The Hunger Strike of Dr. Farhad Meysami
Farhad Meysami is a human rights activist, medical doctor, and teacher who has been vocal against the Islamic Regime’s compulsory Hijab laws and discrimination against women. Meysami was arrested in 2018 and transferred to Evin prison in Tehran on charges of “spreading propaganda against the system” and “gathering and colluding to commit crimes against national security” [1]. Meysami was later transferred to Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj. In December 2018, Meysami received his 5-year sentence and was denied access to an independent lawyer.
During his imprisonment, Meysami went on two hunger strikes to protest against the Islamic Regime’s brutality.
On 24 August 2018, one of Meysami’s close friends published the following lines on behalf of Meysami, explaining the purpose behind his hunger strikes:
“My hunger strike is out of respect for my own dignity and the dignity of those who have been detained on baseless accusations, those who are being interrogated while they have no access to a proper and legitimate legal representation. I will not, under any conditions, succumb to the demands of this illegal procedure”[2].
Following his hunger strikes, images of Meyami’s weak body surfaced on social media, raising grave concerns about his deteriorating health [3].
In 2018, Amnesty International, the US State Department, and UN Human Rights experts made international calls on Iran to release Farhad Meysami.
Update:
On 10 February 2023, Farhad Meysai was released from Rajaishahr prison under a recent pardon decree for some prisoners. However, details of Meysami’s release are still unknown [4].
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