The Life of Abbas Lisani is in Danger

The Life of Abbas Lisani is in Danger !

The ethnic Azerbaijani prisoner of conscience Abbas Lisani continues his hunger strike at Iran's Ardebil prison. He refuses to stop his strike despite numerous appeals and deteriorating health.
Abbas Lisani is convicted to 30 month imprisonment and 3 years of exile for his activity for cultural rights of Iranian Azerbaijanis under charges of propaganda against regime, speaking Azerbaijani in the court, participation and organization of illegal gathering.

Mr. Lisani's defense lawyer, Mohammad Reza Fagihi, director of the Committee for Protection of Prisoners, says he fears for his client's health. Mr Lisani's wife says her husband lost almost half of his weight, he hardly speaks and moves.
Abbas Lisani suffers from stomach and kidney problems, and pain in his ribs, which is a consequence of torture inflicted during previous periods of detention. Mr Lisani insistedly continues his hunger strike in solitary confinement in the tiny, unheated cell where he is being kept since January 18. This condition is unbearable for anyone let alone for the person who is in hunger strike and suffers from the lack of nutrition.
Prisoner of conscience Abbas Lisani began a hunger strike on January 1, 2007, in protest at the violation of his prisoner rights, and at the harassment of his family. He refused to stop his hunger strike despite being threatened by the prison authorities. On January 18 he was moved to solitary confinement where he is detained in a very small cell without any heating, in an area of Ardebil, where the temperature reaches -10o C during the night. He has no access to any medical care, his health is deteriorating and Mr. Lisani's wife Rugayya Lisani and his lawyer Mohammad Reza Fagihi say Abbas Lisani's life is in danger. Family of Mr Lisani has been constantly harassed for delivering information to international organizations.
Mr Lisani is announced as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International as he believed to be arrested for peaceful activity for cultural rights of Iranian Azerbaijanis. Arrested in June for taking part in a May 2006 demonstrations in Ardebil, Mr. Lisani was detained until his release on bail in September. During his pre-trial detention, he conducted a hunger strike that lasted fifty-eight days.

The Committee for Abbas Lisani's Rights asks you to express your concern about inhuman detention conditions of Mr Abbas Lisani and call on Iranian Government to provide Mr Lisani with medicare.


For more information:
Committee for Abbas Lisani's rights
e-mail: lisani.info@yahoo.com