Eisa Saharkhiz Started Hunger Strike

HRANA News Agency – The son of Eisa Saharkhiz, imprisoned journalist said that his father started a hunger strike in protest to the end of deadline for temporary arrest and he would continue till he would be released on the bail or his case would be sent to court.

According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Mehdi Saharkhiz, this journalist’s son has publicized this news. He had previously mentioned in an interview with HRANA, that if his father’s case would not be referred to the court till January 2, or he would not be released on the bail he would start his hunger strike again.

Eisa Saharkhiz has been in jail for two months and has been deprived of having a lawyer. His first contact with his family happened after being under arrest for 40 days, and after that had only one family visit.

In contrast, from what which has been speculated about his charges (propaganda against the regime, insulting the supreme leader, collusion and disrupting the national security), after two months from his arrest, no case is referred to the court yet.

Eisa Saharkhiz was arrested in his house by the security forces which had a warrant issued by branch number 12 of Tehran court on November 2, 2015. His house was investigated and some of his personal accessories were confiscated.

He is one of the famous figures of Iranian press and has been arrested and imprisoned many times. He was the manager of the banned publication of Aftab, who was last time arrested on July 2, 2009 and two months later was sentenced to three years in prison on charge of propaganda against the regime, by branch number 15 of the revolutionary court. He was also sentenced to two years in prison for his journalist activities before his arrest.

Eisa Saharkhiz who was kept in Rajaei Shahr prison, is suffering from different diseases and few months before he would be released from the prison was hospitalized on October 8, 2013. This journalist had to be released two months before this date, according to the law.

After his freedom, despite being banned from working, in some articles which were publicized in his Facebook page and some online media he has analyzed the role and the leadership of the supreme leader and criticized it.

Eisa Saharkhiz, in his last article, with the name of “Khosh Khiyal Ha” (overly optimists) had used a critical tone for explaining the perspective of political forces toward the coming elections.

According to radical press, the arrest of Eisa Saharkhiz and some other journalists like Ehsan Mazandarani, Afarin Chitsaz and Saman Safarzayi is the continuation of a project that has been designed and performed by the security forces, after a speech by carried out by Mr. Khamenei about the “penetration” of “the enemy” and the “necessity of prevention and counter attacks.”