A convert from Islam in Iran sentenced to serve almost four years in prison for Christian activities has gone on a hunger strike to protest the government”s refusal to grant his request for release, religious freedom advocates said.
Vahid Hakkani began his hunger strike on 20th March after authorities denied him the conditional release that inmates are eligible to obtain after completing half their prison terms.
A researcher and advocate for Middle East Concern said that the willingness of Hakkani to possibly starve himself to death is a reflection of the conditions religious prisoners in Iran face.
“Sadly, the harsh conditions that have led Vahid to stage this hunger strike are conditions that many other prisoners of conscience are experiencing: a harsh conviction and sentence following an unjust trial, the refusal to grant release on bail, inadequate provision of medical care, and a dangerous and overcrowded prison environment,” the researcher told Morning Star News. “The hunger strike demonstrates the level of Vahid”s desperation, and the timing (coinciding with the Nowruz Iranian New Year celebrations) is poignant.”
Authorities arrested Hakkani on 8th February, 2012, along with several others at a house-church meeting, and charged him with numerous criminal offenses related to his faith. Hakkani was tried with three others over the course of two court hearings, one on 15th October, 2012 and another on 28th December. In June 2013, the Shiraz Revolutionary Court issued a verdict, finding all four guilty on charges of attending a house church, spreading Christianity, having contact with foreign ministries, propaganda against the regime and disrupting national security, according to advocacy groups.
Hakkani is still recovering from treatment of serious health problems, which his hunger strike could worsen. In November 2013, authorities granted him leave for two months for surgical treatment of intestinal hemorrhoids so severe that he was losing up to one-third of a liter of blood daily because of internal bleeding. Two weeks into his hunger strike, his condition was already starting to worsen, according to Mohabat News.
