Today marks the thirty seventh day of my hunger strike. I write this letter from the 4^th ward of Evin prison as I begin a new phase in my strike whereby I will refuse water, salt, and tea starting tomorrow, Saturday September 8^th, 2018.

The first phase of my hunger strike was without any specific demands, with the purpose of deterring the security apparatus from harassing third party individuals and in protest to the biased and unjust legal process that deprives one of access to an independent lawyer and any meaningful opportunity for defending oneself. [Now] for the second phase of my hunger strike (full hunger strike) I have the specific demand of the unconditional and immediate release of Reza Khandan [husband of prominent Iranian lawyer and activist Nasrin Sotoudeh] and I demand an end to the summoning and interrogation of his sister, as well as Jila Makvandi and Davoud Farhadpour. These demands can in fact be seen as specific instances of the more general concerns that I had previously raised.

I understand that the economic hardships that Iranians experience today are so burdensome that they probably should have priority over any other issue. However, the terrible [economic] situation we are in, is itself rooted in the egregious mistakes and flawed conventions of policy-making, as well as the systematically unjust backlash toward dissenting voices, and continual repression of any attempts toward reform and progressive change. We must, therefore, never abandon our efforts towards reform and change for the sake of the alleged possibility that the general public has lost interest. I deeply thank all those who have, through their utmost sincere letters and messages, attempted to convince me to end my hunger strike. I consider their compassion and their very existence a valuable blessing for Iranian society. Out of respect for their concerns, I will accept intravenous therapy so long as it is necessary and will continue to take medication for my chronic ulcerative colitis. I will do my best to take all precautions to avoid any immediate risks, so that my principal demands can be adequately asserted and thoroughly considered. Having said that, we must bear in mind that no advocacy for fundamental rights and no collective social action towards change can be effective without accepting some degree of risk, though it is important to reasonably consider the risks and act responsibly.

I am determined to act as such while I humbly appeal to concerned social, political, and legal activists to shift the focus of their efforts from the minor issue of ending an individual’s hunger strike, to the more significant issues of providing access to fair legal processes, with emphasis on the right to a meaningful defense, ending the practice of forcing defendants to choose their attorneys from a list of twenty state-approved lawyers, allowing defendants to have an independent lawyer during the whole judicial process, allowing defendants adequate time to prepare and compile documents, and making trial and hearings public and accessible to independent media.

No change will come unless we, together, seek our rightful demands with unyielding determination and resistance , through non-violent, albeit sometimes costly, means.

I firmly believe that through these struggles, everyone will emerge triumphantly; not just ourselves, but even those who oppose us. (I say ”everyone” because I believe that the majority view among individuals working within the state’s security apparatus is that the current judicial system based on limiting the defendant to twenty state-approved lawyers is unjust. Even my own interrogator admitted that he did not find it acceptable.) Therefore, we must move forward together with patience and perseverance towards that which is in the public interest.

The power of our collective will is sufficiently strong, but I am confident that along the way, there will be some among our opposing camp who will, in their own way, contribute to the realization of these goals.

Farhad Meysami

September 7, 2018.

Ward no.4, Evin Prison, Tehran