Jailed blogger Hossein Ronaghi Maleki, who recently began a hunger strike, is in dire health, his parents reported after visiting him on Monday.
Ronaghi Maleki’s parents told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that officials confirmed he was on a hunger strike and that he has lost considerable weight.
Ronaghi Maleki reportedly suffers from kidney complications and has repeatedly applied for medical leave.
His mother indicated that the judiciary has been denying the applications under pressure from the Revolutionary Guards.
The jailed blogger announced his hunger strike in an open letter to Tehran Prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi, railing against his “unjust 15-year sentence” and challenging the refusal to allow him to receive critical medical treatment.
Ronaghi Maleki was arrested for his media activities during the post-election protests of 2009, as part of the widespread crackdown on protesters who disputed the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
