An Irish man imprisoned in an Iranian prison on charges of inciting propaganda against the regime has told his family he will go on hunger strike.
Bernard Phelan, 64, from Clonmel, County Tipperary, is currently held in a cell that holds 16 prisoners, with no glass windows and temperatures as low as -5 degrees Celsius at night.
The family is concerned that Phelan’s health has deteriorated significantly since his detention. He had a heart condition and was denied access to winter clothes and a hot water bottle.
He denies all charges against him. His family says he was detained as part of a political dispute between the French and Iranian governments related to anti-government demonstrations in the country. I believe.
Phelan, who works for an Iranian travel agency, holds dual French and Irish citizenship, lives in France and was traveling on a French passport when he was detained.
His family was informed through French officials handling his case that he had been on a hunger strike since 1 January. He says he refuses.
Masé Phelan told authorities that his brother was “doing Bobby Sands” and could make communicating with him even more difficult in the future. Since being detained in the infamous Vakilabad Prison, he has only been allowed to speak to his family twice.
Irish diplomats working with French diplomats to secure Mr Phelan’s freedom were informed of the developments.
Ferrand is now one of seven French nationals detained by the Iranian government.
Tehran accuses France of trying to instigate protests, but the French government says its citizens are being held hostage by the state.
Phelan’s sister said he was “in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
He was arrested on suspicion of taking photos of a police officer and a burned mosque while traveling in the city of Mashhad as part of a research trip.
He was then held in solitary confinement for two weeks before being transferred to Vakilabad Prison.
After a month in detention, he was charged with engaging in propaganda against the Iranian regime and sending the photographs to the Guardian.
A third charge was then filed for stealing two pieces of 900-year-old pottery from a historic village that Phelan had visited.
Mr. Phelan’s 97-year-old father, Mr. Vincent, wrote to Iran’s ambassador to Ireland, Dr. Masood Eslami, pleading for his son’s release. The Ambassador asked Senior Phelan to be patient and wait for the judicial process to proceed.
A foreign ministry spokeswoman said the ministry was “aware of the incident and has worked closely with France from the beginning to provide consular assistance.”
“The matter has also been brought directly to the Iranian authorities.”
