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Farhad Meysami is an imprisoned Iranian civil rights activist. He is a physician by training and a known advocate for women’s rights. Meysami firmly supported the Iranian women’s campaign against forced hijab for over 4 years, for which he was charged with national security offenses by national security officers.  As a graduate of Tehran University’s medical school, Dr. Meysami gave up practicing medicine to train the next generation as a biology teacher. He also launched a highly successful publishing company which focused on publishing books to help students better prepare for the university entrance exam. These books frequently cite the importance of ethical standards over academic excellence.  Dr. Meysami became a staunch supporter of “Revolution Women”, a group of Iranian women who, in early 2018, took off their headscarves to publicly protest the forced hijab. Many were arrested and others, including Meysami, were imprisoned for this peaceful civil action.

The Iranian regime has charged him with “collusion and conspiracy to threaten national security,” as well as “disseminating propaganda against the regime” and “insulting the hijab, an essential sacrament of Islam,” as reported by Iran’s Human Rights Activists news agency (HRANA). 

Dr. Meysami has been on a hunger strike a few times over the years, protesting against illegal handling of his own case and others, including that of Nasrin Sotoudeh and Hamidreza Jalali, who was sentenced to execution.

In a letter dated October 2nd from Evin prison, Dr. Meysami acknowledged the people’s protests as a response to the violation of their rights. In his own words: “The ongoing national torture to this extent is unfathomable. The daily plunder of people’s assets was supposed to push a Civil Society towards poverty, to weaken it to the point of no resilience and total breakdown. They must have forgotten that “we may have fallen from our horse but not from our virtue”! It is not possible anymore to tolerate this systematic abuse to the body and mind, and to the dignity and pride of human beings. End these alarming arrests and detainment. The continuation of these unwise actions has transformed the sad loss of one life into a crisis where many more are being killed. You are responsible for each of these individual burnt down lives, as much as you are responsible for the previous massacres”. 

We, the undersigned, strongly believe that Farhad Meysami has to be freed immediately and receive appropriate medical care, and serve the people of his country.  Be Farhad’s voice!

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This is the English translation of his friends and supporters letter over a month ago:“We are a group of friends and supporters of Dr. Farhad Meysami who is currently on a hunger strike. We condemn the torture that he has endured from the Iranian government and are extremely worried about his physical and mental health. We express our full support of his legitimate and humanistic demands and we demand his immediate transfer to hospital with all due respect to human dignity.The Iranian government, specifically officials at the Rajai Shahr prison where Dr. Meysami is being held, are responsible for the well being of all prisoners including Dr. Farhad Meysami. We hereby alert the Iranian government that we will use all legal avenues available to us to hold the Iranian government accountable if Dr. Meysami’s basic human rights are ignored. Please find more information about Dr. Meysami in the following telegram channel : @farhadmeysami_news” 

Find the link to the Persian petition here: https://forms.gle/Y2qhjEMLt2R1bXkH9