On the fourth day of his hunger strike, Nazem Breihi, an Arab Ahwazi political prisoner held at Sheiban Prison in Ahwaz, was forcibly and violently transferred to solitary confinement by prison security forces.
According to reports received by the Karun Human Rights Organization, prison security personnel entered Ward 5 on Saturday and subjected Breihi to severe physical assault. Breihi reportedly resisted the transfer in an attempt to prevent being placed in solitary confinement. However, officers beat him, bound his hands and feet, forcibly removed him from the ward, and transferred him to an isolation cell.
This action was taken despite prior formal warnings issued by Breihi in a written letter addressed to the head of Sheiban Prison, in which he explicitly stated that transfer to solitary confinement—particularly while on hunger strike—would pose a serious and immediate threat to his life. Nevertheless, prison authorities not only ignored his deteriorating physical condition and lawful demands, but instead escalated security pressure, significantly worsening the conditions of his detention.
According to the report, Breihi is currently being held in solitary confinement while continuing his hunger strike. He has long suffered from chronic medical conditions, including kidney disease, joint inflammation, and persistent pain. Human rights sources have expressed grave concern about his physical and psychological well-being, warning that the continuation of a hunger strike under solitary confinement—especially following physical abuse—poses an imminent risk to his life.
The Karun Human Rights Organization has strongly condemned the violent assault and forced transfer of Nazem Breihi to solitary confinement, describing these actions as torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment. The organization has called for the immediate end of his solitary confinement, unconditional access to independent medical care, and accountability for Sheiban Prison officials and responsible security authorities.
Nazem Breihi, an Arab Ahwazi civil activist from Hamidiyeh, born in 1986, was arrested on September 10, 2005, along with six other civil activists. After months of interrogation and torture, he was initially sentenced to death on charges including “acting against national security,” “corruption on earth,” and “enmity against God.” This sentence was later overturned by Iran’s Supreme Court and commuted to life imprisonment.
Throughout more than two decades of incarceration, Breihi has consistently been denied prison leave and has repeatedly warned of the serious deterioration of his health.
