Day 17 of Hunger Strike; Nasrin Sotoudeh’s Physical Condition Deteriorating
The spouse of imprisoned human rights lawyer and activist Nasrin Sotoudeh reported a worsening of her physical condition on the seventeenth day of her hunger strike. Reza Khandan shared a message on social media about his wife’s severe weight loss and significant blood pressure fluctuations.
Reza Khandan, Nasrin Sotoudeh’s spouse, says his wife, who weighed 53 kilograms before the hunger strike, has lost approximately six kilograms over the past seventeen days. Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer and human rights activist, has begun a hunger strike to protest the “unjust” and “illegal” conditions of political prisoners in Iran.
On Thursday, the 6th of Shahrivar, Reza Khandan posted a message on social media reporting significant blood pressure fluctuations and a severe drop in his wife’s blood sugar levels. Reza Khandan wrote: “Nausea prevents her from consuming enough water and sugar, which is itself very dangerous. Her blood sugar dropped to 44 at one point and fell to 55 just a few days later.”
Nasrin Sotoudeh, who was sentenced to a total of 33 years in prison and 148 lashes on charges including “gathering and conspiracy against national security” and “spreading lies and disturbing public opinion,” has been behind bars since June 2018. Under Islamic Penal Law, 12 years of her prison sentence are enforceable.
Following the spread of coronavirus, which reportedly infected several inmates in Evin Prison, Nasrin Sotoudeh began her hunger strike.
Reza Khandan, Nasrin Sotoudeh’s spouse, wrote on his Facebook page five days ago in response to a collective request from bar association lawyers for Nasrin Sotoudeh to end her hunger strike. Referring to the detention of his daughter Mehraveh, he wrote: “The matter is so shocking and inhumane that (she) cannot possibly consider ending the hunger strike. The judiciary must respond to this inhumane assault and this heinous act of detaining the daughter of a political prisoner and creating terror and intimidation.”
Mehraveh Khandan was arrested at home on Monday, the 27th of Mordad, and taken to Evin Prison’s prosecution office. After several hours of interrogation, she was released on bail. Her arrest was reportedly intended to pressure Nasrin Sotoudeh further.
Nevertheless, 44 bar association lawyers released a statement addressed to Nasrin Sotoudeh and other political prisoners, urging them to end their hunger strike. In a statement released last Saturday, they emphasized: “Officials are deaf to the voice of your rightful demands; please do not endanger your health.”
These lawyers recalled in their statement that Nasrin Sotoudeh and other political prisoners have resorted to hunger strike as a last resort “because in the prisons of the Islamic Republic, they cannot find another way to restore their lost rights and those of the people.”
They noted that political prisoners are attempting, by risking “their dear lives and well-being,” to convey their message to the people and “to influence the despotic and unlawful behaviors of the rulers.”
Two officials from European Parliament human rights bodies also released a statement expressing concern about Nasrin Sotoudeh’s physical condition.
Heidi Hautala, Vice Chair for Democracy, Human Rights and the Sakharov Prize, and Maria Arena, Chair of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights, issued a statement on Tuesday, the 28th of Mordad (August 18), expressing their concern about the health situation of Nasrin Sotoudeh, the Sakharov Prize laureate, and called on Iranian authorities to heed the “call for justice” of this imprisoned human rights defender.
Nasrin Sotoudeh, along with Jafar Panahi, won the Sakharov Prize in 2012. This prize, awarded annually by the European Union in memory of Andrei Sakharov, a Russian human rights activist and freedom advocate, goes to those who have raised their voice in defense of freedom of speech and human rights and have suffered as a result of their protests.
Source: DW
