3 Kurdish Political Prisoners on 26th Day of Hunger Strike

Today, three Kurdish political prisoners in Rajai Shahr ‘Gohardasht’ (Karaj) prison entered their 26th day of hunger strike. The political prisoners reportedly plan to be on hunger strike until their demands are met by prison officials who have so far ignored the prisoners.

Alnoor Khaziri, Kamran Sheikhi, and Seyed Ebrahim Seyedi are three Kurdish political prisoners who began a hunger strike to protest the unacceptable living conditions in prison. They are held among criminals charged with rape, murder, and drug-dealing. The main demand by the three prisoners on hunger strike that has gone ignored by authorities is to be transferred to the political prisoners’ ward. The situation for these three men on hunger strike has been unknown for the past two years. The prisoners are also demanding for their files to finally be processed.

According to the Kaleme website, the three political prisoners, Alnor Khaziri, Kamran Sheikhi and Seyed Ebrahim Seyedi, were previously held behind bars in ward 350 of Evin prison. They were illegally transferred to Rajai Shahr prison; a location where even the basic rights of people are not upheld.

These three Kurdish prisoners were kept in the quarantine area of Rajai Shahr prison for 50 days. This is a location in the prison with substandard conditions with lack of basic health and sanitary standards. Usually, when prisoners are first transferred to Rajai Shahr, they spend one day in the quarantine ward before they are transferred out. But the three Kurdish prisoners were locked up in the quarantine ward for 50 days before being the transfer to ward 6 of Rajai Shahr prison (a ward that usually hold criminals, not political prisoners.

Ramzan Ahmadkamal, Davood Abdollahi, and Ramzan Saeedi are another three Kurdish political prisoners held behind bars with dangerous criminals. who have their time behind bars housed with regular prisoners consisting of criminals. They have also not been transferred to the political prisoners’ ward.

Based on the alleged crimes of these Kurdish citizens, they are incarcerated for political reasons and they should therefore be held with prisoners who are accused of similar crimes.

Translated by Laleh Irani (RAHANA), edited by P2E