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Latest report on condition of detained couple in Isfahan

While there is no news of the whereabouts of Hamid Shafiee, latest reports indicate that his wife, Reyhaneh Aghajary, who is being held in the political security wing of the Dastgard prison has started a hunger strike, reports FCNN.

According to Farsi Christian News Network (fcnn.com) two weeks has passed since the arrest and detention of a Christian couple by the names of Reyhaneh Aghajary, and her husband, Hamid Shafiee. Reports indicate that on February 28, 2010, security forces stormed the residence of this couple and took them away to an undisclosed location. The efforts by their two children and relatives in securing reliable information as to their whereabouts and condition have been unsuccessful thus far.

Unidentified sources in Isfahan have indicated that Mrs. Reyhaneh Aghajary is being held in a special wing of the Dastgard prison in Isfahan, where political prisoner are kept, and due to the rough and inappropriate behavior of the prison officials and their negligence in providing for her needs, has begun a hunger strike over the last few days. Even though Reyhaneh remains in good physical conditions her main worry is the condition of her two underage children who have no parental care and supervision.

The same report adds that so far there has been no news of the whereabouts and condition of Mr. Hamid Shafiee, the husband of Reyhaneh, who was arrested at the same time as his wife.

Sources close to this incident have reported that there is another Christian lady who is imprisoned along with Reyhaneh Aghajary at the same facilities. No one knows who she is and how long she has been in custody. This clearly proves that there are many Christian men and women who have been imprisoned for their beliefs and there are no reports of their identity and the circumstances surrounding their arrests and detentions.

On March 12, 2010, the spokesperson for the US State Department expressed the serious concerns of the United States regarding the ill-treatment of religious minorities such as Christians and Bahia's. In this published report Philip Crowley, spokesperson for the US State Department, has explicitly spoken of the many Iranians who have been illegally arrested and detained in undisclosed locations for the religious beliefs. This report has also expressed, in the strongest language possible, the concerns that the United States has regarding the treatment of Iranians by their own government.

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TAGS: Iran Hamid Shafiee Reyhaneh Aghajary Dastgard prison persecution hunger strike anti-Christian violence

[03/16/2010]

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