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Features

"I’ll be in a Coma Soon”: A Message to Ebrahim Raisi from a Prisoner on Hunger Strike

June 2, 2021
IranWire
3 min read
Hossein Hashemi was detained during the November 2019 nationwide protests. He was sentenced to six years in prison and 74 lashes
Hossein Hashemi was detained during the November 2019 nationwide protests. He was sentenced to six years in prison and 74 lashes
On May 25, IranWire reported that inmates who had taken part in 2019 protests and who are now held in Greater Tehran Prison had come under increased pressure
On May 25, IranWire reported that inmates who had taken part in 2019 protests and who are now held in Greater Tehran Prison had come under increased pressure

As Iran’s presidential election approaches, political prisoner Hossein Hashemi has sent a message to frontrunner Ebrahim Raisi, announcing that he will be in a coma within two days because of his hunger strike. 

In an audio file obtained by IranWire, Hashemi, who is being held in Greater Tehran Prison for taking part in the November 2019 protests, says his physical health has been compromised by the hunger strike, which he began on May 31.

Hashemi, 28, was sentenced by Tehran Revolutionary Court to six years in prison and 74 lashes for joining nationwide protests in 2019 that erupted across the country and were met by brutal suppression from Iranian authorities.

"These words are addressed to Ebrahim Raisi,” Hashemi says in the clip. “I will be in a coma in 48 hours because I have been on a wet and dry hunger strike since 10:30 pm on May 31. Mr. Raisi, I am a political prisoner convicted for the November 2019 protests, and have been sentenced to six years in prison on charges of blasphemy and disturbing public order. I endured 10 months in Evin Prison. About two months ago, I was transferred to the political ward of Greater Tehran Prison. I spoke out about my concerns in prison, but three days later I was interrogated. On the fourth day, they took me out of the political ward under the pretext of interrogation. However, then they told me that they were going to transfer me. I am now being held with criminals accused of violent crimes, murder, and extortion. I have been transferred to this ward and told that I was not a political prisoner. If the protest of November 2019 was not a political protest, then what was it?”

On May 25, IranWire reported that prisoners serving time in Greater Tehran Prison, which is also known as Fashafuyeh Prison, for taking part in the 2019 protests had come under increased pressure. It also reported that several protesters were transferred to the 4th Brigade of the prison, an area reserved for inmates found guilty of theft, vandalism and assault.

Hossein Hashemi was transferred to the 4th Brigade unit on Tuesday, June 1. As he says in the audio clip, guards told him he was going for interrogation. But instead, he joined other arrested protesters in the violent crimes unit, in violation of regulations that say political prisoners and prisoners of conscience should be separated.

Hossein Hashemi also makes a comparison between Ebrahim Raisi and former populist president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. "Do you, like Ahmadinejad, want to ignore the issue? In 2009, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the unemployment rate was below 5 percent, because by his definition, anyone who worked even one hour was considered employed. Suddenly everyone in Iran was employed. Now, under the pretext that I am a saboteur and a criminal, you transferred me to the 4th Brigade, which is for non-political prisoners and violent criminals. Less than two years have passed since Alireza Shir Mohammad Ali was murdered in this prison. If you want to show your good faith and separate the prisoners according to their crimes, now is the time to act. I reiterate: I will be in a coma in 48 hours. I must point out that I am innocent."

Political prisoner Alireza Shir Mohammad Ali was stabbed 30 times on June 10, 2019 by two prisoners found guilty of premeditated murder.

Click here to listen to {{ __192192_videocomponent__video component__ }}" style="">Hossein Hashemi's message.

Related coverage:

Political Prisoner Murdered While Awaiting Appeal

Ebrahim Raisi: Leadership Hopeful's Key Role in Brutalizing Dissidents in the 2000s

Hundreds Testify in "People's Tribunal" on November 2019 Atrocities

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