Iran rights group voices alarm at detained writer’s condition

Iran Focus: London, Jun. 28 – A Tehran-based human rights group has voiced concern about the rapidly-deteriorating state of health of an Iranian journalist who was imprisoned in May for reporting on massive anti-government demonstrations in Iran’s north-western Azeri provinces. Iran Focus

London, Jun. 28 – A Tehran-based human rights group has voiced concern about the rapidly-deteriorating state of health of an Iranian journalist who was imprisoned in May for reporting on massive anti-government demonstrations in Iran’s north-western Azeri provinces.

Detained journalist Amir-Hossein Movahedi, who is currently being held in the central prison in the north-western city of Meshkin-Shahr, has gone on hunger strike and is in a very poor physical state, the group Human Rights Activists in Iran said in a statement emailed to Iran Focus.

The group said that Movahedi had refrained from taking medication in prison despite suffering from heart problems and diabetes.

The statement also censured human rights abuses in Iran and called for the release of all political prisoners.

In May, at least 100,000 Azeris rallied in the city of Tabriz against the publication of an insulting cartoon in the official daily Iran.

Subsequently, thousands took part in often violent anti-government demonstrations in the towns of Orumieh, Zanjan, Marand, Naqadeh and Ardebil.

At least nine people were killed by government forces in the course of clashes with the protestors.

Movahedi was arrested on May 26 by gunmen in civilian clothing as he was leaving his home in Meshkin-Shahr, Ardebil province.

He had previously been detained by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) for three days in December.

Ethnic Azeris make up approximately 25 percent of Iran’s population.