34 Women Prisoners on Hunger Strike in Iran

Iranian women walk in the street without wearing a headscarf, in Tehran, Iran, 10 April 2023. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
Iranian women walk in the street without wearing a headscarf, in Tehran, Iran, 10 April 2023. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
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34 Women Prisoners on Hunger Strike in Iran

Iranian women walk in the street without wearing a headscarf, in Tehran, Iran, 10 April 2023. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
Iranian women walk in the street without wearing a headscarf, in Tehran, Iran, 10 April 2023. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

Thirty-four women prisoners went on hunger strike in the Evin Prison on Sunday to mark the second anniversary of the nationwide protests sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody, said the foundation of Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi.

“Today, on the 15th September 2024, 34 female political prisoners in Evin Prison have gone on a hunger strike in commemoration of the second anniversary of the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement and the killing of Mahsa (Jina) Amini,” the foundation said.

Amini was a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd whose death in custody after her arrest for allegedly violating the strict dress code for women sparked the demonstrations.

“On the second anniversary of the ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ movement, we reaffirm our commitment to achieving democracy, freedom, and equality and to defeating theocratic despotism,” Mohammadi, who has been in Tehran’s Evin prison since November 2021, said in a statement on her official X account.

Earlier, an Instagram account linked to the jailed activist published an audio clip of female prisoners chanting protest songs and slogans against reformists and conservatives in Iran. They called for the release of prisoners and for an immediate halt to executions in the country.

Meanwhile, Iranian authorities imposed tight security measures in Kurdish-majority cities west the country, fearing disturbances on the anniversary of the protests.

Mohammadi was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her fight for both women's rights and the abolition of the death penalty.

Mohammadi's children received the Nobel Peace Price on her behalf in 2023 while she was incarcerated.

She has spent much of the past decade in and out of jail and has staged repeated hunger strikes.

In June 2024, Branch 29 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced Mohammadi to one additional year in prison for “propaganda activities against the state.”

According to her family, her sentences now amount to 12 years and three months of imprisonment, 154 lashes, two years of exile, and various social and political restrictions.



UN Names Former British Diplomat Tom Fletcher to Lead Aid Efforts

Fletcher replaces Martin Griffiths, who stepped down at the end of June for health reasons.
Fletcher replaces Martin Griffiths, who stepped down at the end of June for health reasons.
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UN Names Former British Diplomat Tom Fletcher to Lead Aid Efforts

Fletcher replaces Martin Griffiths, who stepped down at the end of June for health reasons.
Fletcher replaces Martin Griffiths, who stepped down at the end of June for health reasons.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday appointed former British diplomat Tom Fletcher as the new aid chief for the world body amid worsening humanitarian crises in the Gaza Strip, Sudan and elsewhere, largely driven by conflict.

Fletcher replaces Martin Griffiths, who stepped down at the end of June for health reasons.

Fletcher - who is currently the principal of Hertford College, Oxford - was the British ambassador to Lebanon from 2011-2015 and served as the foreign and development policy adviser to three British prime ministers between 2007-2011, the UN said in a statement.

He "has strong experience of leading and transforming organizations and bringing an understanding of diplomacy at the highest levels," the UN said.

UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said he did not know when Fletcher would take up the role.

The announcement comes as UN efforts to tackle humanitarian needs around the world are significantly underfunded.

The UN has appealed for $49 billion in 2024 to help 187.6 million of the people in need across 73 countries. But the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which Fletcher will lead, said on Wednesday that so far it has only received $16.21 billion.