Hunger-Striking Iranian Activist Moved From Prison To Hospital

Iranian authorities have transferred jailed activist Hossein Ronaghi to hospital as his health deteriorated after he went on a hunger strike, his family says.

Ronaghi, an outspoken freedom of speech campaigner, was arrested on September 24 as anti-government protests swept the country and was incarcerated in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, where he had both of his legs broken.

According to his family, the 37-year-old blogger has been on a hunger strike for more than 50 days and began refusing water on November 12 to protest the authorities’ denying him medical leave.

On November 13, his brother Hassan tweeted that the activist was moved to Tehran’s Dey Hospital, warning that his life was in danger. The family was not allowed to see him.

Later in the day, police forces fired tear gas to disperse protesters who had gathered in front of the hospital, chanting slogans such as “Death to the Dictator.”

Mehdi Hajti, a political activist, said on November 14 that Ronaghi was hospitalized in Najmia Hospital in Tehran.

Meanwhile, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency claimed that his “general condition is good and completely stable." It did not provide further details.

Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof, two filmmakers imprisoned with Ronaghi in Evin, wrote in a letter published by the IranWire: “According to the prison doctors, the risk of cardiac arrest is now very high.”