are still imprisoned.”

According to media reports, some of the prisoners including Iran’s former deputy foreign minister Mohsen Aminzadeh have been hospitalised following a sharp decline in their health as a result of the hunger strikes.

The statment issued by Barbara Lochbihler is as follows:

As chair of the European Parliament's Delegation for Relations with Iran, I am deeply concerned by the situation of the eighteen prisoners of conscience who started a hunger strike more than a week ago, and the lack of reaction by Iranian authorities to change whatsoever at the situation the prisoners protest against. All to the contrary, prison conditions are reported to have deteriorated, people continue to be arrested for the sole expression of their beliefs and opinions, and the number of executions continues to rise constantly.

Hunger strikes began in reaction to the recent death of two other political prisoners: women's rights activist Ms Haleh Sahabi, who died from a heart attack after security forces disturbed her father's burial; and Mr Resa Hoda Saber, who died from a heart attack, partly because prison officials failed to transfer him to a hospital in time.

The lives of the hunger strikers are at severe risk. It is therefore the Iranian authorities' duty to do all that stands in their power to protect those eighteen prisoners, as much as it is their duty to protect the life of any other prisoner. I want to call once more on the government in Teheran to improve prison conditions, to stop any form of torture and ill-treatment, to refrain from any new imprisonment of political or human rights activists, and to immediately release all those human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience who are still imprisoned.

Source: GVF