The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) hosted a special live Twitter chat on Tuesday with individuals on hunger strike in Geneva, Switzerland demanding the release of the seven Camp Ashraf hostages held by Iraqi forces of Nouri al-Maliki and protection for Camp Liberty residents.
The hunger strikers responded to real-time questions about the status of the seven hostages taken by the Iraqi government and the health conditions of the 23 hunger strikers in Geneva.
On the 87th day of hunger strike in Geneva Kamal said that many of the participants are falling physically ill. However, even with failing health conditions, him and his fellow hunger strikers refuse to give up their fight. They will continue the path they are one until their demands are met.
The two demands that the hunger strikers are asking to be addressed are 1) The release of the seven hostages that are under daily torture by the Iraqi government and 2) that protection be provided by the United Nations to all Camp Liberty residents.
Kamal shared with the chat participants that on average the hunger strikers have lost 19 kg, although he has lost 25 kg and some have lost as much as 27 kg.
Several of the participants stated they would like to do something to help the hunger strikers, to which Kamal responded with the request that they reach out to their individual media outlets. “Contact your media, share our story and explain the humanitarian crisis. Ask them to visit our strikes and see firsthand,” he said.
Kamal also told supporters to “contact your respective United Nations office and influence your local government bodies.” Kamal’s final plea held no exaggeration, “We are asking the international community to please help us. Our demand is so simple – help us. All we want is freedom for Iran.”
Many of the participants shared uplifting messages and expressed their sincere support and gratitude to the hunger strikers. One tweet at the hunger strikers said, “Thank you very much hunger strikers for your sacrifice. God bless you. We are all proud of you.” Another read the simple message, “Peace be upon you #FreeThe7.”
The Geneva chat was a part of a series of live Twitter chats in the #FreeThe7 campaign. NCRI will continue to host twitter chats throughout the next few weeks. Join in the conversation by following @Iran_policy and #FreeThe7 on Twitter.
