Dear Mr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
I would like to inform you about the danger of spreading Coronavirus in prisons in Iran. You may be aware of the intentional carelessness of the Islamic regime in Iran and how they have ignored the concerns expressed by the World Health Organisation(WHO) about coronavirus; this resulted in the outbreak getting out of control in Iran. The outbreak of the Coronavirus all over Iran, is a catastrophic danger. By ignoring international standards, not preparing necessary basics for prevention and treatment, not taking responsibility, secrecy about the numbers of the infected people, Islamic Regime has put the whole society in danger of further infection.
Most people can’t afford to buy needed medicine or equipment for protecting themselves from Coronavirus . A mask or disinfection soup would be as expensive as the cost of two days’ food. People are left alone with the pressure the fear of the rising number of infected people. Schools and universities and public transports are left to the hands of fate without proper care.
The thing I’m more concerned about is the prisons. Iran has thousands of innocent political prisoners who are in prison just for expressing their views and protesting against injustice. The terrible situation of detentions’ facilities and prisons neither are literally worse than hell, with no proper medical care nor clean cells. Over-populated prison rooms put the prisoners in real danger, scary dungeons such as Karoon prison in Ahwaz or Fashafooye prison complex in Tehran, Qarchak Prison in Varamin, Dizel-Abad prison in Kermanshah and Adel-Abad prison in Shiraz, and tens of other prisons. They don’t even have access to proper sanitary water or food, neither proper medicine. These make the prisoners one of the most vulnerable in the crisis of Coronavirus outbreak in Iran. In so many prisons there are not even proper toilets which expose the poisoners to dangerous diseases. It is not unusual to find faeces on the floor of a solitary confinement.
Prisoners and their families are so worried about these situations and the impact of faeces the coronavirus. There is no organization in Iran to monitor any level of hygienic standards, so prisoners are extremely vulnerable. We have received news about the spread of coronavirus in the prisons across the cities in Iran. In a situation which actually the whole society is left alone without proper preventing standards, prisons are the worst. prisoners are deprived from any kind of health care and treatment by the excuse of the “security” concerns. For example regime clams that if the prisoner goes to the healthcare clinic of the prison, he or she may release a note or letter about their conditions, and Islamic regime doesn’t want that to happen.
Since Islamic regime doesn’t have any will to supply medical needs of prisoners, if one be infected in a prison room, it can put thousands in danger.
The Judicial System of Islamic regime should be responsible for lives of all prisoners, and of course all the innocent political prisoners who are dealing with more danger because of the meaningless security measures they have been faced with.
I strongly urge you, as the director general of WHO, to put Islamic regime under pressure on the issue of prisons in Iran in order to stop coronavirus outbreak in prisons. Prisons are very unsecure about the virus and could be a place to spread the virus to thousands. As a necessary step, all prisons should get standard healthcare measures test by the international authorities. Hundreds of innocent political prisoners in Iran are in danger, and being hidden from the eyes of media and international society. Lack of transparency from the government in Iran could make the disease spread faster and worsens the situation. Hope you stop the catastrophe by acting on time.
Parisa Pouyandeh
Coordinator Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran(CFPPI)
