The strike of 45 political and religious prisoners in the prison of Orumiyeh in West Azerbaijan province, northwestern Iran, continues for the ninth consecutive day.

The prisoners went on a strike by refusing to take prison food on 12 December upon the possibility of their transfer to a new high-security ward.

Reportedly, in recent days, the striking prisoners have been denied their right to weekly visits by their families.

On the third day of the strike, prison officials asked the prisoners to end their strike, but at the same time, stated that they would soon transfer the prisoners to the new security ward.

The prisoners also insisted on continuing their strike during the meeting, describing the conditions in the new security ward as inhumane.

With the transfer of prisoners to the new ward, all their communication with other prison wards will be cut off.

Additionally, the new ward will have a smaller area and fewer services and facilities than the other wards.

It has been built next to the ward for prisoners carrying out penal labour and on the area of the prison’s main bath on two floors; one floor for the prisoners of the military court and the ground floor for political and religious prisoners.

One day before the start of the mass strike, three Kurdish political prisoners Keyhan Mokarram, Nayeb Hajizadeh, and Ali Mohammadi-Moghaddam, also went on a hunger strike to protest against their conditions.

On 17 December, Mokarram ended his strike after prison officials promised to follow up on his demands. The political prisoner was transferred from solitary confinement to the ward for political and religious prisoners.

Mokarram had gone on a hunger strike to protest against the non-implementation of the double-urgency parliamentary plan regarding his case, which would reduce his prison term.

On the third day of his strike, he was transferred to solitary confinement on the orders of prison officials.

Meanwhile, Hajizadeh continues his strike in the ward for prisoners carrying out penal labour.

He had gone on a hunger strike to protest against authorities denying him access to medical services.

The political prisoner needs to be treated at the hospital due to a leg infection and internal rupture of the abdomen, but prison officials have refused to transfer him to an out-of-prison hospital.

Mohammadi-Moghaddam also ended his strike after two days with the promise of the prison authorities and has been transferred to a hospital outside the prison in recent days.