Evin Prison: Political Prisoner Houra Nikbakht in Critical Condition on Seventh Day of Hunger Strike

Hengaw:Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Political prisoner Houra Nikbakht, who has been on hunger strike since last week, is in critical condition due to severe drops in blood pressure and blood sugar levels. She is currently in the eleventh month of her prison sentence at Evin Prison.

According to a report received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Nikbakht has now endured seven days without food, while her health has sharply deteriorated.

Nikbakht began her hunger strike on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, after releasing a letter protesting the increase in executions of what she described as “the marginalized.”

In her letter, she emphasized that she would continue her hunger strike until a united and determined movement against executions is formed, stating: “The media are occupied with negotiations (guaranteeing the survival of the Islamic Republic), while many lives are being lost in disgraceful neglect.”

A university lecturer and former editor-in-chief of the Mashq-e Barabari publishing house, Houra Nikbakht was arrested on June 12, 2024, after being summoned to Branch 3 of the Evin Prosecutor’s Office. She was subsequently transferred to the women’s ward of Evin Prison.

In August 2024, she was sentenced by Branch 26 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari, to one year in prison on charges of “propaganda against the state” and “insulting Khamenei.” She has been serving her sentence in Evin ever since.