Jailed Activist Commences Hunger Strike Over her Mother’s Treatment

Iranwire – Saba Kord Afshari, a civil activist imprisoned in Qarchak prison in Varamin, launched a hunger strike on Saturday, May 8 to protest against her mother’s treatment.

HRANA News Agency reports that the young women’s rights campaigner wants to highlight the worsening pressure on her family and those of other political prisoners.

Kord Afshari’s mother, Raheleh Ahmadi, was sentenced to 31 months in prison for speaking out about her daughter’s condition. She is currently being held in Evin Prison.

Saba Kord Afshari herself was born on July 7, 1988. She was among the Iranian anti-hijab campaigners who supported the national White Wednesdays campaign launched by activist Masih Alinejad.

She was arrested in June 2019 in Tehran after appearing unveiled in a video posted online. Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran eventually sentenced the then 21-year-old to 24 years in prison, including 15 years for “encouraging prostitution”, seven and a half years for “conspiracy against national security” and one and a half years for “propaganda against the regime”.

The young woman has suffered from stomach bleeding several times since being jailed and also contracted Covid-19. Her hunger strike has worried others in the human rights community, who fear her health could be in jeopardy.

In November last year, Branch 28 of the Supreme Court rejected Saba Kord Afshari’s lawyers’ request for a retrial.