Family of jailed journalist on hunger strike arrested

Mohammad Nourizad's Wife Fatemeh Maleki and their daughters

Iranian authorities arrested members of Mohammad Nourizad’s family along with the wife of Mostafa Tajzadeh in front of Evin Prison today.

Mohammad Nourizad, the jailed Iranian filmmaker and journalist who has been on a hunger strike since last Saturday, was hospitalized this morning after his health situation became critical.

Yesterday reports indicated that he was vomiting blood and experiencing severe gastric bleeding.

Kaleme website reports that Fatemeh Maleki, Nourizad’s wife, along with his children, and Nourizad’s parents and brother were arrested today as they sat in protest in front of Evin Prison along with Fakhrosadat Mohtashamipour, wife of another jailed political prisoner, Mostafa Tajzadeh.

Nourizad is into his sixth day of a dry hunger strike in protest to his summary trial and sentencing and the insulting treatment he received by the judge.

Mohammad Nourizad was arrested in the post-election protests after he wrote a letter in criticism of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei’s handling of the protests to the disputed re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the 2009 presidential elections.

In addition to Nourizad, Nasrin Sotoudeh, Arash Sadeghi, Reza Shahabi and Gholmhossein Arshi are also on hunger strike in Iranian prisons.