Hunger Strike Continues in Urmia Prison Amid Official Neglect
Hamed Qareh Oghlani, a political prisoner held in Urmia Central Prison, has entered a critical stage of his hunger strike, with his physical and mental condition severely deteriorating. He began his hunger strike on April 11, 2025, in protest of the authorities’ failure to address his legal case. He is currently held in solitary confinement, enduring harsh conditions without access to adequate medical care.
Denied Medical Treatment Amid Official Indifference
According to informed sources, Qareh Oghlani suffers from chronic grand mal epilepsy. Following an escalation of seizures, low blood pressure, and severe physical weakness, he was transferred to the prison infirmary in a wheelchair yesterday. However, despite his alarming condition, he refused IV treatment and was immediately returned to solitary confinement. He has been denied medical services and hospital transfer, and prison authorities continue to refuse him medical furlough.
In addition to his physical ailments, Qareh Oghlani is also experiencing serious psychological crises. The prolonged detention, solitary confinement, and reported torture have jeopardized his mental health, underscoring the urgent need for both medical and humanitarian intervention.
Recurring Hunger Strikes Over Broken Promises
This is not the first time Qareh Oghlani has used hunger strikes to protest injustice. In January 2025, he went on hunger strike after being denied conditional release. He temporarily ended the strike on February 17, 2025, after receiving promises from prison officials. However, the authorities’ failure to fulfill their commitments forced him to resume the hunger strike in April 2025.
Security Arrest and a Suspicious Legal Process
Hamed Qareh Oghlani was arrested by the Ministry of Intelligence in Urmia on June 27, 2020, and was held for nearly three weeks in a security detention center where he was interrogated. He was then transferred to Urmia Prison, where he has remained since. Initially, Branch 2 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court sentenced him to death on the charge of moharebeh (waging war against God) through membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization. However, on appeal, this charge was dropped. He was ultimately sentenced to 13 years in prison for membership in opposition groups and 13 months for insulting the Supreme Leader.
Appeal for Retrial Rejected; Lack of Fair Trial Procedures
Despite a formal objection filed by Qareh Oghlani’s lawyer highlighting the physical and psychological torture he endured during interrogation, the Supreme Court rejected the request for retrial on July 27, 2021, within just five days. In published defense statements, his lawyer stated that Qareh Oghlani had accepted charges that were fundamentally false while under severe psychological pressure.
A Life Interrupted Behind Bars
Hamed Qareh Oghlani, born on July 8, 1986, holds a master’s degree in architecture and was working in urban design prior to his arrest. He is one of many young people who have been targeted and suppressed by security institutions for their alleged political views and activities. Now, nearly five years since his arrest, his physical and mental health are on the verge of collapse.
