A British-Iranian national held in Iran on spying charges is beginning a hunger strike to protest his situation and lack of pressure to secure his release, his family announced on Saturday.
Anoosheh Ashoori, 67, is one of over a dozen foreign nationals detained in Iran and held as hostages in a bid to extract concessions from the West.
He was arrested during a visit to Iran in August 2017 and then jailed for 10 years on charges of spying.
Ashoori will begin the hunger strike on Sunday in Tehran’s Evin prison where he is held, his daughter Elika Ashoori announced in a video shared on social media channels.
“Needless to say we are extremely concerned for his physical health as he approaches his 68th birthday,” she said.
She added that her father would begin the hunger strike “in the hope of bringing global attention to the plight of these individuals held by Iran”.
