28/01/2022
Dear friends
Following my last email (please see below), I would like to draw your attention to the recent news about political prisoners in Iran.
On 8th January 2022, several political prisoners in Evin prison in Iran started protesting about the death of the writer and poet Mr Baktash Abtin, who contracted Covid-19, and died as a result, while being imprisoned in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison. The protesting prisoners have demanded that the prison authorities must be held accountable for intentionally neglecting Baktash Abtin’s health, and also for intentionally depriving him, and many other prisoners, of much-needed medical treatment.
The prison authorities ignored the prisoners’ protests and these prisoners started a hunger strike. As the protest continued, more prisoners joined them, and since12 January 2022, more than 14 political prisoners in Evin prison, Shiraz prison, Fashafouyeh prison, and Qarchak women prison in Iran have gone on hunger strike.
These prisoners demand that prison authorities must be held accountable for the death of Mr Baktash Abtin, and the deliberate negligence and deprivation of political prisoners from medical treatment. Mr Abtin was deliberately deprived of urgent medical treatment while he contracted COVID. Please see the attached press release.
The prisoners’ hunger strike was supported by activists across Iran and other countries. Numbers of rights activists have also joined the hunger strike outside these prisons to support the political prisoners in Iran.
Among the prisoners on hunger strike, there are two jailed dual nationals, Mr Anooshe Ashoori, a British-Iranian national, and Mr Kamran Ghaderi, an Austrian-Iranian national. Mr Ashoori and Mr Ghaderi are protesting against the use of dual nationals as a hostage and a bargaining chip by the Islamic regime in their negotiation with the EU, UK, and the US.
The physical condition of the political prisoners on hunger strike is deteriorating and several of them, who are in Evin prison, were taken to prison’s clinic, where they were severely insulted, and were told they must end their hunger strike.
The prison director has refused to meet with these prisoners and also has refused to meet their demands, and instead, the strikers have been severely insulted and threatened by the prison officials. The political prisoners in Iran need our support.
You can help to raise their voices. Sample letters and relevant addresses are provided below. It only takes a few minutes of your time to copy and paste the letter and send it to the relevant authorities. Please ask your friends to participate. Your action could help save political prisoners’ lives in Iran.
- Take a few minutes to send a message to the Islamic regime in Iran and express your solidarity with the political prisoners on hunger strike and urge them to meet the prisoners’ demands.
- Send a message via Twitter or email using the following addresses, to the governments involved in the negotiation with the Islamic regime in Iran and urge them to discuss the situation of prisoners on hunger strike. Also urge them to pressure the regime in Iran to meet the strikers’ demand, provide political prisoners with medical treatment and release all political prisoners.
The political prisoners on Strike need our urgent attention and support.
Shiva Mahbobi
Spokeswoman for Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran (CFPPI)
Shiva.mahbobi@gmail.com Tel: +447572356661
Sample letters and addresses:
To:
Josep Borrell Fontelles E: cab-borrell-fontelles-contact@ec.europa.eu Twitter: @JosepBorrellF
Enrique Mora E: Enrique.MORA@eeas.europa.eu Twitter: Tw@enriquemora_
Boris Johnson E: boris.johnson.mp@parliament.uk Twitter: @BorisJohnson
Emmanuel Macron Twitter: @EmmanuelMacron
Olaf Scholz Twitter: @OlafScholz
[Sample letter]
I urge you to use the opportunity of the negations with the Islamic regime in Iran to pressure the Islamic regime:
- To hold accountability for the death of Abtin Baktash and the health of political prisoners currently on hunger strike
- To provide medical treatment to prisoners
- To release political prisoners
To:
Ebrahim Raisi, president of the Islamic regime Twitter: @raisi_com
Ali Khamenei, leader of the Islamic regime Email: info_leader@leader.ir
Twitter: @khamenei_ir
Permanent Mission of the Islamic regime to the UN Email: iran@un.int
You can also send your protest letter to the embassy of the Islamic regime in your country.
[Sample letter]
I am aware that several political prisoners are on hunger strike. I would like to express my strongest objection to the treatment of political prisoners. I urge you to meet their demands. I urge you to provide political prisoners with medical treatment.
Previous press release:
English:
Spanish:
Farsi: