Bahareh Hedayat's transfer to Qarchak prison and her hunger strike continues

Bahareh Hedayat, a women's activist who was transferred to Qarchak Prison in Varamin on Sunday, February 16, is still on a hunger strike. Her condition is reported to be poor. Qarchak Women's Prison in Varamin is being compared to Kahrizak Detention Center.

Ms. Hedayat's transfer to Qarchak Prison and her continued hunger strike come despite no charges having been filed against her. The student activist was transferred from Evin to Qarchak Prison in Varamin on Sunday, February 16.

The human rights agency "HRANA" announced on Monday, February 17, that Bahareh Hadast has been on a hunger strike since her arrest in Tehran and transfer to Qarchak, Varamin, and that this has caused her to suffer from "a drop in blood pressure and physical exhaustion."

Ms. Hedayat was arrested by Tehran Security Police on Monday, February 11, at the same time as being summoned by Tehran University security, and according to some reports, was transferred to Evin Prison at the same time. This incident has drawn the finger of blame at Tehran University security officials, who cooperate with security agencies to detain and arrest students.

This student activist contacted his family on Tuesday, February 12, to inform them of his arrest and presence at Evin Prosecutor's Office.

After Ms. Hedayat was arrested by the security police, the head of security at the University of Tehran told ILNA that her presence in the November 2019 protests could be one of the reasons for her arrest.

Qarchak Prison in Varamin, where Bahare Hedayat was transferred, is located in the deserts east of Tehran, and many compare the conditions of this prison for women to the Kahrizak detention center.

Earlier, as concerns about the conditions of female prisoners in Qarchak Prison in Varamin rose, MP Mahmoud Sadeghi also called the conditions of the prison worrying and said that officials were unwilling to respond in this regard.

Several of Ms. Hedayat's friends also expressed concern about her hunger strike on Twitter on Monday, after posting news of her transfer to Qarchak Prison. It was said that Bahareh Hedayat's hunger strike is "a wet food strike and she is bleeding from the stomach."

The hunger strike of prisoners in Iran is a sign of their protest against issues such as the failure to respect the rights of prisoners or detainees, long-term uncertainties, and the failure to address the problems of the case.

At the same time, several political and human rights prisoners in Iranian prisons are on hunger strike. Amirsalar Davoudi, the prisoner's lawyer, Mohammad Nourizad, Barzan Mohammadi, Reza Mohammadhosseini, Mehdi Meskinnawaz, and Khaled Pirzadeh are among the prisoners who have been on hunger strike for the past few weeks.

Source: DW