Ali Badrkhani, a prisoner who went on hunger strike for 7 days on August 7, 2018 in protest to not being transferred to the political prisoners’ ward in addition to being under the pressure of prison authorities, was beaten by several dangerous crimes prisoners who were provoked by the ward authorities.
According to an informed source the political prisoner had ended his 7-day hunger strike on Tuesday, August 14, after the prison authorities promised to transfer him to ward 12 where the political prisoners section is held. However, he was transferred from solitary confinement to the Labours’ Ward again. According to the above source, on Friday, August 17, 10 prisoners of dangerous offences held in the labours’ ward attacked this political prisoner with a sharp object while being supported by the ward officer called Mehr Ali Farhand.
The political prisoner, whose shoulder was injured in this attack, was transferred back to the Ward of Prisoners of Ordinary crimes after treatment.
Ali Baderkhani, known as Shiwan and from the famous Kurdish family of Badrkhani, immigrated to Iran with his family from Iraqi Kurdistan about thirty years ago and he has an Iraqi-Iranian citizenship. Among his publications are Turkey, Democracy and Kurds, Discussion of Idea, Refugee of Love, Kurdish Tales and Myths.
He was barred from continuing his education while studying at the last semester of a Master’s Degree at Tehran University in 2014.
He was arrested at his sister’s house in Urmia on December 25, 2014, and he was interrogated at the Detention Centre of Urmia for 20 days on charges of acting against national security. During this time, he was repeatedly tortured to make false confessions. He was transferred to Urmia Central Prison on January 15 after being interrogated. Ali Badrkhani was released on bail after spending two months at Urmia Central Prison. A few months later, Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court of Urmia sentenced this author to five years in prison for allegedly acting against national security. Upon his protest to this verdict, the case was referred to branch 10 of the Urmia Appeal Court which reduced the sentence to 3 years of imprisonment. On March 29, 2017, Badrkhani was summoned to the Prosecutor’s Office Urmia Revolutionary Court where he was arrested and transferred to section 3-4 of the Ordinary Prisoners’ ward at Urmia Central Prison to endure his imprisonment sentence. Also mentioned earlier, he has previously gone on dry food hunger strike during winter 2014 for nine days in protest to his illegal detention in the prison of Urmia Intelligence Office.
