Today, Friday, October 22, 2021, is the 61st day of the hunger strike of political prisoner, Khaled Pirzadeh. Khaled stopped eating on Monday, August 23, in Sheyban Prison in Ahvaz. Pirzadeh was suffering from COVID-19 when he started his hunger strike. On Tuesday, August 17, after the onset of symptoms – he was nauseated, he had lost his sense of smell – his coronavirus test was declared positive in the prison clinic. He was taken to quarantine from Ward 5 of the prison, which holds violent prisoners. The following Monday, Khaled went on hunger strike. The day before, oppressive forces of the Islamic Republic went to Khaled’s rental house and harassed his wife and 10-year-old daughter, Setayesh, with misbehavior and physical violence:
Khaled Pirzadeh has been on multiple long hunger strikes since 2019. As a result, his body suffered severe injuries. But not just because of the hunger strikes.
In August 2020, during his transfer from Evin to the Greater Tehran Prison, he was so brutally beaten by police that he was taken to a hospital for surgery. Khaled could no longer walk. He could not control the movements of his limbs. He had tremors and seizures. He had severe injuries to his leg. A few months later, in March 2021, Khaled first went on a hunger strike and then sewed his lips together.
Khaled Pirzadeh’s body is now the body of protest.
But a 60-day hunger strike brings death infinitely closer.
He reminds us of Vahid Sayadi Nasiri. He was also a monarchist, and all the cells of his body were turned into protest cells during the last strike. Nasiri died in Qom’s Langrud prison after a 60-day hunger strike.
Khaled reminds us of Bobby Sands who 6 days after crossing the 60th day, on Tuesday, May 5, 1981, lost his life on the 66th day of his hunger strike. Today, on the 61st day of the strike, Khaled Pirzadeh’s life is in danger.
Translation of this post by Sahar.
