Iranian political prisoner and human rights activists Farhad Meysami has written an open letter from inside Iran’s Evin prison, criticizing his treatment at the hands of Iranian courts and rejecting stated US concerns for the human rights situation in Iran and for his own case in particular.

Meysami was arrested in July over protests related to the compulsory hijab. Authorities confiscated from his home pins that read “I am against compulsory hijab.” He began a hunger strike in August in protest against his conditions and lack of access to proper legal representation. His case has been referenced by a number of international organizations, including Amnesty International, which condemned Iranian authorities for pressuring him to end his hunger strike, and United Nations human rights experts, who have called for his release.

A press release from the US State Department has also directly cited Meysami’s case. “We are deeply concerned about the rapidly deteriorating health of Dr. Farhad Meysami,” the December 7 statement read. “The United States condemns the arbitrary detention of Dr. Meysami. This is a brazen violation of human rights. The United States calls on the Iranian regime to immediately release Dr. Meysami and all political prisoners who are unjustly imprisoned. The Iranian people deserve a government that respects their rights and legitimate demands, not one that subjects them to slow deaths in degrading cells for peacefully demanding what is rightfully theirs — universal human rights.”

Meysami’s letter was divided into two sections. In the first section, he recounts his challenges dealing with the Iranian court system, such as not having access to his lawyer, being forced to choose a lawyer among a list of court-approved lawyers and not being given time to prepare for his court dates. He cites Abolqasem Salavati by name numerous times, a notorious judge who is head of the 15th branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran and known for handing down heavy sentences to activists.