Journalist Sadoughi in Danger; Rejects to Break Strike

Azerbaijani journalist Abdollah Sadoughi was transferred to the Tabriz Prison’s medical clinic on Wednesday nineteen days into his hunger strike.  According to Sadoughi’s family, Abdollah, who is suffering from stomach ulcer, has lost more than 20 kilograms since the beginning of his hunger strike.

Hossein Sadoughi, the brother of this Azerbaijani journalist, who was arrested 48 days ago for designing a poster for the Teraktorsazi football club in Azeri Turkish language, told Rooz, “Judiciary officials are essentially ignoring his case and not investigating his charges.”  Speaking to Rooz, Hossein Sadoughi said he was worried about his brother’s deteriorating health since the hunger strike, adding, “Instead of transferring him to the prison’s medical facility, prison officials first gave him a heavy beating and only then transferred him to the medical facility.”  Meanwhile, Taghi Mahmoudi, Abdollah Sadoughi’s attorney tells Rooz about his failed efforts to convince his client to break his 19-day hunger strike: “Our requests to break his hunger strike have been ineffective.”  The interview with Sadoughi’s brother appears below.

Rooz: In recent days some news sources have published reports about your brother’s hunger strike.  Do you confirm the news?  What is his latest condition?

Hossein Sadoughi (Sadoughi): My brother has been on a hunger strike for the past 19 days.  Initially, not many people knew of the strike.  But four days after starting it, he sent a letter to his prosecutor Mr. Hashemzadeh.  The presiding judge, however, is effectively ignoring the case.  My brother was in his seventeenth day of the hunger strike yesterday, and as we found out during our visitation on Wednesday, he is suffering from stomach ulcer and internal bleeding, and is not in a good condition at all.  His family is extremely concerned about his condition and our requests from him to break his hunger strike were ineffective.  The judge has so far denied our request to release my brother.  

Rooz: You said you visited your brother on Wednesday.  What did he say about his condition?

Sadoughi: After my brother announced his hunger strike, in order to put him under more pressure, prison officials moved him to Ward 10, where dangerous criminals are kept.  Under provocations from prison officials, these dangerous criminals beat up my brother.  After the beating, the Tabriz Prison warden moved my brother and three other prisoners to a tiny cell filled with bugs and insects.  Under all the pressure, my brother’s condition deteriorated tremendously four days ago.  Instead of transferring him to the medical facility, prison officials first gave him a heavy beating and then transferred him to the medical facility.  This inhumane behavior of prison officials is absolutely not acceptable to me or my family.  

On Wednesday he didn’t say anything to us, but his condition was extremely fragile.  He has lost 20 to 25 kilograms in weight, and in addition limped badly in one leg.  We weren’t able to ask him why he was limping because of his wife’s presence and her emotional state.