Saba Kordafshari’s Hunger Strike and Concerns Over the Health Condition of This Imprisoned Civil Activist Opposed to Mandatory Hijab

An informed source says that Saba Kordafshari, a civil activist imprisoned in Iran, has gone on a hunger strike in protest against the additional pressures of the Islamic Republic on the families of political prisoners, including her mother Raheleh Ahmadi who is also serving time in prison, and the family of this civil activist is concerned about her health.

An informed source, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told Voice of America that this imprisoned civil activist announced on Saturday, the 18th of Ordibehesht, in a phone call with her family members that she has begun a hunger strike and has informed prison authorities of this decision.

This source says that Saba Kordafshari’s family is currently concerned about her health because she suffers from digestive problems and her stomach has bled several times in prison. Since three days ago when this hunger strike began, this civil activist has been suffering from severe stomach pain.

According to this informed source, Ms. Kordafshari has resorted to a hunger strike in protest of the additional pressures of the Islamic Republic on the families of political prisoners and the authorities’ opposition to the release of her mother Raheleh Ahmadi, who is currently dealing with multiple illnesses in prison and should be released as soon as possible for treatment and surgery.

He further added that this civil activist has also announced in this phone call with her family that she will continue this hunger strike until the authorities agree to release her mother, and during this time she will only drink water.

This source close to Kordafshari’s family, in continuing his conversation with Voice of America, referring to the unfavorable physical condition of Raheleh Ahmadi, Saba Kordafshari’s mother, says, “After Saba was transferred to Qarchak Prison, (Raheleh Ahmadi) suffered a herniated disc in her lower back as a result of the pressure and nervous shock that was inflicted on her, which caused the left side of her body, especially her hand and foot, to become numb, and now in prison she walks with a walker and with the help of other prisoners, and she is even unable to perform her personal tasks.”

Voice of America on October 20 of last year, in an exclusive report, exposed the pressure of the Iranian government on Saba Kordafshari and her mother, Raheleh Ahmadi. According to this report, Ms. Kordafshari has suffered from digestive and stomach problems as well as internal bleeding due to prolonged solitary confinement and psychological torture, but the authorities refuse to transfer her to a hospital outside the prison.

Saba Kordafshari, an imprisoned civil activist and a protester against mandatory hijab, was arrested during the August 2018 protests, sentenced to prison, and was released in February of that year, but was arrested again in June 2019 and has been serving her sentence in the women’s ward of Evin Prison without a single day of leave until now.

It is worth noting that the 24-year prison sentence of this imprisoned civil activist, which was previously issued by the Revolutionary Court and 15 years of which was enforceable as the harshest punishment, was reduced to 7 years and 6 months by Judge Ahmad Zargar, head of the 36th branch of the Tehran Court of Appeals, in March of last year.

Raheleh Ahmadi, the mother of this imprisoned civil activist, was also arrested on Saturday, February 15, after appearing at the 3rd branch of the enforcement of judgments of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office of Tehran, and was transferred to Evin Prison to serve her sentence. She had previously been sentenced by the Tehran Revolutionary Court to 4 years and two months in prison.

Source: Voice of America