Reza Khandan released, Farhad Mothimi ends hunger strike
A lawyer announced the release of civil activist Reza Khandan and Nasrin Sotoudeh's husband, and the end of Farhad Meysami's hunger strike.
Mohammad Moghimi, the lawyer for Farhad Meysami, a civil activist who is in detention, wrote on Twitter on Sunday, January 2nd, that following the trial of Reza Khandan and Farhad Meysami and the agreement to convert the bail order, Reza Khandan was released on bail.
The message continues by stating that with the release of Reza Khandan and the fulfillment of Farhad Meysami's demand, the prisoner ended his hunger strike after 145 days. Mr. Moghimi's other client, Nasrin Sotoudeh, also ended her hunger strike.
Security forces arrested Reza Khandan on September 4 and took him to Evin Prosecutor's Office.
Mr. Khandan had previously said that he had been summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence by telephone, but refused to go there because this type of summons was illegal.
Amnesty International immediately condemned Reza Khandan's arrest and called for his unconditional release and that of his wife, Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer and human rights activist also imprisoned in Evin.
The US State Department also tweeted in Persian that it was closely following news of Reza Khandan's arrest.
On the other hand, Farhad Meysami, a physician and civil activist, who had been on a hunger strike for about three months following Mr. Khandan's arrest in prison, also ended his hunger strike.
Two weeks ago, the US State Department tweeted, expressing concern about Farhad Meysami's health condition, describing the conviction of this civil activist as arbitrary, and wrote: "The United States condemns the arbitrary detention of Dr. Farhad Meysami."
Farhad Meysami, 48, a civil activist and imprisoned physician who has been in detention since August 30 of this year, is a close associate of Nasrin Sotoudeh and was present with her in some of the protests.
After Meysami's arrest, Iranian judicial authorities accused her of gathering and colluding against national security, propagating against the system, and spreading and promoting corruption, prostitution, and lack of veiling in society. She later went on a hunger strike, announcing one of her demands being the release of some prisoners, including Reza Khandan, the husband of lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh.
Last month, a group of doctors held a rally in front of the Iranian Parliament in support of Farhad Meysami, and in a letter published on Monday, December 25, they asked Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, to immediately transfer Farhad Meysami to a well-equipped hospital.
Source: Voice of America
