Imprisoned political activist Siamak Mirzaei goes on hunger strike
Azerbaijani (Turkish) activist Siamak Mirzaei went on a hunger strike after a new case was opened and he was transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison.
According to the Campaign for the Defense of Political and Civil Prisoners, Mr. Mirzaei went on a hunger strike on Monday, July 1, to protest the reopening of a new case on charges of "propaganda against the system," his lack of release after completing his three-year sentence, and his transfer to Ward 209 of Evin Prison.
An informed source told the campaign: Siamak Mirzaei announced in a phone call with his relatives on Monday that he would go on a hunger strike to protest the interference and obstruction of his release by security forces.
This political activist was previously summoned to Branch 6 of the Evin Prosecutor's Office in an unexpected move on Wednesday, July 25, with only two days left until the end of his sentence. He was tried by the branch's investigator on charges of "propaganda against the system" and was granted bail of 30 million Tomans.
Siamak Mirzaei was arrested on July 14, 2016, by intelligence officers in Parsabad Moghan County, Ardabil Province, and after undergoing interrogation, was transferred to the general ward of Evin Prison on November 12 of the same year.
This political activist was sentenced by Judge Hassani, the head of the Baharestan Revolutionary Court, to ten years in prison and two years in exile to Tabas city on the charge of "forming a group or crowd with the intention of disrupting the country's security." This sentence was reduced to three years in prison and one year in exile to Tabas city by Branch 36 of the Tehran Provincial Court of Appeal.
According to a report by Amnesty International, in 2018, more than seven thousand people, including participants in demonstrations, students, journalists, women's rights activists, environmental activists, labor activists, and ethnic and religious minority rights activists, were arrested in Iran, and hundreds were sentenced to prison.
Source: Voice of America
