British national jailed in Iran begins hunger strike: family
-
Thunder sweep past Grizzlies into NBA playoffs 2nd round, Cavs on brink
-
South Korea's Ryu and Japan's Saigo share LPGA Chevron lead
-
Canada leaders make closing pitches in campaign upended by Trump
-
De Bruyne's Man City exit 'so difficult' for Guardiola
-
'No regrets' for Amorim over Man Utd move
-
Lyon and Strasbourg win to close in on Europe, Montpellier relegated from Ligue 1
-
Toulouse thrash Castres as Top 14 pursuers stumble
-
Djokovic crashes to nervous Arnaldi in Madrid opener, Swiatek advances
-
Olympic champs Russell, Davis-Woodhall win at Drake Relays
-
Browns end Sanders long draft slide
-
Cavs crush Heat, on brink of NBA playoff sweep
-
Fire rages after major blast at Iran port kills 8, injures hundreds
-
Kiwi Beamish wins Penn Relays 1,500m crown with late kick
-
Mbappe on Real Madrid bench for Clasico Copa del Rey final
-
England survive France fightback to seal Women's 6 Nations slam
-
Palace sweep past Villa to reach FA Cup final
-
CAF appoint Moroccan Lekjaa first vice-president
-
Major blast at Iran port kills 5, injures hundreds
-
Rodgers vows to stay with Celtic after fourth successive Scottish title
-
Ipswich relegated as Newcastle, Chelsea boost top five bids
-
Canada leaders make final pitches in campaign upended by Trump
-
Mullins -- Ireland's national training treasure
-
US, Iran say progress in 'positive' nuclear talks
-
Mullins emulates O'Brien with second successive trainer's title
-
Ipswich relegated after one season in Premier League
-
Just Stop Oil activist group holds final march
-
Djokovic crashes to nervous Arnaldi in Madrid opener
-
Syria's Kurds demand 'democratic decentralised' Syria
-
Leverkusen win to delay Bayern and Kane's title party
-
Buenos Aires farewells native pontiff with tears and calls to action
-
Turkey's opposition says Erdogan's canal plan behind latest arrests
-
Maresca hails 'nasty' Chelsea as top five bid stays alive
-
Trump raises Putin doubts after Zelensky talks at pope's funeral
-
Major blast at Iran port kills 4, injures hundreds
-
Napoleon's sword to be sold at auction in Paris
-
Iran, US discuss nuclear deal in third round of talks
-
Buenos Aires farewells native pontiff with call to action
-
Warholm sets hurdles world record at Diamond League, Holloway shocked
-
US students 'race' sperm in reproductive health stunt
-
Wikileaks founder Assange joins crowds for pope funeral
-
Leader Marc Marquez claims Spanish MotoGP sprint victory
-
Celtic win fourth successive Scottish Premiership title
-
Jackson ends drought as Chelsea boost top five push
-
Warholm sets 300m hurdles world record in Diamond League opener
-
Major blast at south Iran port kills 4, injures hundreds
-
Russia says retook Kursk from Ukraine with North Korean help
-
Francis laid to rest as 400,000 mourn pope 'with an open heart'
-
Trump, Zelensky meet on sidelines of pope's funeral
-
'Shared loss': Filipino Catholics bid Pope Francis farewell
-
Families unable to reunite as India-Pakistan border slams shut
NYSE - LSE
British national jailed in Iran begins hunger strike: family
A British national held in Iran for four-and-a-half-years on spying charges vehemently denied by supporters 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, who holds British and Iranian passports, is one of over a dozen foreign nationals detained in Iran who activists argue are 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, an accusation rubbished by his family.
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.
But she said her father would begin the hunger strike "in the hope of bringing global attention to the plight of these individuals held by Iran".
He was taking the action having failed to see "any progress" in British efforts to bring about his release and "no sign the welfare of hostages held by Iran is a priority of the US, European and UK governments", she said.
Ashoori is going on hunger strike after a similar move in December by Frenchman Benjamin Briere who has been jailed in Iran for over a year-and-a-half on spying charges.
Briere, 36, who was arrested in May 2020 while travelling, went on trial on Thursday severely weakened by the hunger strike, his lawyers said. A verdict in his case is expected in the coming days.
Campaigners and families of those held fear the issue of detainees is being forgotten by the West as powers seek to negotiate a revival of the 2015 deal on the Iranian nuclear programme in Vienna.
Elika Ashoori said her father's action was in "full solidarity" with a hunger strike begun in Vienna by Barry Rosen, a former US diplomat and veteran of the 444 day hostage siege of the US embassy in Tehran from 1979-1981.
Rosen, 77, who is on day four of his hunger strike, has said he started the strike to demand the release of all the foreign "hostages", saying they are "they are human beings, not bargaining chips".
He has since been joined in Vienna on the hunger strike by Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese national and US resident who was held in Iran on spying charges from 2015-2019.
S.F.Warren--AMWN