34 jailed Iranian women go on hunger strike

PARIS — Thirty-four female prisoners went on hunger strike in a prison in Iran on Sunday to mark two years since protests erupted against the country's clerical authorities, the foundation of Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi said.

«Today, on 15th September 2024, 34 female political prisoners in Evin Prison have gone on a hunger strike in commemoration of the second anniversary of the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' movement and the killing of Mahsa (Jina) Amini,» it said.

Amini was a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd whose death in custody after her arrest for allegedly violating the strict dress code for women sparked the demonstrations.

FEARLESS FIGHTER Future Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi speaks during the first-ever conference on human rights violations at the Human Rights Center in Iran’s capital Tehran on Jan. 17, 2005. EPA FILE PHOTO

The prisoners had abstained from food «in solidarity with the protesting people of Iran, against the government's oppressive policies,» the foundation said.

Mohammadi, who has campaigned against the compulsory wearing of the hijab and the death penalty in Iran, has been in Tehran's Evin Prison since November 2021.

She has spent much of the past decade in and out of jail and has staged repeated hunger strikes.

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«On the second anniversary of the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement, we reaffirm our commitment to achieving democracy, freedom and equality and to defeating theocratic despotism,» Mohammadi said in a statement on her official X.com account.

«Today, we raise our voices louder and strengthen our resolve,» she added.

Mohammadi's children received the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf in December 2023 while she was incarcerated.

Her family said she was on hunger strike at the time in solidarity with the Baha'i community, Iran's largest religious minority, who say they are targeted by discrimination.

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United Nations experts last month accused Iran of denying Mohammadi proper health care.

She «was reportedly subjected to physical violence» in Evin on August 6, during which she «allegedly lost consciousness, and sustained injuries to her ribcage and other parts of her body,» the experts said.

Iranian authorities