An Iranian political prisoner has entered the fifth day of his hunger strike at Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz.
Nazem Barihi, 34, began his strike on Friday and has since been transferred to solitary confinement.
Prison officials have pressured his cellmates to persuade him to end the strike, according to Karun human rights organization.
The organization described Barihi’s physical condition as critical, noting that he has been refusing both food and water.
Barihi was placed in solitary confinement after sending a letter protesting the exclusion of Arab political prisoners from pardon programs.
He was arrested in August 2005 along with six other activists.
After seven months of interrogation, a Revolutionary Court sentenced him to death on charges of “acting against national security,” “corruption on Earth,” and “waging war against God.”
The Supreme Court later commuted his sentence to life imprisonment. Barihi has now served more than 20 years without furlough.
He said that security agencies repeatedly promised to release or pardon Arab political prisoners but have obstructed the implementation of those decisions.
Barihi has also reported suffering from several health issues, including a skin infection, kidney failure, and joint inflammation.
Human rights groups have called for urgent intervention and international attention to the situation of Arab political prisoners in Iran
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