26 Kurdish Prisoners of Conscience on Hunger Strike

HRANA News Agency – Twenty six Kurdish prisoners of conscience have gone on hunger strike in Rajai-Shahr Prison located in the city of Karaj.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), twenty six members of Kurdish ethnic minority locked up in Ward 2 of Rajai-Shahr Prison have begun an open-ended hunger strike to protest against violations of their rights and discriminations imposed on them by prison officials.

It has been reported that a few days ago, Ward 2’s warden, Mr. Soltani, encouraged several regular prisoners to instigate a brawl with one of the Kurdish prisoners of conscience, Hesam Mohammadi. After the fight broke out, Hesam Mohammadi was first transferred to the quarantine ward and then to another cell block in Rajai-Shahr Prison. However, no disciplinary action was taken against regular prisoners who initiated the fight.

Since there have been other instances of such discriminations against Kurdish prisoners of conscience in the past, Hesam Mohammadi’s cellmates decided to react this time and protested against repeated acts of bigotry towards Kurds. However, prison officials refused to address inmates’ concerns and remained indifferent and silent.

Amongst Kurdish prisoners locked up in Ward 2 of Rajai-Shahr Prison, there are Sunni prisoners of conscience such as Mamousta Mohammad Baraie, Abdullah Khosrozadeh, Hossein Heydari, Sobhan Ahmadzadeh, Heyman Mahmoud Takhti and a number of other Kurdish Sunni activists. These prisoners have been denied the right to be kept in the cell block allocated to inmates arrested for political reasons. Additionally, they have not been permitted to use furlough, have regular prison visits with their families or meet with Iranian judicial authorities such as a representative from the prosecutor’s office in Tehran.