UK – Iran International, March 08, 2025
Iranian-American journalist Reza Valizadeh, a former reporter for US-funded Radio Farda, has launched a hunger strike in Evin Prison, protesting what he calls an unjust and rushed legal process that resulted in his 10-year prison sentence.
Valizadeh, who was arrested in September last year after returning to Iran to visit family, was convicted of collaborating with a hostile government—a charge his legal team and international observers have strongly denounced.
In January, an Iranian appeals court upheld his sentence despite his lawyer arguing that the punishment is disproportionate to the alleged crime.
In a message from Evin Prison obtained by Iran International, Valizadeh said his hunger strike is in response to the Iranian judiciary’s refusal to review key aspects of his case. He said that until the full scope of issues raised during interrogations and court proceedings are reconsidered, he will continue his protest.
“The public must know that the judicial process for political prisoners in Iran is hasty, lacks thorough examination, and leads to lengthy and unfair sentences,” he wrote.
