Death of a Prisoner in Qom Central Prison; Conversation with His Family

Human rights sources reported the death of “Vahid Seyadi Nasiri,” a political-ideological prisoner, following his continued hunger strike in Qom Central Prison.

Voice of America, in conversations with some family members of this political prisoner, confirmed the news of his death.

“Ms. Sadeghi,” the mother of “Vahid Seyadi Nasiri,” said in an interview with Voice of America on Wednesday, December 21: Vahid Seyadi Nasiri was arrested on the first day of Mordad of the current year by IRGC agents at his home on charges of political activity and was imprisoned in Langaroud Prison in Qom.

Ms. Sadeghi told Voice of America: Two phone calls were made to members of Vahid Seyadi Nasiri’s family at 2 p.m. today. In one of these calls, the mother of this political-ideological prisoner was told that he had been transferred from Langaroud Prison to Kamkar Hospital in Qom, and in another call, this prisoner’s brother was told that Mr. Seyadi Nasiri had been admitted to Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Qom.

Vahid Seyadi Nasiri’s mother attributed her son’s death to his hunger strike lasting more than 50 days in her conversation with Voice of America and said that Mr. Seyadi Nasiri’s only request was to be transferred to Evin Prison.

Since the news of Vahid Seyadi Nasiri’s death was published until now, his family remains unaware of the exact location where his body is being kept and does not know whether the body of this political-ideological prisoner has been buried or is being kept in a morgue.

Furthermore, “Saeed Sadeghi Nasiri,” the brother of “Vahid Seyadi Nasiri,” in a conversation with Voice of America, said: In a phone call from one of the officials of the Langaroud Prison welfare department in Qom, Mr. Sadeghi Nasiri was told that his brother had lost his life in the hospital and they should go to Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Qom to receive the body.

Upon arriving at Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Mr. Sadeghi Nasiri learned that his brother had died at 8 a.m. today in the hospital and his body had been transferred to the morgue of Behesht-e Masoumeh Cemetery in Qom.

The brother of this political-ideological prisoner told Voice of America that this was not the first time he had been arrested. Previously, he was released from prison in March 2018 after two years of imprisonment in Evin and Gohardasht prisons in Karaj (Rajaei Shahr) on unknown charges, but was arrested again a few months later in the summer of the current year and transferred to Langaroud Prison in Qom.

According to Article 24 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, a judicial officer must submit the results of his investigation to the judicial authority. If necessary, a request for legal completion may be reviewed, but the defendant cannot be kept in detention. The maximum time a defendant can remain in detention is 24 hours. Beyond this time period, any decision regarding the continuation of detention must be made with the knowledge of the judicial authority.

Ms. Sadeghi also told Voice of America: “There are many like these young people [in society]. My young man is gone, but my only request from the officials is that they address the demands of the youth.”

Throughout the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran, political prisoners, especially in the 1980s, have resorted to hunger strikes to protest what they endured in prison, but in the last two decades, this protest by political prisoners has been more closely followed by the media.

Hadi Saber, a writer and political activist of the National Religious movement in Iran, was transferred to Modares Hospital in Tehran in June 2011 after a 10-day hunger strike due to a heart condition and died there.

One of the longest hunger strikes among political prisoners over the past two decades was that of Akbar Ganji, a journalist and imprisoned writer in Tehran, which lasted approximately 74 days.

Mehdi Khazaeli, the son of Ayatollah Khazaeli, a former member of the Guardian Council, has been arrested multiple times in recent years for criticizing the government and his civil activities and has been sentenced to prison, but each time he has resorted to hunger strikes in protest of his arrest.

Arash Sadeghi, a student activist and political prisoner, also had one of the longest periods of hunger strike. He went on a hunger strike from early November 2016 until December 4, 2017, in protest of his wife’s arrest, Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraei.

Atena Daemi, a civil activist, began a hunger strike in early 2017 after a court sentenced her and her two sisters each to three months and one day in prison on two charges of “defying law enforcement officers while performing their duties” and “insulting a government official while performing their duties.” Ms. Daemi, who demanded the announcement of her acquittal and the release of her sisters, ended her hunger strike after 50 days following the court’s reversal of her sisters’ sentences.

Source: Voice of America