Persian Report by | August 14, 2010

Five of the 17 Evin hunger strike prisoners detained in solitary confinement cells of ward 240 were transferred to the Prosecutor’s office. The prisoners (Kouhyar Goodarzi, Bahman Ahmad Amouie, Keyvan Samimi, Gholamhossein Arashi, and Ali Malihi) were threatened with six months imprisonment in solitary confinement, even though 20 days is the maximum allowed time spent in solitary confinement for wards covered by the Prisons Organization. They were also threatened with bans on visitation and telephone calls with family members for the duration of the six months in solitary confinement.

reports that the events of the past three weeks in Evin prison are a result of mismanagement by Sedaghat, the head of Evin prison.  Rather than address complaints by prisoners regarding poor prison conditions and inappropriate treatment from prison guards, Sedaghat transferred 17 prisoners from ward 350 to solitary confinement.

Keyvan Samimi remains on hunger strike and is entering day 21. Reports indicate that Samimi’s health is deteriorating, but he  has insisted on remaining on hunger strike until he and his fellow prisoners are transferred out of solitary confinement. With the arrival of the month of Ramadan (Islamic holy month of fast), concerns have increased regarding Samimi’s well being since during the fasting period water and tea are served only before sunrise [Sahar] and after sunset [Iftar] (when the fast is broken).

More information on the prisoners who were transferred to solitary confinement and launched a two-week hunger strike:

Ali Malihi: student activist and member of Daftar-e Tahkim Vahdat (a student alumni organization)

Bahman Ahmad Amouie: journalist

Hossein Nouraninejad: journalist and member of the Participation Front (reformist party)

Abdollah Momeni: student activist and spokesperson for Daftar-e Tahkim Vahdat

Ali Parviz: student activist

Hamid Reza Mohammadi: political activist

Jafar Eghdami: civil society activist

Babak Bordbar (released): photo journalist

Zia Nabavi: starred student and member of the Council to Defend the Right to Education

Ebrahim (Nader) Babaie: civil society activist and an injured veteran of the Iran-Iraq war

Kouhyar Goodarzi: human rights activist and blogger

Majid Dorri: student activist

Majid Tavakoli: student activist

Keyvan Samimi: journalist

Gholamhossein Arashi: Ashura protester

Mohammad Hossein Sohrabi Rad: Ashura protester