Kurdish Asylum Seeker Detained in Italy Begins Hunger Strike

Hengaw, Monday, May 27, 2024

Maysoon Majidi, a Kurdish human rights activist, has initiated a hunger strike following her detention at the Italian border. Majidi has been imprisoned for the past five months and is protesting the lack of resolution in her case.

According to a report from the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Maysoon Majidi has been held in Castrovillari Prison, Italy, for four months and 27 days. She began her hunger strike on Monday, May 27, 2024, in response to the prolonged uncertainty regarding her status.

Majidi was arrested at the Italian border on December 31, 2023, and has since remained in a state of indefinite detention.

She is accused of aiding the captain of a ship carrying refugees, a charge she denies. Citing insufficient evidence for this accusation, Majidi has requested to be released from prison and placed under house arrest until her legal proceedings are concluded.

Majidi left the Kurdistan Region of Iraq late last year, seeking asylum in a European country due to repeated threats from the Islamic Republic of Iran's security agencies.

The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights has expressed concern over Majidi's detention and is calling for a review of her case by the Italian judiciary. Hengaw also urges all organizations and entities involved in human and refugee rights to advocate on her behalf.