Ethnic Iranian Azeri political prisoner begins hunger strike

Ethnic Iranian Azeri political prisoner, Ebrahim Nouri, went on hunger strike this week in Ahar Prison, in north-west Iran, according to local reports.
He wrote a letter announcing that he was beginning his hunger strike on Thursday, July 28.
He wrote: "The legal conduct has been my path to struggle from the moment of arrest until now. Unfortunately, due to lack of legal consequence, I will embark on a political conduct in addition to my legal conduct in the second phase. Therefore, for the realization of our legitimate rights and to achieve the proper result, I will go on hunger strike and I will not stop my protest even I reach the brink of death.”

Ebrahim Nouri was arrested and transferred to prison in Ahar on July 17. He was charged for taking part in a gathering, collusion against national security, propaganda against the regime and encouraging protests.
Thousands of ethnic Iranian Turks (Azeris) in various cities including Tehran, Tabriz, Orumiyeh, Zanjan, Ahar, Khoy and Ardebil protested on Tuesday and Thursday of this week over denigration of Azeris by the state media.
The rallies were triggered by the publication of derogatory statements in the state-run media against Iran’s largest ethnic minority group. The July 20 edition of the state-run daily Tarhe-No (issue no 868) had published an insulting reference to ethnic Iranian Azeris.