Six Southern Azerbaijani political prisoners — Vadud Asadi, Mahmoud Ojaqlu, Morteza Parvin, Ayaz Seyfkhah, Salar Tahir Afshar, and Abdulaziz Azimi Qadim — who are being held in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, have launched a hunger strike to protest unjust court rulings and discrimination.

According to Azerbaijani activists, they have been sentenced to over one hundred years in prison in total on the basis of false charges fabricated by Iranian security agencies. The prisoners have declared that the aim of their protest is to defend the rights of Azerbaijani Turks and demand justice.

In addition, Karim Ismayilzadeh, a national activist detained in Tabriz, and Tahir Naqavi, another prisoner held in Evin Prison, have also joined the hunger strike.