The Iranian regime is escalating its brutal crackdown on political prisoners. According to recent statements by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the regime is seeking death sentences for several political prisoners held in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison. Some of these prisoners include Mehdi Hassani, Behrouz Ehsani, and Hossein Derakhshani, three prisoners in the notorious Evin Prison who have been charged with “baghi” (rebellion) and “moharebeh” (enmity against God), vaguely defined crimes the regime uses to sentence political prisoners to death. All three were arrested in late 2022.
At the same time, the regime has been ramping up repressive measures against political prisoners. In a shocking incident on the eve of Eid al-Fitr, guards at Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz launched a brutal attack on Ward 5, which houses political prisoners.
The guards destroyed or looted all of the prisoners’ belongings, including beds, refrigerators, and personal items. Prior to the attack, political prisoners had protested the transfer of many violent criminals to their ward. However, their protests were met with a brutal crackdown.
To regime is denying medical care to political prisoners suffering from severe pain, chronic diseases like MS, or requiring medical treatment to further torment them. The prison lacks basic medical facilities, and the quality of food provided is poor and unhygienic, causing gastrointestinal and viral diseases among inmates.
Prison guards use various methods to torture prisoners, including beating them with plastic pipes, handcuffing them to prison fences for extended periods, using electric shocks, and pouring hot water or oil on their heads. In one torture method known as the “coffin,” prisoners are tied up and placed in an iron box less than 50 centimeters high, causing them to faint from the excruciating pain.
These incidents are happening against a backdrop of growing repressive measures against political prisoners. The Iranian Resistance has called on the UN and human rights organizations to take immediate action to visit prisons in Iran and ensure the safety and security of political prisoners, who are under the threat of being tortured, murdered, or executed by the regime.
On March 12, Mehran Akrami, a 32-year-old prisoner arrested during the 2022 uprising, lost his life due to brutal torture at the Intelligence detention center in Saqqez. He was severely beaten by prison guards in the previous week, leading to kidney failure. Despite being hospitalized, he was returned to the detention center before recovering, ultimately resulting in his death.
Between February 17 and March 12, 2024, at least 11 prisoners committed suicide due to severe pressure and brutal harassment by prison guards. On March 15, security forces prevented families of political prisoners executed from visiting their Khavaran, the site where thousands of political prisoners were secretly buried in 1988.
The regime’s increasing pressure on political prisoners stems from its failure to suppress the aspirations of Iran’s rebellious youth and its setbacks in the region. The regime also fears the growing support for the Iranian Resistance and its activities inside Iran. The PMOI, as the democratic alternative to the ruling theocracy, poses an existential threat to the regime’s grip on power. The activities of the PMOI Resistance Units inside Iran is also cause for more concern for the regime, which has led extensive efforts to discredit the Iranian Resistance and dissuade Iran’s youths from joining the resistance. Despite the regime’s brutal crackdown, the Iranian people’s desire for freedom and democracy remains strong.
