Concern for lives of Iranian political prisoners on hunger strike

In a letter to the head of Iran’s judiciary, the wives of Iranian political detainees, Mostafa Tajzadeh and Mohammad Nourizad write that their husbands could die in prison.

Kaleme website reports that the letter indicates that Tajzadeh and Nourizad who are on their second day of a dry hunger strike are in “critical health conditions” and it condemns the further exacerbation of pressures on these detainees by barring them from receiving visitors.

Mostafa Tajzadeh, executive member of Iranian reformist party, Islamic Iran Participation Front and Mohammad Nourizad, detained journalist and filmmaker, have both been denied visiting privileges since last week.

In the meantime, Zahra Rahnavard, Iranian opposition leader visited the family of Mohammad Nourizad and urged the detained journalist to end his hunger strike and avoid further endangerment of his life.

Mohammad Norizad according to Kaleme website began his dry hunger strike since two days ago to protest against the “insulting treatment and the trial procedures” he received in court.

Another political detainee who was present at Nourizad’s trial reported that Nourizad’s three minute trial was accompanied with the judge insulting and shouting at the detained journalist and threats of flogging.

Mohammad Nourizad who used to be a prominent columnist in the state-backed newspaper, Keyhan, was arrested in the post-election events of 2009 after he wrote a letter to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei in criticism of his decisions regarding the disputes in re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and confrontation of protesters.

Nourizad has published five more critical letters and has also accused the prison authorities of use of torture and abuse in Iranian prisons.