36 days of hunger strike have passed; concerns expressed about the physical condition of Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer imprisoned in Iran
After 36 days of hunger strike by imprisoned lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh in Iran, her husband, Reza Khandan, says that Ms. Sotoudeh's physical condition has deteriorated alarmingly following the long hunger strike.
On Monday, September 14, Reza Khandan announced on Twitter that he had recently been informed about Ms. Sotoudeh's physical condition through prisoners. He wrote that Behfar Lalehzari had been informed during a meeting with his wife, imprisoned civil activist Rezvaneh Ahmad Khanbeigi, that the physical condition of imprisoned human rights defender Nasrin Sotoudeh was worrying.
Mr. Khandan says, “I spoke to Rezvaneh’s husband, who had visited her. From what he said, I understood that Nasrin’s condition was worryingly bad. Much worse than what she had been trying to show on the phone in the past few days.”
This human rights defender and prisoner's lawyer has been on a hunger strike in prison since Tuesday, August 11, after all of his correspondence with prison officials, the Prisons Organization, and officials of the judiciary regarding prisoners' rights, living conditions inside prison, in-person visits, prisoners' leave, and the issuance of long-term prison sentences for political prisoners went unanswered over the past weeks and months.
Senior US Democrat Robert Menendez tweeted on Thursday, September 10, that Iranian human rights defender Nasrin Sotoudeh should never have been imprisoned in the first place. He continued his tweet by writing, “Iran must immediately and unconditionally release Nasrin Sotoudeh and end her hunger strike before her condition worsens.”
Previously, the US State Department's Office of Women's Affairs also expressed support and deep concern for the health of Nasrin Sotoudeh, calling on the Iranian regime to release this imprisoned human rights lawyer and all political prisoners who have been unjustly detained.
Nasrin Sotoudeh, who was sentenced to 33 years in prison by the Islamic Republic on charges such as "gathering and colluding against national security, spreading lies, and disturbing public opinion" for defending political prisoners, began her hunger strike on August 11 of this year to protest the Islamic Republic's mistreatment of prisoners and failure to respect their rights.
This is not the first time Ms. Sotoudeh has gone on a hunger strike. On Monday, March 16, she was among the political prisoners who went on a hunger strike by issuing a statement in response to the prevention of the release of political prisoners during the coronavirus outbreak.
Not long ago, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a press conference: "We have asked not only Syria, but also the Islamic Republic of Iran to release not only American citizens, but all those who have been unjustly imprisoned in these circumstances. This is a humanitarian act, and apart from the fact that these people have been illegally imprisoned, in these circumstances the principle of humanitarianism dictates that they be released from prison."
Source: Voice of America
