ForgottenPrisoners Of Iran Renew Hunger Strike To Raise Their Voice To The World

mutezea-moradpur 

Given the convergence of regional interests between Western countries and Iran, the world needs to understand the human rights atrocities committed by the Iranian regime that all too often receive scant attention. Iran’s crimes against  the oppressed none Persian  nations remain hidden, rarely reported and never addressed.

What political prisoners of none Persian ethnicities are subjected to comprises a glaring example of the discriminatory and repressive acts practiced by the Iranian regime. For such a long time, non-Persian oppressed nations such as Turks of South Azerbaijan, Ahwazi Arabs, Kurds, Baluchis caged in Iran have had to suffer from severely limited access to basic rights, most notable of which is the right of education in   the mother tongue.

In recent days, concerns haverisen about the health condition of a Turkish South – Azerbaijani civil and cultural and human rights activist Morteza Moradpour(above picture), who has been on a hunger strike for over 50 days in Tabriz Central Prison, in northwestern Iran.

Moradpour has lost over 20 kilograms and his health condition is alarming, Fardin Moradpour, the activist’s brother told  the rights groups .

Moradpour believes that he is being held illegally, so he will not stop his hunger strike, Morteza’s brother said, adding that Morteza is eligible for parole, according to Article 134 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, which allows to serve only one, the longest, sentence in case of multiple convictions.

Morteza Moradpour was sentenced to one year in prison for “propaganda against the state” and two years for “assembly and collusion against national security” in November 2009. According to the Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, he should have been given two years of imprisonment, and then released. However, he, so far, has spent more than two years in prison.

For years, the Iranian regime has been using its security apparatus and militias to suppress every voice of dissent and intimidating the general public. The situation of human rights throughout the country remains very fragile. Many ordinary people, including women, children and members of ethnic and religious groups continue to face varying degrees of discrimination in terms of their basic rights. The dream of obtaining these basic rights has now completely dissipated out under the current regime, which combines vicious religious sectarianism with Persian ethnic supremacy.

For more than three decades of Islamic Republic rule, the country has been suffering a horrendous array of human rights violations, namely the upsurge of executions carried out disproportionately against ethnic nationalities such as Turks, Ahwazis, Kurds and Baluchi civilians. Along with this there is the policy of widespread torture of detainees, as well as unjust trails in blatantly biased courts, which continue to show a vicious contempt for human rights and particularly for the rights of minorities.

Babek Chalabiyanli is Turkish-South Azerbaijani political activist based in the USA.

Tags:

Support Countercurrents

Countercurrents is answerable only to our readers. Support honest journalism because we have no PLANET B.
Become a Patron at Patreon

Join Our Newsletter

GET COUNTERCURRENTS DAILY NEWSLETTER STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX

Join our WhatsApp and Telegram Channels

Get CounterCurrents updates on our WhatsApp and Telegram Channels

Related Posts

Join Our Newsletter


Annual Subscription

Join Countercurrents Annual Fund Raising Campaign and help us

Latest News