Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, October 2, 2020—Prison guards of the Greater Tehran Penitentiary on September 30 forcibly relocated political prisoners arrested during the November 2019 uprising in Hall Two of the facility’s Unit Five section, reports indicate. A new report obtained from inside Iran shows that the conditions in this prison are abhorring, especially for the political prisoners.
The transfer comes at a time when Covid-19 is prevalent in the prison, could spread to a high number of inmates and endanger the lives of political prisoners.
“Unit Two of the Greater Tehran Penitentiary has three rooms and four toilets. About 90 inmates were transferred to this unit. So, there should be 30 inmates per room. Due to hygienic conditions and Covid-19 being widespread, there is a risk that these prisoners will contract the virus and other diseases,” according to the report.
Prison warden Asghar Fathi forcibly relocated the prisoners to Unit Two and this transfer is an inhuman decision.
Most of the prisoners could not bring the accessories that they had purchased, such as refrigerators and TVs. They were forced to leave them behind in the prison’s Unit Five.
“The guards did not allow the prisoners to bring their belongings to the new unit,” according to another report from inside the prison.
Amnesty International described Iran’s prisons as “catastrophically unequipped for outbreaks.” The organization reported that Tehran has ignored appeals from prison officials to provide resources aimed at combatting the spread of the virus and treating prisoners. To no avail, jails have requested disinfectant products, personal protective equipment, and medical devices.
The crackdown on the inmates of Greater Tehran Penitentiary comes against the backdrop of increased repressive measures against political prisoners across Iran. Very recently, the regime executed two political prisoners on charges of taking part in nationwide protests. One of them, Navid Afkari, was brutally tortured and forced to confess to crimes he had not committed. His execution was carried out without prior notice to his lawyer and family and despite an international campaign for the sentence to be revoked. He was later buried under severe restrictions to prevent further protests
The other political prisoners, arrested during the November 2019 protests, are under the threat of being executed. The regime’s judiciary has upheld their death sentences and they have been recently threatened that their execution will be carried out if they do not cooperate with the regime. Naser Moradi, the father of one of the prisoners, committed suicide last week because of the pressure imposed by regime officials.
International human rights bodies and activists have warned against the mounting pressure on political prisoners in Iran. The regime, which is in constant fear of the reemergence of nationwide protests, is trying to cause intimidation and fear among the population through the persecution of arrested protesters.
Urmia Central Prison
In other news, officials in Urmia Central Prison, located in northwest Iran, have decreased the prisoners' food rations and bread, literally starving the prisoners for the past two weeks.
Most prisoners are unable to buy food to meet their food shortages since the price of groceries in the prison store is almost twice the price of local markets.
In recent days, several prisoners have been looking for food and bread in the garbage dump.
