Evin political prisoner Kazem Alinejad Baranlou critical on dry hunger strike

The physical condition of Kazem Alinejad Baranlou, a political prisoner held in Tehran's Evin prison, has become critical as his dry hunger strike continues. A well-informed source said on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, that the political prisoner began a dry hunger strike several days ago in protest at being denied medical care and essential medication, and has announced he will continue until his medical demands are addressed.

According to the source, Kazem Alinejad Baranlou suffers from heart and kidney disease, but prison officials have refused to give him his medication or send him to medical facilities outside the prison. Sores that have developed on his feet have taken away his ability to walk and carry out daily tasks, and his physical condition has been described as "worrying".

Pressure to write a "letter of repentance"

The same source said security and prison officials have pressured the political prisoner to write a "letter of repentance" and that all his means of contact with the outside world have been cut off. The Islamic Republic's authorities have so far given no explanation about his condition.

The Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced Kazem Alinejad Baranlou to 11 years in prison in December 2023/January 2024, a sentence the appeals court reduced to five years in April/May 2024.

Denial of treatment, a tool of pressure on political prisoners

Denying political prisoners treatment and medication is a well-known method of pressure in the Islamic Republic's prisons, and many prisoners have turned to hunger strikes to secure their basic rights, including Mokhtar Al-Boushokeh and Hamzeh Savari, who are on hunger strike in Arak and Ghezelhesar prisons. A dry hunger strike, meaning refusing both food and water, can endanger a prisoner's life within a short time, especially one suffering from heart and kidney disease.

Kazem Alinejad Baranlou, a sick political prisoner in Evin, is risking his life on a dry hunger strike to obtain treatment.