Amir Stari Rauf, Civil Activist, Goes on Hunger Strike in Tabriz Central Prison

Amir Stari Rauf, an Azerbaijani activist in Tabriz Central Prison, has begun a hunger strike in protest of “delays in case proceedings and existing defects in the case.”

According to a report by the Campaign to Defend Political and Civil Prisoners, Amir Stari Rauf, an Azerbaijani activist, announced on Monday, June 20, in a phone call with his relatives that he is going on a hunger strike due to “delays in case proceedings and existing defects in the case,” stating: “The defects in his case are the result of illegal interference by security forces.”

Amir Stari, who was one of those arrested during the nationwide protests of December 2017 in the city of Tabriz, was previously sentenced to seven months in prison by Branch Two of the Tabriz Revolutionary Court on charges of “gathering and conspiracy to commit a crime against national security.” He has been serving his sentence in Tabriz Prison since July 10, 2018. During his imprisonment, he was sentenced to an additional six months in prison in another case on charges of “media activities.”

This civil activist, who was previously tried alongside Javad Ahmadi Yekanlu and Olduz Qasemi in Branch 103 of the Naqadeh Criminal Court on charges of “propaganda against the system, inciting others to participate in ceremonies, and using a shawl as a symbol,” was acquitted of the charges.

According to a 2018 Amnesty International report, more than seven thousand people, including protest participants, 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