Incarcerated Lawyer and Human Rights Activist Nasrin Sotoudeh Launches a Hunger Strike

October 17th, 2012-  From the Facebook of Reza Khandan, husband of incarcerated lawyer and human rights activist Nasrin Sotoudeh After months of back and forth with the prosecutor’s office, the fundamental rights of a mother to have face to face meetings [with her beloved children] are still being denied. Despite 17 months of incarceration at Evin’s general ward, they still refuse to grant a two minute telephone conversation. Even a visitation from behind a cabin window with her brother and mother has been denied for an entire year.

Nasrin must now hear through the grapevine that her 12 year old daughter is first summoned along with her husband to the 28th branch of the Revolutionary Court to be informed that she is no longer allowed to leave the country.  As if that were not enough, now this innocent young girl who is no longer able to visit her mother behind bars as a result of a conflicting school schedule on Wednesdays must face the obstinance of a judiciary that refuses the switch her visitation day. For two months they gave us false hopes that they might grant furlough. The prosecutor’s office even asked us to submit a number of documents, only to suddenly change their minds at the last minute.

Nasrin who has been left with no other recourse, has unfortunately launched a hunger strike as of this morning.  I did everything in my power to dissuade her of this decision, but she was adamant.  Even without a hunger strike she has lost so much weight and is so weak that she is unrecognizable to those who have not seen her for a while… and now this….

Reza Khandan – October 17th , 2012

پس از ماهها دوندگی به دادستانی برای گرفتن بدیهی ترین حق یک مادر یعنی ملاقات حضوری مخالفت می شود. پس از 17 ماه حضور در بند عمومی با دادن یک تلفن دو دقیقه ای مخالفت می شود. پس از یک سال با ملاقات برادر و مادر حتی به صورت کابینی مخالفت می شود. وقتی که دختر بچه ی 12 ساله ممنوع الخروج و به همراه پدر اکنون به شعبه 28 دادگاه انقلاب احضار می شود و این خبر به گوش نسرین در زندان می رسد. دختر بچه ای که به دلایل درسی در روزهای چهارشنبه دیگر نمیتواند به ملاقات مادرش بیاید و با تغییر روز ملاقات مخالفت می شود. دو ماه به عنوان مرخصی خانواده را چشم به راه می گذارند و حتی مدارکی هم دادستانی می گیرد و در لحظه ی آخر ناگهان مخالفت می شود. نسرین هم چاره ای نمی بیند جز اعتصاب غدا … متاسفانه او از امروز صبح اعتصاب غذایش را شروع کرده است. من امروز تمام تلاش ام را کردم اما به هیچ عنوان نتوانستم منصرف اش کنم. همینجوری از شدت ضعف و لاغری قیافه اش درست قابل شناسایی نیست برای کسانی که در این مدت او را ندیده اند چه برسد از این به بعد