Hamed Qareh Oghlani, a Turkish political prisoner who is serving his 14-year sentence in Urmia Central Prison, marked the sixth day of his hunger strike. According to the Iran Human Rights Monitor (Iran HRM), Hamed Qareh Oghlani, a Turkish political prisoner, began his hunger strike on Sunday, January 14, 2024, in protest against being deprived of the right to medical leave. Today, he is on the sixth day of his hunger strike.
On Tuesday, January 16, 2024, while Hamed was on the third day of his hunger strike, he was transferred to solitary confinement by prison officials in Urmia Prison. Hamed Qareh Oghlani suffers from the debilitating condition of grand mal epilepsy. He has resorted to a hunger strike due to the worsening of his illness, and in protest to the prison authorities’ refusal to transfer him to a hospital or grant him medical leave. Hamed’s transfer to solitary confinement, considering the worsening of his illness, has caused great concern among his family.
Hamed Qareh Oghlani, 37 years old,is a graduate student of Architecture at Beheshti University and a resident of Urmia. He was arrested in June 2020 by forces from the Department of Intelligence in Urmia. He was initially charged with “waging war against God through membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran,” “participation in military training courses,” “attacks on Basij bases,” “propaganda against the state,” and “insulting the supreme leader.”
In the first phase of his trial, he was sentenced to death, but in the second phase, his sentence was eventually reduced to 14 years and one month in prison. Mr. Qareh Oghlani’s lawyer earlier argued that his client was struggling with physical and mental problems. He accepted responsibility based on his mental illness for actions he had not undertaken. He accepted these accusations under the pressure of interrogation and torture.
The security forces’ transfer of Hamed Qareh Oghlani to solitary confinement to compel him to end his hunger strike is unlawful and a violation of the basic rights of prisoners.
