Arash Sadeghi (, born September 29, 1986) is an

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

and a

political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although ...

known best for his

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...

as an act of protest against the detention of his wife without any judiciary proof or legal warrant. Sadeghi was a university student in

Allameh Tabatabaei University Allameh Tabataba'i University (ATU; �ælɒːˈme tæbɒːtæbɒːˈʔiː, ''Dânešgâh-e allâme Tabâtabâyi'') is the largest and the leading specialized public university in humanities and social sciences in Iran. With 15,624 students and 4 ...

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

where he was expelled by the authorities due to his political activities. Sadeghi ended his hunger strike after 71 days after his wife was granted temporary release from prison. He was released from prison on May 1, 2021. Sadeghi was arrested again on October 12, 2022 during the

Mahsa Amini protests Civil unrest and protests against the Government of Iran, government of the Islamic Republic of Iran associated with the Death in custody, death in police custody of Death of Mahsa Amini#Victim, Mahsa Amini () began on 16 September 2022 and ca ...

Activism

He was first arrested on July 9, 2009 after the results of the controversial 2009 Presidential Election were announced due to which

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (born Mahmoud Sabbaghian on 28 October 1956) is an Iranian Iranian principlists, principlist and Iranian nationalism, nationalist politician who served as the sixth president of Iran from 2005 to 2013. He is currently a mem ...

would be kept in power for a second term. He was then taken to custody from which he was released after 90 days. He was arrested again for a second time in December of the same year. In 2013 he was sentenced to 19 years in prison for the following charges:

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...

against the government,

defamation Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...

of the

supreme leader A supreme leader or supreme ruler typically refers to powerful figures with an unchallenged authority, such as autocrats, dictators to spiritual and revolutionary leaders. Historic examples are Adolf Hitler () of Nazi Germany, Francisco ...

, and threatening national security. Sadeghi went on a

on October 24, 2016 to protest against the arrest of his wife who was detained on the charge of writing a fiction which has not yet been published. The short story was handwritten in her personal diary which was confiscated in a raid by government security agents. Her short personal story in her journal was about Stoning Women to death which has been carried out by the Iranian judiciary. As of 2016 there were multiple campaigns raising awareness about his condition.

Mother's death during security forces' raid

During an earlier raid by Iranian security forces in 2010 when he was not home, his mother suffered a heart attack and died a few days later in hospital as a result of the heart attack. The security agents kept ransacking the house while she laid on the floor due to the heart attack.

Cancer affliction and denied treatment

Arash Sadeghi has been diagnosed with a bone tumor. Amnesty criticized the Iranian authorities for “disregarding medical advice which recommends his immediate transfer to a facility specializing in cancer treatment.” Sadeghi was reported to have suffered pain in his shoulder for several months, with the prison clinic in Raja’i Shahr, Karaj, prescribing anti-inflammatory drugs. Finally he received an X-ray in May 2018 and later an MRI. On May 10, 2021, it was reported that Sadeghi had been released from prison on May 1, 2021, pursuant to a May 2020 law that reduced prison sentences for political prisoners.

Hunger strike

Sadeghi has been on

for several times. His kidney and stomach ailments were attributed to the hunger strikes.

Twitter Campaign

On the 68th day of his strike, Iranian

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

users started a widespread campaign to raise awareness about Arash Sadeghi's critical condition; consequently, the hashtag #SaveArash became the number 1 trending hashtag on Twitter.

2022 arrest

During the

Sadeghi was arrested again on October 12, 2022. His father, Hossein Sadeghi, broke out the news on his Twitter account by writing only one sentence: "Arash Sadeghi was arrested." In a call to his family, Sadeghi said that he was transferred to ward 209 of

Evin Prison Evin Prison () is a prison located in the Evin neighborhood of Tehran, Iran. The prison has been the primary site for detaining Iran's political prisoners since 1972, before and after the Iranian Revolution, in a purpose-built wing nicknamed "E ...

which is run by the government's Ministry of Intelligence.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sadeghi, Arash Living people Iranian prisoners and detainees 1986 births Iranian hunger strikers Iranian activists Inmates of Evin Prison Political prisoners in Iran