Kurdish political prisoner Dara Rashidi went on a hunger strike at Orumiyeh Central Prison on 28 March, protesting against his transfer to solitary confinement upon the orders of prison authorities for punishment.
He has since been denied the right to contact his family and receive visits.
Over the past few months, Jalal Rahimpour, the guard officer of the ward for prisoners of conscience; Azarnia, the security officer of the prison; and Bakshi, the prison director, have repeatedly visited the ward, disrespecting the prisoners by calling them “terrorists” and threatening them with filing new cases, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned.
Last week, Rahimpour threatened the political prisoners with punitive measures after a group of political prisoners protested against his insults.
Rashidi’s transfer to solitary has also taken place in the continuation of the pressure on political prisoners.
Rashidi, who comes from Sardasht, was arrested in Mahabad, West Azerbaijan province, on 9 December 2019 by the Intelligence Organisation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
After his arrest, the Kurdish civilian was taken to the military-security agency’s detention facility in Orumiyeh, West Azerbaijan province.
On 27 January 2020, he was transferred to Orumiyeh Central Prison after initial interrogations.
The Branch Three of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Orumiyeh sentenced the political prisoner to ten years in prison on charges of “acting against national security” through membership in a Kurdish opposition party.
The sentence was later commuted to seven years and six months after an appeal against the ruling.
