Iranian Convert Jailed and Maintaining Hunger Strike 02/16/2021 Iran (International Christian Concern) – Ibrahim Firouzi, an Iranian Christian convert, was arrested on February 8 on charges of propaganda and blasphemy. Firouzi began a hunger strike a few days later on February 13, saying he will not eat again until this latest round of charges against him are dropped. Iranian officials have monitored Firouzi since his first arrest in 2011 and was imprisoned between 2013 and 2019. Following his incarceration, Firouzi was sent to a remote, southeastern city to serve a two-year internal exile sentence. In March 2020, authorities notified him that his sentence was extended for 11 months due to his absence, though he was previously informed to stop his daily check-ins.