Shabtabnews In this dark night, I have lost my way – Arise from a corner, oh you the star of guidance.
HRW – Imprisoned human rights defender Behnam Mousivand has been hospitalized at Taleghani hospital in Tehran since April 29, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana) reported. According to Hrana, Mousivand was on a hunger strike from April 19 to May 5 to protest his detention conditions. On the day Mousivand began his hunger strike, Rajai Shahr prison officials reportedly beat him for refusing to wear handcuffs.
According to HRANA, Iranian intelligence agents arrested Mousivand at his home on February 1, 2018, and detained him in ward 209 of Evin prison. Mousivand was released on bail on March 19, 2018. In September 2019, Branch 28 of Tehran’s revolutionary court sentenced him to five years in prison on charges of “conspiracy to act against national security” and one year in prison for “propaganda activities against the regime.”
According to HRANA, authorities arrested Mousivand in June 2020 to serve his sentence in Evin prison, and in September 2020, authorities transferred him to Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj. After he embarked on a hunger strike on April 19, 2022, authorities transferred him back to Evin prison on April 25.
On April 28, over 300 Iranian activists expressed their concerns at the state of Mousivand’s health and ongoing detention in a joint statement. Iranian authorities regularly fail to provide prisoners with adequate access to medical care, putting their health and lives at risk. At least three detainees have died in custody since the beginning of 2022, allegedly due to authorities failing to provide adequate timely access to medical care.
