Hussain Hazbavi 
A 56-year-old Iranian radiologist who narrowly avoided execution but received a lengthy prison sentence for his role in Iran’s 2022 protests has launched a hunger strike to protest what he described as “inhumane” treatment in detention.
In an audio message obtained by Iran International, Hamid Qarahassanlou (also known as Gharehassanlou) said he began the hunger strike on Thursday, December 25, in protest against what he called “shocking and inhumane” conditions at Yazd Central Prison.
Qarahassanlou and his wife, Farzaneh, were arrested on November 4, 2022, in Karaj after taking part in nationwide protests. The arrests followed an incident in which a member of the Basij militia, Rouhollah Ajamian, was beaten to death by protesters. Both Qarahassanlou and his wife have consistently denied any involvement in the killing.
Qarahassanlou was initially sentenced to death, while his wife received a 25-year prison sentence. However, following widespread public backlash and questions over the evidence presented, their sentences were later reduced in a second trial. Qarahassanlou’s death sentence was commuted to a long prison term, while Farzaneh was sentenced to five years in prison.
Farzaneh is currently serving her sentence in Mashhad Prison, more than 900 kilometers from Yazd, where her husband remains incarcerated.
In the audio recording, Qarahassanlou said that despite spending more than two and a half years in Yazd Prison, he remains held in the facility’s quarantine ward and has not been transferred to the political prisoners’ ward, despite repeated requests.
He named the prison’s warden, Hassan Madadi Moghaddam, and said the official would be responsible for any consequences arising from his detention conditions.
Qarahassanlou warned that his life is at risk due to the conditions in the quarantine ward, saying he has been deprived of basic prisoner rights, denied access to welfare facilities, and exposed to multiple illnesses.
