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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Prisoners from Iran's western Kurdish regions (Rojhelat) in Sulaimani have been on a hunger strike for 9 days, demanding repatriation to Iran for trial.
Fifteen individuals have been on hunger strike since February 1, a representative of the protesting prisoners in Sulaimani's Correctional Facility told Rudaw on condition of anonymity.
'Since yesterday, 8 of us have completely sewn their mouths shut and we will continue the hunger strike until our demands are met,' he said, highlighting that the health of most of the prisoners is deteriorating.
'From a humanitarian perspective, we sympathize with these prisoners, but from a legal standpoint, we don't, since some of these prisoners are being held for charges related to large amounts of drugs and should not be sent back,' head of Justice Network for Prisoners told Rudaw on Sunday. Shwan Sabir Gardi also warned that some of the prisoners could face the death penalty if they are sent back to Iran due to the severity of their charges.
Amnesty International has repeatedly criticized Iran for executing a large number of individuals convicted of drug-related offenses. In June 2024, the human rights watchdog described Tehran's use of the death penalty for drug-related crimes as a 'deadly war on the poor.'
The prisoners are requesting to be transferred to Iran due to financial hardship inside the prison. While they receive funds from their families in Iran, the amounts are minimal given the decline in the value of the Iranian rial.
Gardi stressed that any retrial should be carried out 'within the framework of the law' and requires the detainees 'to present new and substantial evidence' to prove their innocence.
The cases of these prisoners are currently being closely followed and actively addressed, said Ihsan Abdulrahman, head of the Correctional Facility told Rudaw.
Soran Hussein contributed to this article.
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