Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, August 14, 2020—The Iranian regime launched a television campaign claiming to provide excellent health services and protection against Covid-19 in its prisons, especially the notorious Evin prison in the Iranian capital Tehran. The reason behind this latest effort by the mullahs’ propaganda machine has been the impact of revelations made by the Iranian opposition People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) on the novel coronavirus spreading across the country and especially the regime’s prison, threatening the life of ordinary and especially political prisoners.
More than 87,900 people have died of the novel #coronavirus in 379 cities checkered across all of Iran's 31 provinces, according to the Iranian opposition PMOI/MEK. pic.twitter.com/4O0ZOoG10W
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 13, 2020
Following the regime’s TV campaign and lies of Covid-19 being under full control in Evin prison, a number of political prisoners detained in ward 8 of this facility wrote a letter on Thursday, August 13, shedding light on the truth of the conditions in this northern Tehran facility.
“What was broadcast from state TV went beyond lies and fake news. None of us had ever heard of, let alone used the claimed ‘disinfecting tunnel’ upon our entrance to this prison. The timespan of an inmate’s stay in the ward one is not 14 days but merely a few hours and 24 hours at max. This is where new inmates are held and then transferred to wards four, seven and eight in formalist fashion, and then placed alongside other inmates in so-called quarantine fashion.
“A report was aired from ward four regarding portraying rooms that have been prepared by [regime insiders] who have stolen ordinary people’s money from various credit firms, a number of famous embezzlers, and former Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) officials who are too afraid to even provide their real names. For example, one of these individuals is identified as ‘Commander Seif.’ The rooms showed on TV are allocated to individuals such as Hossein Fereydoon (brother to regime President Hassan Rouhani), former Tehran mayor Mohammad Ali Najafi (condemned on murder charges; he shouldn’t even be held in this ward or Evin prison) and Mehdi Hashemi, son of former regime president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who is held in a special room of ward seven when he is not out on leave.
“The story of ward 8, however, is different. The prisoners themselves say this ward is used by the authorities as an exile center. The clinic shown on TV actually lacks any medical equipment, supplies and medicine. It cannot provide even the smallest medical service for any kind of patients.”
Regime authorities continuously refuse to provide access to any international delegations and reporters access to its prisons, knowing the truth of the horrible conditions in these jails will be revealed the moment political prisoners are able to be interviewed by such a delegation and/or reporter.
“The regime must free all political prisoners. Once again, we call on international institutions and world governments to pressure and compel the mullahs’ regime to release all political prisoners,” said Iranian opposition President Maryam Rajavi, head of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
The regime must free all political prisoners. Once again, we call on international institutions and world governments to pressure and compel the mullahs’ regime to release all political prisoners. #FreePoliticalPrisoners #Iran pic.twitter.com/gaNjbGyLmN
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) August 13, 2020
“Many prisoners including political prisoners of Evin Prison, Great Tehran Penitentiary, the Central Prison of Urmia, among others, have contracted the coronavirus and so, thousands of prisoners in Iran are vulnerable to the disease. The clerical regime is unable to provide and guarantee the necessary hygienic restrictions inside its prisons. The UN needs to take urgent action to compel the Iran regime to stop this catastrophe by temporarily releasing all prisoners, including the political prisoners,” Mrs. Rajavi adds.
Many prisoners including political prisoners of Evin Prison, Great Tehran Penitentiary, the Central Prison of Urmia, among others, have contracted the #coronavirus and so, thousands of prisoners in #Iran are vulnerable to the disease. #FreePoliticalPrisoners
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) August 11, 2020
