An Irish man who has been held in an Iranian prison on charges of inciting propaganda against the regime has told his family he is going on hunger strike.
Bernard Phelan (64), from Clonmel, Co Tipperary, is currently being held in a cell containing 16 prisoners with no glass in the windows, meaning temperatures drop as low as minus 5 degrees at night.
The family are concerned for Mr Phelan’s health, which has deteriorated significantly since his detention. He has a heart condition, and they say he has been refused access to warm clothes and hot-water bottles.
He denies all the charges against him. His family believe he has been detained as part of a political dispute between the French and Iranian governments relating to anti-government protests in the country.
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Mr Phelan, who works for an Iranian tour operator, has dual French-Irish citizenship, lives in France and was travelling on a French passport at the time of his detention.
His family was informed through French officials handling his case that he has gone on hunger strike since January 1st, his sister Caroline Massé-Phelan said on Tuesday. He has also said he is refusing his medication which he requires for various medical conditions.
Ms Massé-Phelan said her brother informed officials he was “doing a Bobby Sands” and that it might make communications with him even more difficult in future. Mr Phelan has only been permitted to speak to family members twice since his detention in the notorious Vakilabad Prison on October 3rd last.
Irish diplomatic officials working with French counterparts to secure Mr Phelan’s freedom have been informed of the development.
Mr Phelan is one of seven French citizens currently being detained by the Iranian regime, which has been rocked by widespread anti-government protests since September.
Tehran has accused France of attempting to stir up the protests, while the French government has said its nationals are being held as state hostages.
Mr Phelan’s sister said he was “in the wrong place at the wrong time”.
He was travelling through the city of Mashhad as part of a research trip when he was arrested for allegedly taking photographs of police officers and a mosque which had been burned.
He was then held in solitary confinement for two weeks before being transferred to Vakilabad Prison.
After a month in custody, he was charged with engaging in propaganda against the Iranian regime and with sending photographs to the Guardian newspaper.
A third set of charges were later lodged, accusing Mr Phelan of stealing two pieces of 900-year-old pottery from a historic village he had visited.
Mr Phelan’s 97-year-old father, Vincent, has written to Iran’s ambassador to Ireland, Dr Masoud Eslami, pleading for his son to be freed. The ambassador asked the senior Mr Phelan to be patient and wait for judicial proceedings to take their course.
A Department of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman said the department “is aware of the case and has been providing consular assistance, in close co-ordination with France, since the outset”.
“The case has also been raised directly with the Iranian authorities.”
