Growing Concerns Over Health Of Imprisoned Dr. Mehdi Khazali Now On Day 70 Of Hunger Strike

After seventy days on hunger strike, Dr. Mehdi Khazali is in dire health and can barely stand on his feet.

Dr. Khazali’s family were able to visit him in prison on Thursday March 7, but his very poor condition and loss of strength has added to their worries and concerns.

According to his daughter, Zahra Khazali, he was so weak that he could barely walk and has lost a lot of weight.

Dr. Khazali was arrested on October 30, 2012 (his fifth arrest since 2009), during the Writers Association meeting, and despite bail having been set and posted, he remains incarcerated.

GVF had previously reported that despite judge’s order for Dr. Khazali’s release on bail, and bail having been posted by his family, Dr. Khazali will not be released until he denounces the Green leaders (Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard and Mehdi Karoubi, all of whom have been under house arrest for more than two years).

On day 63 of Dr. Khazali’s hunger strike, his son, Mohamad Saleh posted on his Facebook page, “Today was Dad’s 63rd day of hunger strike. At 6 o’clock in the afternoon the house phone rang. I answered.

It was a voice that was a testament of 63 days of hunger strike and a dad so weak that could hardly stand on his feet after all this time on hunger strike, that after a few minutes of conversation, says: “My legs are weak, I can no longer stand, so I will say goodbye”.

Dr. Khazali’s daughter posted this note on her Facebook after their visit on Thursday March 7, “After two weeks of worries and anxiety, from behind the glass window of the visiting room, as the glare of the lights in the window prevented me from seeing clearly, I saw the shadow of a man, barely able to walk, wearing white sandals, so weak that he could not lift his feet and was dragging his feet on the floor.

His bony shoulders down, and his hands interlocked, as from the cold, was twisting himself, and with a light blue shirt, same color as the ocean of his heart…..I moved closer to the window and leaned against the glass to see better. It was my father, my father more dear to me than my life. My hands and legs trembling, a cry choaked in my throat. With eyes filled with tears, smiling, he was coming towards us.”

Source: GVF