Ismail Abdi, a detained teacher in Evin Prison, who had been on hunger strike since April 24th, 2018, in protest to massive violations of teachers and workers’ rights, ended his hunger strike.
According to the Campaign for the Defense Political Civil Prisoners, Ismail Abdi, a detained teacher in Evin Prison and Member of the Board of Directors of the Teachers’ Association of Iran (Tehran), who has been on hunger strike since April 24th, 2018, in protest to massive violations of teachers and workers’ rights, after 23 days, ended his hunger strike on Wednesday, May 16th, 2018.
It has been reported that the imprisoned teacher has terminated his hunger strike following a deterioration in his physical condition.
A source close to the political prisoner said on May 13th when he talked to the Human Rights Campaign in Iran it was noted that: “After ten days of food hunger and fluctuations in blood pressure, respiratory illness, palpitations, and kidney discomfort caused by the hunger strike Mr. Abdi escalated and he requested to be sent to a hospital outside the prison for treatment, but the judicial authorities did not respond to his letter.
The source told the campaign: “Abdi has asthma and palpitations, and after three long hunger strikes he also has kidney problems and suffers from headaches and dizziness. His cell mates say he should go to a hospital out of the prison to treat the pain and prevent his kidney failure. So, he wrote a letter asking to be sent to hospital, but no one answered the letter, either positive or negative. “
Amnesty International, earlier issued a statement calling for the release of Ismail.
The statement, published on April 28th, 2018, refers to the activist’s hunger strike and called on the Islamic Republic authorities to release him soon as possible and without any conditions.
Esmail Abdi, board member of Teachers’ Union, who is serving his imprisonment time in Evin Prison unit 4, started a hunger strike on Tuesday, April 4th, 2018, in protest to massive violations of Iranian citizens, teachers, and workers’ rights. Esmail Abdi recently won the 2018 The National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) Award.
The political prisoner also went on hunger strike with similar demands on July 2015 and May 2016. In both cases, after a prolonged hunger strike and his deteriorated health, he was released temporarily, but shortly after was arrested again. The activist has been arrested and tried several times with similar charges since 2009, and was arrested on November 9th, 2016, and without charge was transferred to Evin Prison for six years imprisonment.
Esmail Abdi was arrested on Thursday June 25th, 2015, after the Iranian education group protested against the disarray of the Educational system. Abdi was illegally arrested when he intended to go to Canada to attend the World Teachers Summit as a representative of the Iran Council for the Coordination of Teachers’ Trade Unions throughout the Country. In January of the same year (2015) in a primitive court order, under the chairmanship of Judge Salavati, he was sentenced to six years of imprisonment, and the verdict was confirmed by Branch 36 of the Tehran Court of Appeals.