ICC Note: Vahid Hakkani has gone on hunger strike to protest the harsh treatment and the unjust imprisonment he is facing. He has been denied a conditional release that is possible upon completion of half of his sentence. His family has pressed for Vahid’s release in light of his serious health conditions but to no avail. He is just one of at least 49 Iranian Christians currently being held for charges as a result of their faith.
04/02/2014 Iran (Morning Star News) – A convert from Islam in Iran sentenced to serve almost four years in prison for Christian activities has gone on a hunger strike to protest the government’s refusal to grant his request for release, religious freedom advocates said.
Vahid Hakkani began his hunger strike on March 20 after authorities denied him the conditional release that inmates are eligible to obtain after completing half their prison terms.
A researcher and advocate for Middle East Concern said that the willingness of Hakkani to possibly starve himself to death is a reflection of the conditions religious prisoners in Iran face.
“Sadly, the harsh conditions that have led Vahid to stage this hunger strike are conditions that many other prisoners of conscience are experiencing: a harsh conviction and sentence following an unjust trial, the refusal to grant release on bail, inadequate provision of medical care, and a dangerous and overcrowded prison environment,” the researcher told Morning Star News. “The hunger strike demonstrates the level of Vahid’s desperation, and the timing [coinciding with the Nowruz Iranian New Year celebrations] is poignant.”
Authorities arrested Hakkani on Feb. 8, 2012, along with several others at a house-church meeting, and charged him with numerous criminal offenses related to his faith. Hakkani was tried with three others over the course of two court hearings, one on Oct. 15, 2012 and another on Dec. 28, 2012. In June 2013, the Shiraz Revolutionary Court issued a verdict, finding all four guilty on charges of attending a house church, spreading Christianity, having contact with foreign ministries, propaganda against the regime and disrupting national security, according to advocacy groups.
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