Saeed Hosseinzadeh, a civil society activist who is serving a five-year prison term for his peaceful activism, started a hunger strike on 11 July in protest at the authorities’ refusal to extend his medical leave. He has said that, if his requests for release, based on doctors’ advice, are not met by 16 July, he will also stop taking water. He has serious medical conditions, including severe scoliosis (curvature of the spine), rheumatoid arthritis (a chronic, progressive disease causing pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints), and heart disease. He had been granted a three-day period of medical leave from Tehran’s Evin Prison on 14 March 2016 after he had gone on a 19-day hunger strike to protest against the authorities’ refusal to allow him access to medical care. However, the Office of the Prosecutor subsequently refused to extend his leave even though prison doctors have confirmed that the specialized care he needs is not available in prison.
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