Press Releases: Death of Iranian Political Prisoner and Human Rights Activist Vahid Sayadi-Nassiri

image_pdfimage_print

Press Statement

Robert Palladino

Deputy Spokesperson

Washington, DC
December 13, 2018


We are deeply saddened by the reports of the unconscionable death of Mr. Vahid Sayadi-Nassiri, a human rights activist who the Iranian regime arbitrarily detained and who died in prison. Mr. Sayadi-Nassiri went on a hunger strike to protest his arbitrary arrest and detention in Qom, where he had no access to legal counsel, was held in inhumane conditions, and was charged with spurious national security offences such as “insulting the Supreme Leader.” Mr. Sayadi-Nassiri languished in prison without his voice able to reach the outside world and he is just one of many more unjustly detained prisoners held at the mercy of the Iranian regime’s whims.

The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms the Iranian regime for its unceasingly flagrant human rights violations. We demand that the regime stops subjecting Iranians who are peacefully voicing their opinions to brutal conditions and slow deaths and that it release all those unjustly imprisoned; such as Dr. Farhad Meisami – who is also on hunger strike, and Nissrin Satoudeh. How many more people will die because of the Iranian regime’s disregard for human life and dignity? Ayatollah Khamenei recently said “No one in Iran is prosecuted or placed under pressure for criticizing the government, and if any one claims they have been, he or she has lied.” Who is the liar?

We offer our sincere condolences to the family of Mr. Sayadi-Nassiri and we demand that the regime give the Iranian people the respect and rights that they deserve.