Two Ilford brothers who claim they were tortured in their homeland of Iran have spoken to the Recorder as they reach the 33rd day of a hunger strike.

Mehran and Mahyar Meyari, of Canterbury Avenue, Ilford, have been camped outside the UK Border Agency’s headquarters in Croydon since April 5 after being denied asylum in the UK.

Yesterday, they and four other Iranians also on hunger strike marched from Parliament Square to the Home Office in Marsham Street.

Mahyar, 17, told the Recorder he was beaten repeatedly with a baton and raped after being arrested following pro-democracy marches in Tehran in 2009.

He said: “Definitely they will imprison me or hang me if I go back to Iran.

“That’s why we decided to do this [the hunger strike], because we fear that they will send us back to Iran.”

During the last 33 days, which he described as “very painful”, he has been hospitalised on a number of occasions.

His brother Mehran told the Recorder: “I’ve been getting dizzy and we’re very weak at the moment because we’re only drinking water.”

The two came to the UK last year and were flanked by supporters yesterday as they marched through central London.