British-Iranian Vahid Beheshti on the 50th day of his hunger strike in London on Thursday. EPA
British-Iranian Vahid Beheshti on the 50th day of his hunger strike in London on Thursday. EPA
British-Iranian Vahid Beheshti on the 50th day of his hunger strike in London on Thursday. EPA
British-Iranian Vahid Beheshti on the 50th day of his hunger strike in London on Thursday. EPA

British-Iranian hunger striker Vahid Beheshti marks 50th day outside UK Foreign Office


Simon Rushton
  • English
  • Arabic

British-Iranian Vahid Beheshti was on Thursday marking the 50th day of his hunger strike outside the British government's Foreign Office.

He is calling on the UK to act against Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and to recognise them as a terrorist group.

Iran has been behind 15 credible threats to kill or abduct British citizens or UK-based people since last year, Security Minister Tom Tugendhat says.

The journalist and campaigner, who was twice detained by the IRGC in Iran, said he was outraged by the Iranian regime's attempts to silence critics in Britain.

He cited Iranian death threats towards people in the UK and the forced closure of the Iran International TV channel studio in London as the most pressing reasons behind his decision to go on hunger strike.

Some journalists in London have been given 24-hour police protection after receiving death threats.

Mr Beheshti and his wife Mattie Heaven marked their wedding anniversary on his 42nd day without food.

British-Iranian hunger striker Vahid Beheshti with wife Mattie Heaven. Photo: Mattie Heaven
British-Iranian hunger striker Vahid Beheshti with wife Mattie Heaven. Photo: Mattie Heaven

His daily diet of coffee, water and sugar cubes has caused his weight to plummet and his energy to wane.

By the anniversary he was noticeably thinner compared to the smiling groom in his wedding photos.

Mr Beheshti, who fled his homeland 24 years ago to set up a new life in Britain, said his wife understood the reasons for his hunger strike.

While his push for a proscription of the IRGC has yet to prove fruitful, Mr Beheshti said he had been encouraged by signals from UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government.

Vahid Beheshti is protesting outside Britain's Foreign Office in London. Reuters
Vahid Beheshti is protesting outside Britain's Foreign Office in London. Reuters

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly was told by MPs in the House of Commons in February that there had been a “major groundswell” in requests for the government to designate the IRGC a terrorist organisation.

Mr Cleverly said the IRGC's “malign impact” was felt across the region and the world but he stopped short of saying a ban was in the pipeline.

Iran’s execution of British-Iranian citizen Ali Reza Akbari on spying charges in January has further soured diplomatic relations with the UK.

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

The specs: 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV

Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 60kWh battery
Transmission: Single-speed Electronic Precision Shift
Power: 204hp
Torque: 360Nm
​​​​​​​Range: 520km (claimed)

The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km

Price: Dh133,900

On sale: now 

Singham Again

Director: Rohit Shetty

Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone

Rating: 3/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
Arsenal's pre-season fixtures

Thursday Beat Sydney 2-0 in Sydney

Saturday v Western Sydney Wanderers in Sydney

Wednesday v Bayern Munich in Shanghai

July 22 v Chelsea in Beijing

July 29 v Benfica in London

July 30 v Sevilla in London

WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

About Krews

Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi

Based: Abu Dhabi

Founded: January 2019

Number of employees: 10

Sector: Technology/Social media 

Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support

 

Updated: April 13, 2023, 2:45 PM