Ali Baderkhani, 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.
In this regard, an informed source has told Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) that this 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 are 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 Baderkhani, 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 Orumiyeh on December 25, 2014, and he was interrogated at the Detention Centre of Orumiyeh 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 Orumiyeh Central Prison on January 15 after being interrogated. Ali Baderkhani was released on bail after spending two months at Orumiyeh Central Prison. A few months later, Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court of Orumiyeh 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 Orumiyeh Appeal Court which reduced the sentence to 3 years of imprisonment.
On March 29, 2017, Baderkhani was summoned to the Prosecutor’s Office Orumiyeh Revolutionary Court where he was arrested and transferred to section 3-4 of the Ordinary Prisoners’ ward at Orumiyeh 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 Orumiyeh Intelligence Office.
It should be noted that the labour ward is one of the worst wards of Orumiyeh Central Prison in terms of facilities. This ward which is separate from the other wards and it is located at the central courtyard of the prison. This ward is often the place where prisoners of heavy drug inmates are held and they are usually given a two day leave every week. The capacity of this section, which is about 150 people, has increased to 400 prisoners who are forced to carry out unpaid labour in the form of managing all the ward’s services and repairs including cooking and repairing equipment, building work, etc.,
