‘BRAVE ADVOCATE’

Iranian Civil Rights Activist Released From Prison After Four-Month Hunger Strike

Farhad Meysami had been on a hunger strike since Oct. 8, protesting the imprisonment and execution of political-civil prisoners.

Farhad Meysami, an Iranian civil rights activist, was released from jail Friday following over four years of incarceration for protesting Iran’s compulsory hijab wearing. An image circulated days before his release shows Meysami in an emaciated state caused by a hunger strike in protest of the imprisonment and execution of political-civil prisoners, as well as the continued policy requiring women in Iran to wear a hijab. The Center for Human Rights in Iran reported Meysami lost 110 pounds during his strike, which began Oct. 7. Meysami’s release comes as a result of Ayatollah Khamenei providing amnesty to a number of prisoners Feb. 5, including several anti-government protestors.