Two Iranian Azerbaijani civilians held at Orumiyeh Central Prison ended their hunger strike on October 19, 2019 upon the leniency promise given by Judge Sheikhlu, the head of branch 2 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court, a reliable source has told the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN).

Ibrahim Khalili Hamadani and his son Salar Khalili Hamadani began to officially serve their prison sentence in the Psychiatric Ward of Orumiyeh Central Prison on September 24.An informed source told KHRN that when Ali Sheikhlu visited Orumiyeh Central Prison on Tuesday October 15, the above-mentioned political prisoners informed him of their hunger strike. Upon the promise of Sheikhlu regarding a review of their case and reduction of their sentence, they ended their hunger strike yesterday.”

The two political prisoners have been on a hunger strike since September 25 in protest against the heavy sentences issued against them.

A source said that the trial of these two civilians was held on September 18 at the Branch 2 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Orumiyeh, while they were denied the right to select their own lawyers.

The court eventually sentenced each of them to 15 years in prison for membership in the banned PMOI in addition to one-year imprisonment for propaganda against the state.

The two civilians were each sentenced to three years in prison by Branch 3 of the Orumiyeh Revolutionary Court on charges of “filming military centres”. considering their previous convictions, each of these civilians were each sentenced to a total of 19 years in prison. Per Article 2 of the Islamic Penal Code, up to 15 years of imprisonment sentenced is enforceable in law.

Iranian security forces in Orumiyeh arrested Ebrahim Khalili Hamedani along with his two children Salar and Maryam (Mahsa) Khalili Hamadani on February 23, 2019.

After two months of interrogation, they were taken from the Ministry of Intelligence Detention Centre in Orumiyeh to the Orumiyeh Central Prison.

Maryam Khalili Hamadani was released on April 25 on a bail of 250 million Tomans while the other two members of the family are still held at the Psychiatric Ward of the prison.

Ibrahim Khalili Hamadani, a civilian from Orumiyeh, was arrested in 2005 on charges of membership in the PMOI and sentenced to six years in prison. He was released from prison per the law of ‘Conditional Release’ after he served two years in prison.