IHRAG: In Support of political prisoners’ Hunger Strike in Evin Prison

July 18, 2004

Urgent
In Support of political prisoners’ Hunger Strike in Evin Prison

 
In protest against the attack of intelligent and security forces on the house of a student activist, Piran’s family, and pressure on families of political prisoners, journalists and even bloggers, a number of political prisoners in Evin prison, section one, went on hunger strike.

Reports suggest on July 8th, 2004, following persons: Naser Zarafshan, Farzad Hamidi, Peyman Piran, Ahmad Batebi, Saeed Masouri, Saeed Shah Ghaleh, Farhad Dousti, Omid Abbasgholi Nezhad, Reza Mohammadi, Gholamreza Azami, Alireza Shariat Panah and Gholamhossein Kalbi launched unlimited hunger strike.

It is worth noting that five years after the brutal attack on student dormitories at Tehran and Tabriz universities by the Iranian security and quasi-military forces on July 19, 2004, a number of students (Ahmad Batebi, Manouchehr Mohammadi, Akbar Mohammadi, and Abbas Deldar) are still in prison. The attack resulted in the death of one person and injury and incarceration of hundred of students.

Ever since, every year on the anniversary of the attacks, the Iranian security authorities would militarize big cities and attempt to arrest students and intellectuals. Last year on the 4th anniversary of the attack, about 4000 students and political activists (including Reza Alijani, Hoda Saber, Taghi Rahmani, Abdollah Momeni, Mehdi Amini Zadeh, Reza Ameri Nasab, Pouya Mahmoudian, Mehdi Habibi, Hojjat Sharifi, Arash Hashemi, Saeed Rezavi Faghih, Mojtaba Najafi and more) were arrested of whom Reza Alijani, Hoda Saber, Taghi Rahmani and Peyman Piran are still in confinement.

Based on the dark record of the Islamic Republic of Iran on widespread, continued and planned violation of human rights, We, as Iranian Human Rights Activist Groups in Europe and North America would like to express our deep concern about the prisoners’ health and safety situation and call upon all concerned international legal bodies to pay close attention to the legitimate demand of hunger striker and respond immediately.

 
Human rights defense association of Iran, Montréal, Canada (www.addhi.com) - Human Rights defense comity of Iran, Sweden (www.defakomite.com ) – The action committee for the release of Prisoners of conscience in  Iran, Paris, France (irancalppo.free.fr ) – Centre for Thought, Dialogue and Human Rights in Iran, Toronto, Canada (ctdhumanright@yahoo.com)  - Vereinigung zur Verteidigung der Menschenrechte im Iran,Bremen, Deutschland (www.bashariyat.de) - Stichting voor  de Verdediging van Democratie in Iran, Nederland ) kdaddih@hotmail.com) – Iranian – Canadian community Association of western Canada, Vancouver (yebarak@yahoo.ca) - Committee to Defend Human Rights in Iran, California, U.S.A. - ( defendhriran_ca@yahoo.com) - noran (supporting committee for human rights in iran ), Norway – (noranali2003@yahoo.no ) – Activist of Human Rights- Irantestimony (www.irantestimony.com) -  Committee for defense of  Liberty and Democracy in Iran – Austria (demokrasi9@yahoo.com) , Aliance for Human Rights defense in Iran – Washangton, U.S.A (adhri1@yahoo.com) – Association of defender of Human Rights and democracy in Iran ,  France (www.rahaei.com)    - Iranain Human Rights Activitists group, Switzerland (mnrecht@hotmail.com), - Center of activists for  the  defense  of  Human Rigts  in Iran, Belgium ( kanon253@hotmail.com ), Menschenrechtgruppe IRAN – Deutschland  (     www.azadegy.de)