Prominent Iranian political prisoner Bahareh Hedayat has announced the end of her hunger strike in protest against the escalating repression by the Islamic government at the request of the families of Mahsa Amini and Javad Rouhi to mark the first anniversary of Amini's arrest by morality police over an alleged head-scarf infraction. Three days later, Amini died in custody.
"Today, September 13, marks the anniversary of the day when Mahsa Amini was abducted by her murderers," Bahareh Hedayat stated in her letter released from Tehran’s Evin Prison.
"In honor of the wishes of Mahsa Amini's family and Javad Rouhi's family, both of whom requested I end my hunger strike, I will cease my strike but will remain steadfast in my commitment."
SEE ALSO: Special Report: The Protests That Shook Iran's Clerical SystemAmini was arrested in Tehran while visiting the Iranian capital with her family. Within hours of her detention, she was hospitalized in a coma and died on September 16.
The 22-year-old's death sparked protests in her hometown of Saghez and quickly spread around the country, posing one of the biggest threats to Iran's clerical establishment since the foundation of the Islamic republic in 1979.
Explaining her decision to go on a hunger strike, Hedayat stated: "On the eve of the anniversary of this proud movement, I embarked on a hunger strike to remind us of how awakened consciences can repel falsehoods and to remember that in this country, truths are still trampled upon by authoritarian rulers."
Hedayat is a student activist and women's rights campaigner in Iran who several times has been arrested and sentenced to long prison terms.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said at least 527 people had been killed during the unrest sparked by Amini's death, including 71 minors, as security forces try to muzzle dissent.