12 prisoners on hunger strike removed from solitary confinement

GVF -- According to the Jaras opposiiton website, twelve of the 16 political prisoners who had gone on hunger strike at Evin Prison have finally been transferred from solitary confinement at the notorious prison.

The website said that political activist Abdollah Momeni, and journalists Bahman Ahmadi Amooei and Keyvan Samimi are still in solitary confinement. Samimi is the last of the seventeen still on hunger strike. Jaras has reported that the inmates who had been taken to the public ward were physically “weak and frail” and prison officials were denying them the right to contact family members. 

While the the three remaining prisoners in solitary confinement are said to be in good mental conditions, there are growing concerns regarding the physical health of Keyvan Samimi who has refused to end his hunger strike until all of his fellow strikers are out of solitary confinement. Since the start of the holy month of Ramadan, Samimi has been breaking his fast with only tea and water.

The sixteen of the seventeen political prisoners, agreed to break their fast after calls by prominent reformist figures to end their strikes which began more than three weeks ago in response to solitary confinement and mistreatment by prison guards..

Also according to reports, Reza Malek, another political prisoner who joined the other sixteen later in their strike, is still in solitary confinement and another striker and student activist, Majid Tavakoli has been transferred to Rajaei Shahr Prison in the city of Karaj.

Since the start of the hunger strike by the political prisoners, Evin prison authorities have taken many steps for ensuring that the inmates on strike remain isolated from the outside world and have prevented family members from making any form of contact with their loved-ones in solitary confinement.