Tuesday, March 19, 2024
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Iran: Health of political prisoner on hunger strike deteriorating

Iranian political prisoner Mr. Behnam Ebrahimzadeh who has been on hunger strike over past three weeks is in dire physical condition in Karaj’s Gohardasht Prison.
As a punishment, he is being held in a ward with dangerous prisoners.

Mr. Behnam Ebrahimzadeh, a labor activist and a defender of children’s rights, was arrested by security forces on June 12, 2010. No reason were given for his arrest. He spent 80 days incommunicado under interrogation.

A Revolutionary Court initially condemned him to 20 years in prison for assembly and collaboration against the regime. However, an appeals court reduced his sentence to five years in prison with punishment. He is currently spending his fourth year in prison.

In the vicious attack by regime’s agents and guards on Ward 350 of Evin Prison on April 17, he was badly battered and injured and together with eight other prisoners spent 14 days incommunicado under great pressures and he was not allowed any visitors.

In a letter to Mr. Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Ebrahimzadeh wrote: I have been unjustly condemned to five years in prison by Iran’s Judiciary system just for revealing the injustice and for defending the children, laborers and women.

In this letter he writes in detail about his battering, humiliation, illegal and anti-human treatment and adds: Because of the severity of the blows, my chest and part of my lower limbs have been severely injured.

The family of this prisoner has sent a letter to human rights defenders and international organizations defending human rights calling for urgent action.