On 26 June 2011, twelve prisoners of conscience declared an end to their nine-day long hunger strike. The prisoners started a hunger strike on 18 June to protest rampant impunity and lack of accountability following the deaths of two prominent activists, Haleh Sahabi and Hoda Saber.

Saber died in captivity from a heart attack on 10 June 2011. Saber had started a hunger strike to protest the death of Haleh Sahabi on 2 June. On 8 June, a prison official beat Saber when he was transferred to the prison clinic. On the morning of Saber’s death, prison officials failed to transfer him to a hospital for six hours after his heart attack.

Haleh Sahabi also died of cardiac arrest following an attack by security agents during her father’s funeral.

There were serious concerns for the lives of the twelve prisoners on hunger strike, given the Iranian authorities’ complete disregard for the well-being and health of prisoners of conscience.

In a letter published on kaleme website, the prisoners said they will continue their peaceful protests against what they called “lack of accountability and failures of the country’s judicial system.”