Behzad Rasouli on day 70 of hunger strike in Saqqez Prison, protesting pressure by security agencies
Hengaw – Monday, November 17, 2025
Behzad Rasouli, a Kurdish man from Saqqez, has now entered the 70th day of his hunger strike. He was arrested nearly four months ago in Isfahan and transferred to Saqqez Prison after several weeks of enforced disappearance. His health has deteriorated severely. Rasouli is protesting coercive interrogation practices and pressure to issue forced confessions.
According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Rasouli, 42, has been transferred to Khomeini Hospital in Saqqez due to significant weight loss and a steep decline in his physical condition. He has refused IV fluids and says he will continue his hunger strike until his request for temporary release is granted.
He began his strike on Monday, September 8, 2025.
A source close to the family told Hengaw that Rasouli is continuing his protest in response to intense pressure from security agencies, including being denied visits with his son and being kept in prolonged judicial limbo.
Meanwhile, Rasouli’s son, Mehrsaman Rasouli, and his mother, Mitra Taghipour (Rasouli’s former spouse), have been placed under a travel ban by security agencies in Isfahan, preventing them from visiting him.
The source added that Rasouli is being held in quarantine ward conditions, denied access to phone calls, and even barred from outdoor time in the prison yard.
Rasouli’s hunger strike has continued despite the fact that on Wednesday, October 8, 2025 — the 33rd day of his protest — his temporary detention order was extended for another 120 days.
Throughout his detention, Rasouli was held in a security facility in Isfahan, where he was denied access to a lawyer and prevented from contacting his family. Despite repeated visits by his sister to judicial and security offices, the family received no information about his fate.
Rasouli was arrested on Saturday, July 26, 2025, in Isfahan, where he had traveled to visit his son.
