Kurdish political prisoners’ hunger strike in Urmia prison continues

 Hengaw : 3  Kurdish political prisoners from Urmia of Wester Azerbaijan province in Iranian Kurdistan , who are being held in the youth ward of the city's central prison and have gone on a hunger strike since last week . 

 According to a report received by Hengaw Human Rights Organization, 3 Kurdish political prisoners from Urmia, identified as Kaiwan Rashuzadeh, Kamran Ghasemi and Omid Saeedi, have been protesting against their 13-month indecision in Urmia Central Prison since Tuesday, November 10, 2020.  Non-observance of the separation of crimes in the youth ward of this prison, they have started their dry hunger strike and today they are going on their ninth day of strike.

 According to an informed source from Urmia Prison, the three prisoners were transferred to solitary confinement on the second day of the strike and are being held in harsh conditions.  The same sources have stated that the solitary confinement cells of Urmia Prison do not have any heating facilities or not even beds.

These 3 Kurdish  citizens were arrested on Tuesday, October 8, 2019, along with two other citizens from Urmia, identified as Abdulaziz MuhammadPour and Nayib Hajipour in Urmia by Islamic Republic of Iran’s Intelligence forces .After one month of interrogation, they were transferred to the youth ward of Urmia’s central prison.

 According to an informed source, these 5 citizens have been detained by Islamic Republic of Iran’s intelligence forces on charges of collaborating with the Komala Party of Kurdistan-Iran.

These Kurdish prisoners had gone on hunger strikes twice before to protest their detention in the youth ward and the rejection of their transference to  a political prison ward.

 It is worth mentioning that Abdul Aziz Mohammadpour is currently being held in dormitory number 3 and Naib Hajipour is being held in dormitory number 1-2.