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Human rights activists have raised concerns about the health of almost 20 Iranian political prisoners who have been on hunger strike for more than a week.

A group of prisoners arrested in the aftermath of Iran's 2009 post-election unrest are refusing to eat, and some have stopped drinking water, in protest at the death of two of their fellow inmates, Hoda Saber and Haleh Sahabi.

Saber, 52, a leading journalist, died two weeks ago of a heart attack after 10 days on hunger strike in jail and Sahabi, 54, a women rights activist,died on 1 June during scuffles with security forces at the funeral of her father, Ezatollah Sahabi, a veteran activist. Saber was on hunger strike in protest at the death of Sahabi.

The hunger strikers – who include around 12 prisoners in Tehran's notorious Evin ... >>>